Incumbent Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins has been disqualified from running for another term in office this fall. A Caddo judge ruled Perkins violated election law by giving an incorrect address on paperwork while qualifying for the race. “LAPolitics.com” publisher Jeremy Alford says this could change the whole dynamic of the Shreveport mayoral election. Alford says, “we see residency challenges quite a bit, but they’re not often successful. And this is also an issue that has really been batted around in Shreveport for years.”
According to KTBS TV, Perkins listed his address as a family property near the LSU-Shreveport campus; not the downtown condo where he actually lives. Alford says Mayor Perkins’ residency has been called into question before; four years ago, by Shreveport state Senator Greg Tarver.
“Senator Tarver is a candidate right now, and it looks like – at least for the time being – Adrian Perkins is going to be distracted by this decision.”
Perkins says the address was an error, caused by his being distracted by news media at qualifying. He will almost certainly appeal the local judge’s ruling, so the story is far from over. Alford says there have been numerous residency challenges in political races before, but few successfully disqualify a candidate. He says this is a big political story.
“…for not only Shreveport, but the entire region. And it really mixes this race up in an entirely new way…possibly without an incumbent and possibly down to one of the bigger-name democrats in the race.”
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