Police Jury recognizes Taylor for 44 years of service
Ben Taylor is presented a plaque honoring his 44 years of service to the parish. (Special to the American Press)
During the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury's most recent meeting, the panel recognized the retirement of Ben Taylor Jr., executive director of the Lake Charles Housing Authority. Taylor is retiring after 44 years of service.
Tarek Polite, director of human resources for the Police Jury, presented Taylor with a brief summary of his accomplishments over the years and a plaque on behalf of the jurors.
'Throughout his 30-year tenor in this role, Ben has not only transformed the agency, but also emerged as a respected innovator in the housing industry — one of his significant accomplishments was the transformation of the Lake Charles Housing Authority's Public Housing Portfolio into the Rental Assistance Demonstration model, known as (RAD), this unique program prioritizes public housing,' Polite said.
Additionally, Polite said Taylor successfully secured the 'Choice Neighborhood' initiative brand, which they expect will revitalize the mid-city area of Lake Charles over the next 25-30 years and bring in more than $200 million in investment.
Ben's commitment to affordable housing and community development led him to serve in various capacities at the national, regional and state level with organizations such as the Louisiana Housing Council and the Louisiana Housing Corporation, Polite said.
'He's more than just 'the numbers guy,' he's a man with deep compassion for the citizens of our parish and has worked to secure disaster recovery funding during this time,' Polite said.
'There comes a time when you go, 'It's time' and 'It's time,' ' Taylor said. 'I've enjoyed what I've done, I'm proud of what I've done, I appreciate the support we've had from the Police Jury on all of our projects that we've done.'
Police Juror Brian Abshire said it was a pleasure working with Tyalor.
'The twilight of your career has been a little rough on you, but you ended on a great note,' Abshire said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Reports: Virginia Democrats outdoing Republicans in raising campaign contributions
Democratic House of Delegates hopeful Kimberly Pope Adams raised the second-highest amount in Virginia of contributions to House campaigns for the latest campaign reporting period, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project. Pope Adams, who has already locked up the Democratic nomination in the 82nd House District, reported a total of $262,048 in money raised for the April 1-June 5 window, based on data from the Virginia Department of Elections that was compiled by VPAP. That trailed only House Speaker Don Scott of Portsmouth, who raised just over $344,000 for the period. Political watchers were keeping a close eye on this round of reports, the last before the crucial June 17 party primaries across Virginia. Like Pope Adams, Scott already has the Democratic nod sewn up. He also does not appear to have any GOP opposition this year. The only House primary next week in the Tri-City area is in District 75 where three Democrats are vying to oppose Republican incumbent Carrie Coyner. In that contest, Lindsey Dougherty continues to outdistance Dustin Wade and Stephen Miller-Pitts. For the reporting period, Dougherty raised $171,695, compared to $136,276 for Wade and $4,471 for Miller-Pitts. As of June 5, Wade showed more than $100,000 in cash on hand over Dougherty and five times more than Miller-Pitts. VPAP reported Dougherty raising the sixth-highest amount of contributions for the period, and Wade the 12th. Dougherty and Miller-Pitts ran against Coyner in the 2019 and 2023 elections, respectively. The 75th District covers all of Hopewell and portions of Chesterfield and Prince George counties. More: The primary menu for June 17: Heavy on the state races and a first time for Petersburg In the 82nd District [Petersburg, Surry County, portions of Dinwiddie and Prince George], Pope Adams continues to run away from GOP incumbent Kim Taylor in campaign contributions. For the latest reporting period, Pope Adams' total was more than four times that of Taylor, who listed receiving $64,489 in donations. Her cash-on-hand amount of $289,468 was eight times more than Taylor's $34,502. The race is a rerun of 2023's race, one of the top three most expensive contests in recent Virginia political history. Taylor squeaked out a victory over Pope Adams by only 53 votes following a recount, and Democrats are clocking the 2025 race as pivotal in holding their slim majority in the House for the next two years. Pope Adams' contributions included $25,000 from the Clean Virginia Fund on April 23, $7,500 from the Jane Fonda Climate PAC on May 14, and three $5,000 donations from Elizabeth Simons on May 29, The Next 50 PAC on April 30 and Fund Her PAC on April 29. Taylor's largest contributions for the period were $20,000 from the Dominion Energy PAC on May 8, $10,000 from the Wren Williams for Delegate campaign on April 24, and identical $7,500 amounts from Friends of Scott Wyatt on April 2 and Chris Runion for Delegate on June 5. The reports indicate Taylor getting three donations of $100 or less, and Pope Adams receiving 1,461. More: House GOP incumbent lauds endorsement from local Democratic group. Democrats cry 'foul' In the 75th District primary, Dougherty received two contributions totaling $80,000 from the super PAC Secure Progress and $35,000 from the campaign of Democratic Del. Dan Helmer. Wade's top donations were $5,000 from himself and two donations from Anita Thurston totaling $4,500. Miller-Pitts' sole contribution of over $100 for the period