Shreveport City Councilwoman Joyce Bowman has a message for some of her verbose colleagues: Cut the showboating and take care of business.
It's common for Shreveport City Council meetings to last hours -- especially on Tuesdays when the cameras from cable television coverage are rolling. Citizens get an opportunity to talk to the council about their concerns and council members can comment.
Bowman said it's one thing to discuss city business -- "but to just sit there and talk just to hear yourself is crazy," she said.
Tuesday's council meeting lasted nearly four hours. When it was over, there were only two council members present -- not enough to conduct business. That's too long, Bowman said -- and the council has no one to blame but itself.
"You can't just sit here and carry on like we're doing. We've got to stop it," said Bowman, who is not known to mince words. "We are beginning to become a circus."
The Bossier City Council also met on Tuesday. Their meeting lasted 22 minutes. They handled 17 agenda items and there was a public presentation of a lifesaving award.
Shreveport Council Member Brian Wooley complimented his Bossier City counterparts for their efficiency but said sometimes there's no avoiding long-winded meetings, especially when both city leaders and citizens need to be heard.
Council President Joe Shyne -- arguably the biggest talker on the City Council -- said he'll talk for as long as he wants. That's what his constituents expect, he said.
"You don't put time restraint on democracy," Shyne said. "If they think the council meetings are too long, then they need to run for office. They can cut it off any time they get ready."
Bowman said she got about a dozen e-mails and phone calls from constituents upset about how long Tuesday's meeting lasted.
Bowman said she plans to talk with her colleagues about the way they conduct business in the council chambers.
"I think we need to come here, sit down, take care of the business of the city and move on," she said.
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