(The Center Square) — Members of the Bossier City Council are under investigation by the district attorney’s office amid a public battle over term limits.
Residents have petitioned for term limits to be on the ballot, but some council members have refused. Bossier District Attorney Schuyler Marvin is investigating five council members, including Vince Maggio, Jeffery Darby, Jeff Free, David Montgomery, and Don Williams.
“The lies and deceit and manipulation to the taxpayers of Bossier City is over,” Cassie Rogers, a member of the Bossier Term Limits Coalition, said in the most recent city council meeting. “I hope we have a brand new council sitting here come July.”
The Bossier Term Limits Coalition has long been petitioning for the right to vote for term limits. There will be two chances to vote, in March and May, but David Crockett of the coalition urged residents to vote no on the March ballot.
That’s because the first term-limit proposal only applies to offices on or after Jan. 1, 2025. Crockett and the coalition want the rule to be retroactive – a question that won’t be on the ballot until the May election.
Crockett said that five of seven council “may be guilty of malfeasance in office,” which is a felony offense that carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence and $5,000 fine.
“The Bossier Term Limits Coalition believes that the citizens in Bossier City have been harmed by this council. We believe the [citizens] in Bossier City should vote no for all the charter amendments that are going on in March,” he said. “Vote yes for the term limits in May. Those are the real term limits that will stop anybody from running after they’ve served three terms.”
In a recent report, a member of the Bossier Term Limits Coalition filed a public records request for copies of documents, reports, dossiers, interviews, depositions, and alike concerning the ongoing investigation.
Erin McCarty, KEEL radio, recently questioned the district attorney at a North Shreveport Business Association meeting on what he’s doing to further the investigation. In his statement, Marvin said, “Already have, already have” when questioned about investigating the council members accused of malfeasance.
“I haven’t made a conclusion yet” he told McCarty when asked about prosecuting.
The ongoing legal battle stems from the council’s rejection of a petition submitted in July that proposed amending the city charter to retroactively impose term limits. Despite collecting enough signatures, the council refused to put the question on the Dec. 7 ballot.
The Lousiana State Board Commission later ruled the city must put a term limit proposal on the March 29 ballot, though the coalition’s retroactive petition was not addressed due to ongoing litigation.
The Bossier City Term Limits Coalition currently have a petition for Bossier City residents to sign to send to Marvin about the alleged malfeasance.
“The Bossier City Term Limits Coalition, along with the undersigned electors, asserts that we have been significantly harmed by the delay caused by unwarranted legal arguments and deliberate, frivolous actions aimed at preventing retroactive term limits from being placed on the ballot,” the letter notes. “We respectfully request that a Grand Jury be impaneled to thoroughly investigate the actions of the five Bossier City Council members involved in this matter.”
“Stop saying you’re for it if you’re not,” Rogers said. “The only thing you’re doing is exposing yourself.”