was $250 from Rhonda Clanton-Davis. Coyner, a Republican seeking her fourth term in the House, received $69,056 in contributions over the period. Her largest donations were $10,000 from Carolyn Williams, $7,500 from Strong Start PAC, and three of $5,000 each from Thomas McInerney, Vision Management Services, and Clean Virginia Fund. Records indicate her having $315,350 in cash on hand as of June 5. The district traditionally leans Republican. Coyner has won re-election with as much as 55% of the vote, but Democrats still target her as vulnerable. In Petersburg, history is being made with the first-ever Democratic primary for the constitutional officer Commissioner of the Revenue. Incumbent Brittani Flowers is being challenged by Mary 'Liz Stith' Howard for the right to be the Democrat on the November ballot. Five years ago, the Virginia General Assembly voted to allow any local-office candidate [except School Board] to seek official party backing. The law went into effect last year, as Petersburg Vice Mayor Darrin Hill received the Democratic nomination for his Ward 2 seat by acclimation. The commissioner primary is the first contested one in Petersburg. Campaign records show Flowers receiving just shy of $3,000 in contributions for the reporting period. Her largest donations were $500 from former state Senate candidate Waylin Ross and $300 from Bernard Flowers Jr. Howard did not record any contributions for the reporting period. Petersburg City Councilor Marlow Jones, who is running as an independent for Virginia's lieutenant governor, raised $700 in donations during the latest reporting period. Five hundred dollars came from three contributions of more than $100. The remaining $200 was split among five contributions of less than $100. To see the latest donation data for any race this year, click on the VPAP website. Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI. This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia primary 2025: Campaign finance reports show money pouring in
CBS News
8 hours ago
- CBS News
San Francisco mayor proposes 2-hour parking limit for RVs, expansion of homelessness outreach
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie unveiled a new proposal Tuesday to restrict long-term parking by recreational vehicles to two hours and expand outreach to unhoused persons living out of their vehicles. Lurie's plan would restrict parking for large vehicles to two hours city-wide, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The legislation he proposes would also offer interim or permanent housing to individuals and families sheltering in vehicles, earmarking $13 million over two fiscal years for rapid rehousing, a vehicle buyback program, outreach, and enforcement. The legislation would also allow homeless persons in RVs a short-term permit to remain parked beyond the two-hour limit if they are actively engaging in the services offered by the city. "No child should grow up in San Francisco forced to live in a car, and no parent should have to raise their child in those conditions. Under my administration, we are going to give families better options, and we are going to give our communities and small businesses safe and clean streets," said Lurie in a prepared statement. "This legislation combines compassion with accountability, offering a clear path to housing while restoring safety, cleanliness, and accessibility to our streets and public spaces." Last month, the city conducted an audit of vehicular homelessness and identified 501 large vehicles parked on the streets, with 437 used for dwelling, the Mayor's Office said. In a press release, the office said the city's interagency response to vehicular homelessness, combining outreach, expanded services, and parking enforcement, would restore public spaces while prioritizing the dignity and well-being of people living in their vehicles. Under the proposal, large vehicles without a "refuge permit" would be cited and potentially towed away. The operations would begin in what the city called "high-impact areas" led by neighborhood street teams led by the city's Department of Emergency Management. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Police Department would enforce the parking restrictions when towing services are needed. The SFMTA will introduce companion legislation to its board on the parking enforcement, contingent on the city's Board of Supervisors' passage of the legislation, the Mayor's Office said. "For far too long, neighborhoods across San Francisco have borne the impacts of unregulated RV encampments - illegal dumping, blocked sidewalks, and public safety concerns," said Rafael Mandelman, Board of Supervisors president in a statement. "This legislation creates a humane pathway for current RV residents to find stable housing, while making it clear that new RV encampments will not be allowed and our streets will not continue to serve as shelter of last resort." In December, supervisors voted to reverse a ban on RVs from parking overnight on public streets. Critics said the ban would allow authorities to tow RVs and other large vehicles at the agency's discretion, and that the city doesn't have enough housing available for people who are living out of their vehicles. The ban had been proposed by former Mayor London Breen and approved by the SFMTA in October. It expanded what the city defined as a large recreational vehicle to include mobile homes, box trucks, and other large campers. "There should be a more comprehensive plan of how to address the fact that so many people, especially families, are forced to live in RVs because they can't afford apartments in San Francisco," Supervisor Dean Preston said at the time.
