A Leadership Initiative and an event by 50 Cent

In the classic Frank Capra film “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” Smith does so to make a difference for the people in his hometown. Similarly, Mayor Tom Arceneaux went to New York City recently to make Shreveport a better place.

Arceneaux was one of the 40 mayors selected from around the world to participate in this year’s City Leadership Initiative cohort, sponsored by the Bloomberg Institute and the Harvard Schools of Business and Government.

“It’s an opportunity for me to get some really valuable education for how to be a better mayor and how to move our city forward,” Arceneaux said. “I am really pumped up about it.”

The City Leadership Initiative is a yearlong program that features in-person and virtual programming for the mayors chosen to participate. According to the program’s website, the goal is two-fold:

• To help mayors and their senior leaders step back from daily responsibilities and focus on their leadership and organizational practices within their cities.

• To equip mayors and senior city officials with the necessary tools to tackle complex challenges in their cities and improve their residents’ quality of life.

The in-person program started on Sunday, July 14, and continued through Wednesday, July 17. Arceneaux had a lot of homework to prepare for the experience.

“I have a notebook this thick of case studies and things to prepare,” he said as he held his index fingers about three inches apart. He added, “We will be taught by renowned professors of social sciences and governmental experts. We start at 7:30 in the morning and finish at 8 at night. It’s a very intensive deal.”

Arceneaux said the cohort already met in a virtual session. Among the participants this year, he is the only mayor from Louisiana. Others in his cohort include the mayors of Beaumont, Texas; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; Bogota, Colombia; Athens, Greece; and New Zealand. The mayor of Shreveport pointed out that the program is funded entirely by the Bloomberg Foundation. He also shared that he nominated two members of his administration to join a similar program with their counterparts from the other cities in the cohort.

Before he left for New York City, Arceneaux was eager for the opportunity, saying, “I’m planning to put 100 percent of my effort into it so the city can get the biggest benefit from it. I should come back a better mayor.”

Planning “a big deal”

Arceneaux and his administration have been busy preparing for the Humor & Harmony Weekend on Aug. 8–10.

The event, presented by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, includes comedy, a basketball tournament and a car show. Proceeds from the event will benefit the G-Unity Foundation.

“It’s going to be a big, big, weekend,” Arceneaux said. “We just about have our security plan nailed down. We’ve got the physical logistics nailed down. I think it’s going to come off very well.”

According to the mayor, the event would be revenue-neutral for the city.

“We’re charging actual costs,” he said.

“We’re not going to make any money off it. We will make money through sales tax and hotel/motel tax. We’re simply passing costs along to G-Unit, which are significant.”

Arceneaux said many city departments, including the Public Works Department, Shreveport Police and Shreveport Fire Department, have been involved in planning the event. He praised Shelly Ragle, director of Shreveport Public Assembly and Recreation, for her efforts in coordinating all of the weekend’s activities.

“It’s like we’re having two Independence Bowls within three days of each other,” Arceneaux said. “And a major basketball tournament, Red River Revel day at Festival Plaza and a major car show at the Convention Center, all at the same time. So, it’s a big deal.”

Note: The Humor & Harmony Weekend will now be at Municipal Auditorium.