By Edwin Crayton/Opinion
When you read about four board members of the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation (NCIF) being two years over their term limits; then learn that they are part of a 15-member board that is overseeing 2 million dollars of money designated for the people of Natchitoches, it is easy to think the issue is only about money. But look a little closer, dig a little deeper and you’ll see the real costs are things that cannot be added up on a calculator. To calculate these costs, you need a bit of insight into human nature and a lot of truth. Consider the following to be kind of an itemized bill of what the people of Natchitoches are paying every moment these term violators remain in seats that are not theirs:
Leo Walker, Oswald Taylor, Diane Blake Jones and Mildred Joseph have been on the board since 2015 according to IRS form 990 for 2015. That’s eight years. Problem is, they are only allowed to serve six years according to the NCIF bylaws. This means that eligible citizens are being denied an opportunity to serve just because these four refuse to give up their seats. Yet the board–without being authorized to by the bylaws—allows them to hijack these seats anyway. The cost to the people of Natchitoches: Board members who are illegitimate are writing checks. Also, they are setting a dangerous precedent. They are saying it is alright to violate court-approved bylaws, setting an example for others to ignore the courts in the future. If they can do it, why can’t others? This is indeed a dangerous precedent for any community—people who are not properly authorized being in charge of funds designated for the public.
At the April quarterly meeting, one of the boldest of the violators, Leo Walker who is acting as chair submitted his “resignation” letter. He said he would resign immediately, with one catch: the board had to agree to accept his resignation. Obviously, you don’t have to have anyone’s approval to resign. You just do and you leave. That’s usually how it is done. But Walker seems to be stretching it out. The board voted to not accept the resignation “that night’. (Not surprised?) Because they meet only quarterly, that gave him another three months to remain in his seat. Sounds like a cheap trick? You bet. But what is worse is that Walker is a pastor. Pastors are supposed to obey the law and play by the rules. They are commanded by God himself to encourage people to do the right thing. Jesus set the example. How does a pastor justify remaining in his seat two years over the term limit? What is the example being set here? How do you preach righteousness and fairness on Sunday, but by Tuesday, you’re violating court approved bylaws by chairing a meeting and more than that, giving away public money when the bylaws prohibit your doing so, because you are not even supposed to be on the board? We look up to religious leaders. We turn to them for guidance and expect them to set the example. The example in this case is not one we should want to imitate. It also seems fair to ask if this situation casts the Christian faith in a bad light, as Walker and many of the board members claim Christ. The Bible tells us to avoid even the appearance of wrong doing (1 Thessalonians 5:22). If you were to make a list of things that would qualify as “appearing to be wrong” I believe violating term limits by two years would make the list. To be clear, three board members have called upon Walker and the other violators to step down: Helen Obioha, Elton Wade and Jerry Walters. To those who would be tempted to say that this situation shows the hypocrisy of Christians, I would respond by reminding them that it is Christians who are also holding the violators accountable and calling on them to resign and to comply with the bylaws.
If you are like most people living in Natchitoches, you have probably never heard of the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation. However, that only illustrates that they have not had widespread impact on the town. The money they have in their treasury is money from a settlement resulting from a lawsuit against Tennessee Gas after dangerous PCB chemicals were spilled into Sibley Lake. A plan approved by the District Court allowed that settlement money to be allocated for all people living in the city limits of Natchitoches. It was designated to be given away in the form of grants or scholarships in four areas: education, housing, recreation and economic development. In 2003, the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation was formed and began to distribute settlement funds in those areas. Citizens had to apply. But the money seemed to trickle instead of flow into the hands of citizens. Some frustrated citizens complained and others even sued NCIF. Think about this: There are children born in 2003 who have never heard of the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation. They are now adults and most have never gotten a penny. This was a settlement. That means lots of people should get money or at least have their lives impacted. Especially when we are talking about 2 million dollars. Cost to the people of Natchitoches: Missed opportunities to help a lot of people and fund many dreams, and really “improve” Natchitoches in a big way. The spill harmed the people. How the settlement money is being mishandled is harming them once again.
Perhaps the main reason the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation has not had as much impact as it could have, is because it has instituted policies that actually prohibit public input. For instance, at each quarterly meeting they don’t allow the public to give input or even ask questions until the very end of each meeting. Contrast that to the way the Natchitoches City Council meetings are run. At City Council Meetings, the public is allowed to give input before the council votes on each decision. Then after hearing public input, the council votes. That’s the right way. Here’s the wrong way: At NCIF meetings, the board does most of the talking, and doesn’t seem to want to hear from the public. They make all the decisions, without public input and then the public can comment on what has been done. The result of shutting the public out is that a small group of people on a board make the decisions for over 18,000 residents. What would happen we let the Democratic process work? What if the people had input on how their money was spent before it was spent? We could give more than just a dozen or half dozen scholarships a year. We could give 100 or more. We could help many people in Natchitoches who struggle to feed and clothe their families. We could help small businesses get a start. We could fund affordable housing. We could create recreation for children and youth, distracting them from gun violence. We could improve Natchitoches in a number of other ways that I am sure you could dream up. But first we need to remove the cork that is stopping the flood of funds from going through the bottleneck and reaching the all of the people of Natchitoches.
What can you do? Attend quarterly meetings. Help fill up the room. NCIF needs to know that the people of Natchitoches are awake and paying attention. Your presence says a lot. Your absence says a lot too. It emboldens this board in ways that are not in your interest. Nominate someone to be on the board or nominate yourself. To be eligible you only need to be over 17, live in the city limits of Natchitoches and not be a felon. Send your nomination to NCIF, P.O. Box 606, Natchitoches, LA 71458.
The worse thing you can do is do nothing. Silence is a form of complicity. Pray, but put feet to your prayers. The next meeting is July 11, 7pm at 1st Baptist Church, 1116 Amulet Street, Natchitoches.
At the end of the day, this is your money. Remind the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation of that.
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
