City Council Candidates Say Crime is the Number One Issue

The stage is set for November when Alexandria voters go to the polls to elect candidates for the city

Former city council member Roosevelt Johnson will face off with Military Veteran Clarence Reed for the district 2 seat in November.  And Tom Spencer will compete with Lizzie Felter.  Both Felter and Spencer have run for office before but they’ve never been elected.  I sat down today with Johnson, Reed and Spencer and this is what they had to say.

“I think I bring a unique skill set to the table,” said Tom Spencer.  Crime is our biggest problem number 1 and it’s a segue to make a lot of dominos fall.  It’s the segue to make economic development happen. It’s the segue to just improve quality of life.

Spencer has run for police jury District D in 2019.

“I felt really good at how the results came out in that race.  I achieved all my goals it was basically me dipping my toe in the pool to see if public service was something I wanted to take to the next level and in fact it was.”

Roosevelt Johnson has 14-years’ experience in city government.

“I served as city council president three times, councilman at large three times, District 2 councilman once.  I’m strongly involved in the community the City of Alexandria.  The biggest issue facing the city right now number one is public safety and crime I hear all the time that our citizens feel unsafe.  In my neighborhood in District 2 I constantly hear gunshots. My goal is to lead the way to make a difference in District 2 to make those things better in our city to know that people can always count on me to be there in the community not just sitting behind the dais.”

Clarence Reed, District 2 City Council candidate had this to say:

“I know what it’s like to stand up for what I believe in and stand up for my country as a city councilman I’ll stand up for my community so it can be better.  We’ve been divided too long.  It’s time for us to come together.  Right now hands down the biggest problem facing the city right now is safety.  The citizens do not feel safe in Central Louisiana so we have to focus on that.  And the way we kill that problem is we have to become compatible with other law enforcement agencies for salary for the officers.  I’m also a mentor for youth.  I defiantly know what it’s like for a young man or a young lady to easily be distracted and go the wrong way and they need some positive role models.”

So it seems that public safety will be the hot topic in November with voters deciding which of the candidates they think will best address the issue

Clarence Reed said in Pineville officers can make more money than the bigger city of Alexandria, and he wants to at least make APD salaries as much as they are across the river.  In District 2 Gary Johnson and Incumbent Gerber Porter are also on the ballot.

Tom Spencer was a victim of a crime himself in 2018.  He was walking home on Albert Street after an LSU game when Aljermon Henderson came up behind him and put his arm around his neck and a handgun to his head.  Spencer was able to fight him off and run home.  Henderson followed him and they fought on Spencer’s doorstep.  His money clip fell out of his pocket and spencer told him to take it, Henderson ran off with the money and his cell phone.  Spencer’s next-door neighbor a federal judge called 911 after hearing the disturbance.  APD responded and 13 minutes later had captured the suspect.  Henderson was sentenced to 15 years in jail because he had two second degree murder charges as well.