Award highlights humanitarian contributions of politician

Rep. Roy Burrell of District 2 in Shreveport and Bossier City was recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Coordinating and Development Corporation, consisting of 10 parishes in Northwest Louisiana.

Burrell won the award last month for his humanitarian contributions working with inner-city youth, promoting Amtrak passenger rail service across northern Louisiana and helping to complete construction of Interstate 49 through Shreveport. The honor also recognized his commitment to serving the residents of his district and Louisiana.

The award, given at the 2013 Biennial Achievements Awards Ceremony and Luncheon, was held Sept. 12 at the Natchitoches Events Center in Natchitoches. The ceremony honored outstanding individuals in their fields from throughout the Ark-La-Tex and brought together the participation of more than 200 officials and dignitaries at the Natchitoches Events Center.

“I am very humble and grateful when someone else, other than yourself, recognizes your work, especially publicly. Very naively, I have often wondered why people would say that public officials have a thankless job. I thought it had to do with people who served the public did not have to put much time or thought into their work. How wrong was I!” Burrell said.

“Truly, if you are to serve the public with honesty and integrity, you and your family will have to make enormous sacrifices of your time, finances, personal privacy, among other things, to do the job well. The real value of this opportunity to serve others is immeasurable and can hardly be adequately compensated for. For most of us, you must want to do the job – a personal calling or ministry of sorts. Even more so, if you are awarded or recognized by others from different cities and states, it makes you more humble and the pie even sweeter.”

Burrell’s work has focused on sponsoring and promoting bills aiding and protecting Louisiana’s youth and rebuilding the tax bases of cities and towns in Louisiana by attempting to create a friendly regulatory and governmental landscape to encourage business development and job retention.

Burrell has sponsored/cosponsored youth-oriented legislation that:

• Bans the sale or rental of violent video games to anyone younger than the age of 18;

• Prohibits bullying at schools or school-sponsored events;

• Criminalizes cyberbullying– transmission of electronic textual, visual, written or oral communication that is intended to “coerce, abuse, torment, intimidate, frighten, harass, embarrass or cause emotional distress” to anyone younger than 17 years of age;

• Aims to improve outcomes for at-risk youth by developing an integrated case management system that tracks and improves access to services to youth entangled in the juvenile or criminal justice systems to create a “complete continuum of care” and provide educational and workforce training to youths exiting the juvenile justice and child welfare systems;

• Provides alternative education programs for students who have been suspended or expelled from public schools in Louisiana; and

• Requires that tobacco products be placed behind sales counters in stores, out of reach of minors in order to reduce the access of tobacco to children.

Burrell’s work in the area of rebuilding the tax base and creating a friendly regulatory environment includes legislation that:

• Encourages tax relief for small businesses, higher-paying manufacturing companies and hightech job producers while limiting tax incentives for low-paying job producers;

• Aims to rebuild, maintain and reduce the deterioration of inner-city neighborhoods and central business districts; and

• Promotes community revitalization strategies using market-driven economic development initiatives.

“One can hardly ever know how their work is seen by others, how and if it affects them and what ramifications it may have on future events’ outcomes,” Burrell said. “The one responsibility a person has to himself and most times to others is to do and be the best you can be. Your work should most times focus on setting new examples to follow, achieving new, attainable goals, following through to a favorable outcome and repeating the best practices. Hopefully, there were those who felt I accomplished something worthy of note, and they wanted the public to share in their appreciation of it.”

Burrell said his main goal is to continue to service in a public capacity.

“In this way, I can expand on the experience, knowledge and future vision of Shreveport I have acquired from nearly 20 years of local and state public service,” Burrell said. “Also, I plan to continue expanding the business capacity of my private sector management company, if new responsibilities and time permit. Lastly, whatever God’s plan and destiny He has willed for me, my goal is to stand ready and prepared to answer His call – for this I do not know at this time.”

– Michael Stone