Arceneaux, Tarver assessing how to bolster support going into runoff

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — With the field now narrowed from 10 candidates, the two men still vying to be Shreveport’s mayor likely are assessing how best to build support going into the runoff.

Tom Arceneaux and Gregory Tarver will face off again Dec. 10.

That gives them about a month to bolster their support.

Neither gained a commanding margin in the election Tuesday, Nov. 8.

[VIEW ELECTION RESULTS]

Arceneaux finished as the frontrunner with 14,703 votes, or 28%, according to complete but unofficial election results.

Trailing by only 2,530 votes was Tarver with 24% of the votes cast.

Now the question is who will get the remaining 48% in the runoff. Turnout likely will be a key factor. Only 42.3% of the 122,056 qualified voters cast ballots in the mayoral race Tuesday.

“I’m not sure that endorsments, per se, carry as much weight as one might think,” Arceneaux said. “Being in touch with other supporters, I think some of those candidates, if you look at what we were saying and what they were saying, there were similarities enough that their supporters might gravitate to our campaign.”

Tarver said: “The main people, I’m gonna contact the voters. I don’t think a candidate controls the voters; they control themselves and they decide. Just because they voted for you doesn’t mean you control their vote. And I’m just a caretaker. The people own District 39, not Greg Tarver.”

As for what will happen if either is elected as mayor:

“I think if I give them information and educate them as to what the real facts are, we’ll develop a system of trust. When we make recommendations based on their responses to that information and filtering their opinions through it, I think they’ll feel that they’ll have some level of ownership in those decisions,” Arceneaux said.

“I think the budget itself should be open to the people. I think each department needs to have a public hearing. Let the people know what each department has been doing, how much they’re being funded and the scope of their jobs. I will let the sun shine in, and everyone will have the opportunity to look at the budget,” Tarver said.

KEY DATES

Following are key dates related to the Dec. 10 runoff.

Nov. 19: the deadline to register to vote through the GeauxVote Online Registration System

Nov. 26-Dec. 3: Early voting (excluding Sunday, Nov. 27) from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. each day

Dec. 6: 4:30 p.m. is the deadline to request an absentee ballot (other than military and overseas voters). You can request an absentee ballot online through the secretary of state’s voter portal or in writing through your registrar of voters’ office

Dec. 9: 4:30 p.m. is the deadline for a registrar of voters to receive a voted absentee ballot (other than military and overseas voters)

Dec. 10: Polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Election Day

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