Commissioner says mayor's campaign sign sat in front of charred historic house, calls for apology
Loading...
Summary
Commissioner John Paul Young told the Caddo Parish Commission he photographed a repeatedly burned historic house with a 'Re-elect Tom Arseneault' sign in front of it, called the placement a 'grotesque insult,' and publicly called on the mayor to apologize and enforce blight laws; the transcript contains no response from the mayor.
Commissioner John Paul Young used his commission remarks to recount attending the Highland parade and to show a photograph of a nearby charred historic house he said burned three times during the last fire period. Young said he discovered a "Re-elect Tom Arseneault, mayor of Shreveport" sign placed in front of the ruined house and called that placement "a grotesque insult" to neighbors.
"That house burned 3 times while he was the mayor," Young said, adding that "12,000 people moved away from Shreveport in the last 4 years," a figure he offered during his remarks. Young said the sign was a "gruesome reminder of the failure to enforce the law in my neighborhood" and publicly called on the mayor to apologize and "do more than apologize, but to enforce the law, the criminal law, against blight in Shreveport," which Young said the mayor campaigned on.
Commissioners acknowledged the remarks and several later speakers—both commissioners and staff—referenced the broader issue of blight, public-works responses to recent fires, and follow-up requests to clear debris and address prolonged nuisances. The transcript contains no recorded response from Mayor Tom Arseneault or his office during the session.
Young’s claims about the number of residents leaving the city and the number of fires were presented as his statements to the commission and were not substantiated by supporting documents in the meeting record.
