Bossier City residents accuse council of violating memorial-walkway ordinance as council moves charter amendments to special election

Public commenters at Monday’s Bossier City Council meeting accused a majority of council members of ignoring a newly passed ordinance governing the naming of public memorial walkways and pressed the council to pursue malfeasance investigations as the council moved forward with charter-related items.

Ruth Pope Johnston, speaking during public comment, said the ordinance’s "lawful requirements . . . have already been broken," and alleged that a sign installed at the Citizens Bank Drive and Benton Road intersection was placed without the public process the ordinance requires. "The first sign was never put on the agenda, has certainly never been voted on," Johnston said.

Why it matters: Public commenters said the alleged procedural lapses deny residents the chance to review and vote on names the ordinance requires be presented to the public. Speakers linked the dispute to broader concerns about council accountability and asked the mayor and prosecutors to investigate.

Multiple speakers urged legal consequences and further action. Cassie Rogers asked Mayor Thomas H. Chandler to pursue malfeasance charges and requested the mayor coordinate with the Bossier City District Attorney’s Office and the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office to investigate, saying the council had "blatant and outright disregard for our city’s constitution." David Crockett urged transparency on legal spending and said he understood the city has spent roughly $50,000 on legal work related to the earlier petition effort; he asked for detailed records.

Other commenters framed the council’s vote to place amendments on the ballot as compelled by court order. West Marriott said the item was on the agenda because the Second Circuit Court of Appeal "said you have to," and referenced Nebraska Press Assn. v. Stuart and federal civil-rights statute concerns raised by speakers about restricting petition activity.

Council action at the meeting: The council adopted a resolution ordering and calling a special election in Bossier City to vote on proposed amendments to the city charter (first and final reading). The council also introduced an ordinance proposing amendments to section 3.01(b) and section 4.01 of the city charter (first reading). Both items were on the agenda following citizen petitions and court direction referenced during public comment.

What the speakers asked for: Speakers requested criminal referrals, funding reviews for legal fees, and that the city stop spending on litigation they said opposed the will of petition signatories. Several named five council members — Montgomery, Free, Maggio, Williams and Darby — as responsible for the alleged procedural breaches; two other council members, Bridal Hammonds and Councilman McCriss Smith, were singled out by commenters as not implicated.

What the council did not resolve at the meeting: Public commenters asked specifically for the memorial walkway sign and the first names considered under the ordinance to be placed on the agenda for formal review; the transcript records those demands but does not show a separate council motion to reopen or re-review that specific sign. The transcript also records speakers’ intent to forward complaints to the state attorney general and inspector general; the council did not announce any formal referral to those offices during the meeting.

Ending: The council moved forward with the special-election resolution and the charter-amendment ordinance introduction; those items now proceed through the election and ordinance process described at the meeting. Community members in the chamber said they will continue to press for records and for investigations into the council’s handling of the ordinance and the petition process.