All 10 candidates showed up for the first Shreveport Mayoral forum.  The YMCA of Northwest Louisiana held the forum Thursday evening to a packed gymnasium.  The forum was scheduled to present 7 questions with each candidate having 1 minute to respond.  But after introductions, and in order to keep within the established time frame, there was only time for 5 questions.

Even with all 10 candidates in attendance, the mood overall was very cordial, with most candidates very respectful and polite. The first two questions concerned crime in Shreveport. The responses were predictable.  Police pay... more officers... but one respect I did like was to try to instill respect for police back into society. We grew up respecting police and the job they do. It would be nice not to villify the police.

Another issue brought up was blight in our city. Blight and crime go hand in hand.  One candidate pointed out that if you put a crime map and a map of blight in Shreveport, they would highlight the exact same areas of town.

Kudos to the YMCA for presenting a very well done forum. After this initial introduction to all 10 candidates, future forums will probably be limited in the number of candidates in order to be able to go a bit more in depth with answers by each candidate.

Take a Peak Inside Shreveport Mayoral Forum

Huge crowd shows up to hear 10 candidates for Mayor of Shreveport.

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