Cedric Glover

Cedric Bradford Glover
Mayor of Shreveport
Incumbent
Assumed office 2006
Preceded by	Keith Hightower
Personal details
Born	August 9, 1965 (1965-08-09) Shreveport, Louisiana
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Veronica S. Glover
Profession	Business Executive Insurance Agent
Religion	Methodist
Biography of Cedric Glover

Cedric Bradford Glover (born August 9, 1965) is the Democratic mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana -- the first African American to hold the position.

Outgoing Mayor Keith Hightower was term-limited in 2006, after having won election in both 1998 and 2002. Glover defeated the Republican mayoral candidate, former city attorney Jerry Jones, in the general election held on November 7, 2006, by a 54-46 percent margin. The third-place contender, former broadcast journalist Liz Swaine, had been eliminated in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on September 30. Glover was formerly a member in both the Louisiana House of Representatives (1996–2006) and the Shreveport City Council (1990–1996).

In the primary held on October 2, 2010, Glover sought a second term against seven opponents. He led with 16,376 votes (45 percent), and city council member Bryan Wooley, a Republican, trailed with 11,218 votes (31 percent). In the November 2 general election, Glover handily defeated Wooley, 37,699 votes (64 percent) to 21,021 (36 percent).

Early life and career

Cedric Glover is the youngest son of Elizabeth Bradford Glover and the late Clarence Ernest Glover, Sr. He is a lifelong resident of Shreveport and was educated in the public and private schools of Caddo Parish. Once out of high school, Glover attended both Grambling State University and Louisiana State University. Glover then went on to become a regional President for Professional Temporaries USA.

Early in his life, Glover started a Boy Scouts of America troop in the Norwela Council area. He later served with the Volunteers of America Lighthouse program as a program coordinator. During this time, he was elected treasurer of the Shreveport Chapter of the NAACP, and President of Martin Luther King, Jr., Civic Club. At the time, the Martin Luther King Jr. area of Shreveport was plagued with drug use and criminal activity including violence from local gangs. Glover was active in efforts that culminated with the deployment of Operation T.H.O.R. in the MLK area. Operation T.H.O.R., which is an acronym for Take, Hold, Organize, and Return, represents the largest mobilization of law enforcement in Northwest Louisiana history and served to break the stranglehold on the community by the illegal drug trade and local gangs.

Prompted by the urging of many, Glover offered himself as a candidate for the Shreveport City Council District A seat. In November 1990, he became the youngest individual ever elected to the Shreveport City Council. While on the City Council, he served terms as Council Chairman, Chairman of the Public Safety Committee, and was selected Public Official of the Year by the Shreveport chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. He also received the Louisiana Municipal Association's Community Achievement Award three times, as well as the Shreveport Black Chamber of Commerce Political Achievement Award.

As councilman, Glover secured more than $30 million in capital construction dollars for his district, and increased the Parks and Recreation budget by 30 percent and declared war on liquor stores selling to minors. This action resulted in the first liquor license revocations in city history. He also championed and advanced the concept of Community Oriented Policing, at a time when most in law enforcement saw little value in it.

During his tenure on the Council, he was a board member of the Greater Shreveport Economic Development Committee, Goodwill Industries and the Metropolitan YMCA, and became the youngest graduate of the Leadership Louisiana program.

In October 1995, Glover was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives. He was elected by his colleagues to the executive committee of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. He was also selected as Legislator of the Year by the Rural Caucus, and selected as Legislator of the Month by the Louisiana Municipal Association, Citizens Against Crime, Inc., for instituting the first computer automated crime victim notification system in the entire state of Louisiana.

In June 2008, Mayor Glover called for a moment of silence before the city council to honor the memory of Herman Farr, one of the first three African Americans to have been elected to the body, having served from 1978–1982.

2008 veto controversy

On October 24, 2008, Mayor Glover vetoed a pay raise proposal that would have included all law enforcement personnel. This was the first veto the mayor used during his term. The pay raise, backed by a Shreveport City Councilman would use funds re-allocated from the current budget. The proposal had intended to remedy the city's number of law enforcement personnel that were leaving because of low pay and safety issues. Shreveport has a considerably higher crime rate and pays its police officers less than the regional average. The Councilman argued that the proposal was one way to retain more officers, saying: "Officers are leaving at an alarming rate to find better pay somewhere else. Let's keep it in the police department. Let's give the police officers a well deserved-well needed raise and lets make ourselves competitive in the marketplace." Glover responded by saying that the city only loses officers at a rate of 6 percent, which is below the national average of 10 percent.

Four days after the veto, supporters of the proposal failed to override it when the City Council voted in favor of the Mayor's decision. The supporters would have needed at least five votes to override.

References

Preceded by Keith Paul Hightower (D)

Mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana 2006–present

Succeeded by Incumbent