Tom Arceneaux
| Martin Thomas "Tom" Arceneaux, Jr. | |
 | |
| In office December 31, 2022 – December 31, 2026 (pending) | |
| Preceded by | Adrian Perkins |
|---|---|
Member of the Shreveport City Council (District C)
| |
| In office 1982–1990 | |
| Succeeded by | Keith Hightower |
| Born | March 9, 1950 Place of birth missing |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Unknown
(2) Elizabeth Montgomery Arceneaux (married c. 1994) |
| Alma mater | Louisiana State University (Bachelor's in Business and Juris Doctor) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Martin Thomas Arceneaux, Jr., known as Tom Arceneaux (born March 9, 1950), is the incoming Republican mayor of the heavily Democrat city of Shreveport, Louisiana, the third largest city in his state with a 2020 population of 187,593. The city is 56 percent African-American and 35 percent Anglo.
An attorney for many years with the Blanchard Walker firm, Arceneaux previously served on the city council in which position he revamped the municipal budget process to make priorities and decisions more understandable and more transparent. He was a constant advocate for the enforcement of property standards to fight blight and urban decay.[1] In the December 10, 2022 runoff election, he surprisingly defeated the Democrat choice, state Senator Greg Tarver, an African-American businessman. Arceneaux polled 20,724 votes (56 percent) to Tarver's 16,040 (44 percent). The turnout was only 30.3 percent of the number of registered voters in the city. Arceneaux had earlier led a multiple-candidate field in the primary held on November 8.[2]
Arceneaux bucked two fellow Republican state Senators, Page Cortez of Lafayette and Barrow Peacock of Shreveport, both of whom endorsed his Democrat colleague Tarver. Tarver also carried the backing of Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards. Offsetting the defection of Cortez and Peacock, Arceneaux was endorsed by outgoing Democrat Mayor Adrian Perkins, who ran fourth in the primary, and two African-American former mayors, Cedric Glover and Ollie Tyler.[3]
His election occurs amid a longstanding crime problem in Shreveport, loss of population, and economic issues.[4]
References
- ↑ Meet Tom. tomforshreveport.com. Retrieved on December 12, 2022.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 8 and December 10, 2022.
- ↑ Emily Greer (November 22, 2022). Perkins, Glover, Tyler endorse Tom Arceneaux for next mayor of Shreveport. KTAL-TV (NBC in Shreveport). Retrieved on December 12, 2022.
- ↑ Tyler Bridges (December 8, 2022). [https://www.nola.com/news/politics/greg-tarver-and-tom-arceneaux-vie-to-be-mayor-of-shreveport/article_f68f7ace-774c-11ed-8e8b-4f4bd96accc3.html A 'wild' Shreveport election ends Saturday when Greg Tarver or Tom Arceneaux will be mayor Dueling endorsements, racial fault lines infuse a closely watched contest with drama]. The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved on December 12, 2022.
