Resident criticizes official Facebook Easter message; public commenters urge local control of Caddo‑Bossier Port and praise community programs
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Summary
At the Caddo Parish Commission work session, residents urged restraint in official social‑media messaging and defended local control of the Caddo‑Bossier Port. Speakers also praised community programs, including the Rising Star talent initiative and Christian services’ meal distribution.
A Caddo Parish resident told the commission she found an Easter message posted to an account presented as an official parish Facebook page to be insulting to non‑Christian faiths and asked whether parish social‑media policy could be changed or clarified.
Elizabeth Wilbert, who gave her address as 4330 Greenwood Road, said she is a secular humanist and described family and work relationships across multiple faiths. She said the message, posted on what she understood to be a page identifying the poster as a representative of Caddo Parish, felt exclusionary and that such content would be better posted on a personal page rather than an official government account.
Why it matters: Wilbert framed her remarks as a question about the boundary between personal expression and official parish communications, asking whether the parish maintains one official Facebook account and whether postings that appear to speak for the parish can be discouraged. The administrator and clerk clarified that commissioners’ personal pages are not official parish pages and that the parish maintains institutional pages managed by parish personnel.
The public comment period also included calls to protect local control of port governance. Dave Hackney of Railsback Ridge spoke in support of Resolution 27, which opposes legislation that would shift appointment authority for the Caddo‑Bossier Port commission to the state legislature. Hackney said the port is funded by Caddo and Bossier taxpayers and residents across both parishes should have a say in port decisions; he urged the commission to oppose the proposed state takeover of commissioner appointments.
Other visitors highlighted local programs. Bobby Flowers, representing Hidden Talent Theater, praised the Rising Star youth talent program and offered to serve on its board or help produce events. Al Moore thanked the commission for continued support of Christian services and reported that the organization provided 23,646 meals between Jan. 1 and March 31 this year.
What the commission said next: Commissioners acknowledged the concerns about social‑media messaging and reiterated that personal pages belong to individual commissioners while parish pages are maintained by parish staff. The chair and administrator said staff would follow up on clarifying which pages are official and how such postings are handled.
The public commenters’ remarks were recorded during the citizens’ comment portion of the April 6 work session; no formal policy change was made at the meeting, but commissioners said they will review the issue and the clerk/administrator will provide clarity about official parish pages.
The commission moved next to its agenda items and votes.
