Port Arthur councilmembers Tuesday night instructed City Secretary Sherri Bellard to seek ways to better control what’s happening 100 feet and beyond the polls at city elections.

Mayor Pro Tem Harold Doucet sought what became a short discussion at the City Council meeting about what might essentially be best practices for ensuring orderly conduct at the polls.

“We have been having incidents and we need to take a look at what we can do,” Doucet said.

Several candidates for Port Arthur mayor complained during early voting for the May 4 election that some of the workers from various campaigns became embroiled in contentious behavior. Early voting occurred at the Port Arthur Public Library and City Hall.

The Port Arthur News filed a Freedom of Information requests asking for formal complaints filed with the City Secretary’s office; the information had not been made available by Tuesday.

“We need to get a look at what we can do,” Doucet said. “We need to make sure everyone understands how to work with one another without calling law enforcement.”

Doucet said he was also concerned about inappropriate language used near the polling sites.

Doucet suggested that Bellard glean insights from the Secretary of State’s Office and report back to the City Council about how to better control the areas 100 feet and beyond from the polls.

Also at Doucet’s behest, councilmembers and city staff discussed ordinances pertaining to junk cars on the city streets and on private property.

He said he couldn’t understand why it took so long to remove cars from city streets even after they had been tagged.

City staff members explained that the process is complex; car owners and all people with any dealings with the car, including property owners, must be notified about an infraction. In some cases, they said, the car owner will sell the car before the city can take action, which necessitates restarting the warning process, if necessary.

 

See also: Election deadlines told: Doucet sworn in as mayor pro tem