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Residents call for recall, others offer support after Police Jury president’s apology
Summary
After President Shane Smiley apologized for a recent recording and social media posts about his restaurant, several residents told the jury there is an active recall effort while others expressed support; the minutes record names and addresses of those who spoke but do not document any formal recall petition presented to the jury.
During other business at the Sept. 2 meeting, Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Shane Smiley apologized for a recent recording and social media posts regarding his restaurant and opened the floor to public comment.
Multiple residents addressed the jury. Melanie Hurd (104 Sparks Drive) told the jury there is an official recall in progress. Quincy Gardner (16 Leslie Lane) and Carrie Nielsen (4102 Woodway Drive) spoke in favor of that recall. Several other speakers expressed support for Mr. Smiley, including Pat Regan (119 Gretchens Walk), Kelly Taylor (2703 Wilshire Street) and Hagan Lawrence (3609 Pegram Circle). Additional public comments included calls for term limits (Victoria Elliott, 1407 Glenmar Avenue) and a request that Mr. Smiley resign (Yolanda Gayden). Amber Deutsch (307 West Heights Drive) said she hoped Mr. Smiley was sincere in his apology; Donna Liegel (167 Cheeks Drive, Calhoun) urged Mr. Smiley to be a better role model for younger people.
The minutes record who spoke and paraphrase their positions; they do not include verbatim quotes, documentary evidence of a recall petition, or any formal action by the jury in response to the public comments. President Smiley thanked those who spoke and no vote or official proceeding followed from the comments during the meeting.
