Who’s running for Shreveport mayor?

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Eleven candidates have announced their bid to run for Shreveport mayor. Caddo Commissioner Jim Taliaferro dropped out of the race.

Qualifying started July 20 and ran through July 22. The mayoral election is set for Nov. 8, and a runoff, if necessary, will be held Dec. 10.

As of Tuesday, Aug. 2, a Caddo Parish judge ruled to disqualify incumbent mayor Adrian Perkins. He is appealing that decision.

LIST OF CANDIDATES (ALPHABETICALLY)

Lauren Ray Anderson

Lauren Ray Anderson is an attorney from the Shreveport-Bossier area.

She said child abuse and trauma are the root to many of Shreveport problems. She said she also wants to make the city more appealing to guests.

“I am known for my integrity. I have the ability to lead the city. I have been in the courts, I have what it takes to push this city forward. Also, I have a reputation of playing nicely with others. This is going to be a group effort. We have to bring everybody together,” she said.

Tom Arceneaux

Attorney Tom Arceneaux served on the Shreveport City Council from 1982 to 1990.

“As mayor, I will work with the Shreveport Police Department to put more police officers on patrol, particularly in high crime neighborhoods. I will help SPD to develop a more hands-on relationship with people in high crime neighborhoods, while restoring appreciation for our first responders,” he said in a news release.

When asked how his approach will be different, Arceneaux told KSLA, “I do not think we’ve made the litter issues and cleaning up the city as big a priority as it needs to be. I don’t think we have devoted enough resources to fighting blight in the neighborhoods. That’s something I’ve been fighting literally since 1981. I think we have tools available to us that we’re not making use of.”

Mario Chavez

Commissioner Mario Chavez has been serving Caddo Commission District 10 since 2016. He previously told KSLA there are three initiatives he wants to improve in Shreveport: “crime, cleanliness and customer service.” His campaign is called “Together Shreveport,” a motto he says stands to hold elected officials accountable for their plans.

According to his website, he wants to implement possible property tax relief and sign-on bonuses for law enforcement and more street lights to help fight crime.

LeVette Fuller

LeVette Fuller is the current Shreveport City Councilwoman for District B.

She recently announced she would not seek re-election for council due to frustration with colleagues and difficulty of working with the mayor’s office.

“After much prayer and many discussions with family and friends, I have decided that the best way I can contribute to my community is to seek the office of mayor of the City of Shreveport. In my campaign, I will offer my perspective on our community’s greatest challenges and a concrete plan of action on how we can fix them without waiting on someone else to save us.”

Tracy Mendels

Tracy Mendels is a retired Shreveport police officer.

She told KSLA she wants to focus on infrastructure, helping the youth and tackling crime.

“In 10 years, I’ve seen more death in this city than I’ve seen anywhere else,” Mendels said in a Facebook announcement. “It seems like sometimes part of the city is forgotten because it’s such a norm to have murders on the west side of the city...What I’d like to let people know is I do care about the west side of Shreveport.”

She said the crime issue is multi-faceted starts with addressing the staffing shortages. A possible solution, she says, is to recruit people from the military.

(Note: Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins has been disqualified as a candidate but is appealing that ruling).

Julius Romano

Julius Romano was born in Italy and has served in the military. He said he believes the city needs proper leadership to yield more jobs. He also says he wants Shreveport to be cleaner and a place for education, research and culture.

“We need to put the research center at LSUS, so we can attract bright minds to come to Shreveport and stay in Shreveport,” he said.

Sen. Greg Tarver

Senator Greg Tarver currently represents District 39, which includes parts of Caddo Parish. He’s term-limited, meaning he cannot run for that Senate office again.

Tarver made his official announcement Tuesday, July 19.

Darryl R. Ware II

Darryl R. Ware II was born and raised in Shreveport, according to his website.

“I decided to run for mayor after hearing the countless gunshots, seeing the failing infrastructure, and feeling the effects of a dying economy myself. Last year, the city experienced a record number of homicides, the infrastructure failed us, and people were still left underpaid,” he said on his website.

He said he believes transparency is key to lead the city.

Melvin Slack Jr.

Melvin Slack has previously run for the mayoral seat. During the candidate forum, he said he believes the city needs a mayor who can understand “the gangster mentality” of Shreveport citizens and neighborhoods.

This article is frequently updated to include comment from each candidate and new developments.

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