Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins Disqualified From Re-election
Major news in the Shreveport Mayors race as incumbent Mayor Adrian Perkins has been disqualified from his reelection bid. A Caddo District Court Judge ruled today that an issue with paperwork disqualifies Shreveport's Mayor from seeking reelection.
The issue surrounds Perkins' residency listed on his election paperwork. The forms filed on July 22nd say Perkins lives in south Shreveport, and stated he was registered to vote there. However, Perkins has bought a condo in downtown Shreveport, and claimed a Homestead Tax Exemption on that condo. Louisiana election laws say that if you claim a Homestead Tax Exemption on a residence, that's the property you have to list on your election and voting paperwork.
Perkins reportedly changed his voting address on July 30th, a week after he filed his reelection paperwork.
Louisiana law further states that if you submit false or inaccurate information on your Notice of Candidacy paperwork, you are disqualified from the election the paperwork was filed for. Meaning the inaccurate information submitted by Perkins would disqualify him from the race for Mayor he filed for on July 22nd.
Caddo Parish District Judge Brady O'Callaghan referenced a case in West Monroe that involved a similar scenario, that disqualified a candidate. That West Monroe ruling was appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, where it was upheld.
The judgement is expected to be appealed.
Perkins is not forced to be removed from his current position due to this ruling, and its not that he can never run again for Shreveport Mayor. He is simply disqualified from this current Mayors race.