Cedric Glover
Encyclopedia
Cedric Bradford Glover 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).
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.
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.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
-- the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to hold the position.
Outgoing Mayor Keith Hightower
Keith Hightower
Keith Paul Hightower is a businessman who is the former Democratic mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana.Hightower graduated from Captain Shreve High School in 1975; one of his classmates was later State Senator Greg Barro, a Shreveport lawyer. Hightower then graduated in 1979 from Louisiana Tech...
was term-limited in 2006, after having won election in both 1998 and 2002. Glover defeated the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
mayoral candidate, former city attorney Jerry Jones, in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
held on November 7, 2006, by a 54-46 percent margin. The third-place contender, former broadcast journalist Liz Swaine
Liz Swaine
Elizabeth Swaine, known as Liz Swaine , is an American journalist and former civil servant. Formerly a television anchorwoman with the ABC affiliate KTBS-TV, she ran unsuccessfully in 2006 for the office of mayor of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish and the third largest city in Louisiana.A...
, had been eliminated in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on September 30. Glover was formerly a member in both the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
(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 UniversityGrambling State University
Grambling State University is a historically black , public, coeducational university, located in Grambling, Louisiana. The university is the home of legendary football coach Eddie Robinson and is on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.-Academics:Grambling State University provides over...
and Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
. Glover then went on to become a regional President for Professional Temporaries USA.
Early in his life, Glover started a Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
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.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, Civic Club. At the time, the Martin Luther King Jr. area of Shreveport was plagued with drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
use and criminal activity
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
including violence from local gangs
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. 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
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
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
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
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
History of Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana was founded in 1836 by the Shreve Town Company, a development corporation established to start a town at the meeting point of the Red River and the Texas Trail. The Red River was cleared and made newly navigable by Captain Henry Miller Shreve, who commanded the United States...
. 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
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
. 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
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
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
Moment of silence
A moment of silence is the expression for a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of respect, particularly in mourning for those who have recently died or as part of a commemoration ceremony...
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.