American Press
8 hours ago
- American Press
Landry aims to address 'legacy lawsuits' against oil and gas companies
State Representative Brett F. Geymann, a Republican for District 35. (Special to the American Press) Last week, lawmakers passed legislation to address 'legacy lawsuits' against oil and gas companies over alleged environmental damage. Those attempts on Sunday came in the form of amendments to a 200-page bill that was originally only meant as a restructuring of the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources. Not every amendment on Senate Bill 244 survived, but those that did were enough to have Gov. Jeff Landry celebrating on X. 'Closing the book on legacy lawsuits means real progress and predictability for Louisiana's energy future,' Landry wrote in his post, thanking Sen. Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville, and Rep. Jacob Landry, R-Erath. The surviving amendments will require currently pending lawsuits that seek to force oil and gas companies to pay for environmental damage to properties from their activities be adjudicated by September 2027. The Senate did not consider the bill on Monday. When Rep. Bett Geymann, R-Lake Charles, was speaking on the bill on the House floor, he admitted that he hadn't spoken with industry representatives, but understood that 'they would prefer these lawsuits be over immediately.' Geymann didn't know how right he was. 'Delaying the implementation of the SB244 amendment by 26 months only extends the opportunity for plaintiffs' attorneys to exploit the current system,' Mike Phillips, Chevron's lead trial attorney, told The Center Square. 'This extended timeline incentivizes a last-minute rush of questionable legacy lawsuits…before the new reforms take effect on September 1, 2027.' A previous bill by Landry would have made the deadline a year earlier. The amendments that didn't survive, authored by Landry himself, would have drastically changed a process known as indemnification, where one company promises to cover the costs if another company gets sued or faces damages because of something that goes wrong, like an accident or spill. Landry's amendments would have prohibited shifting the cost of cleanup to the new landowners, instead leaving it with the original owner. In April, a jury ruled Chevron to pay over $700 million in coastal damages that occurred prior to Chevron owning the land that was damaged. 'The amendments, written personally by Gov. Landry, would retroactively and prospectively prohibit indemnification in oil and gas transactions – a move that threatens to further fuel Louisiana's lawsuit abuse crisis,' the American Tort Reform Association wrote. Though Landry has been a strong supporter of the oil and gas industry, he has not hidden his support for the lawsuits. The Landry administration joined Plaquemines parish as an appellant in the ruling against Chevron. In 2021, Landry, then the state's attorney general, authorized a settlement for $100 million against Freeport-McMoRan. Last week, Landry testified that the oil and gas industry was being 'hypocritical', referring to the oil and gas industry's support of carbon capture and sequestration. 'You can't say that litigation is so bad in this state that you will not conduct activity on one side of the equation and yet in the very next moment say, 'Guess what? I need some help from you all to do the same types of activities on this side in the same litigation environment,'' Landry said. 'That is the definition of hypocrisy.'
