SHREVEPORT, La. – On Friday, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux met to come to a common ground in the ongoing battle over Mardi Gras.
“I’m very confident from our meeting today that everything is going to work out, said Nungesser today following the meeting with Mayor Arceneaux.
The two officials tried to hammer out differences between what the mayor wants and what the krewes want — specifically Centaur and Gemini.
The mayor is asking for the parades to end by 7 p.m. and for Centaur to reschedule it’s parade date, which is set for Feb. 3.
If they don’t do that, they’ll have to find 60 additional security officers.
But today, the lieutenant governor said the mayor will pay for it.
“The mayor is going to fund it….if they do run short we have park rangers and security from our museums that they can bring up. I feel very confident it was a good meeting, we’re excited about promoting it and making it the best Mardi Gras ever,” Nungesser said.
When it comes to the parades end times, Nungesser says that has been worked out, but no details have been released yet.
Nungesser says he also met with the krewes today and is committed to helping make things work.
Part of the motivation is the economic impact on the city. Mardi Gras reportedly brings in about $20M.
