Caddo Parish Commission appoints Steffon Jones to fill seat vacated by Lynn Cawthorne
Caddo Parish Commissioners chose Steffon Jones to fill their vacant seat at a special meeting Monday afternoon.
The District 6 seat was left by Lynn Cawthorne, who resigned after pleading guilty to federal charges.
Immediately following the Commission vote, Jones was sworn in by Caddo Parish Juvenile Court Judge Ree Casey-Jones.
According to his application for the seat, Jones is a maintenance supervisor for SporTran who has worked for the bus company for almost two years.
Jones is a graduate of Captain Shreve High School and East Texas Baptist University. Jones is the senior pastor at New Morning Glory Baptist Temple in Mansfield, Louisiana and serves as a member of the Caddo Parish Democratic Executive Committee for District 6.
Jones said he is a juvenile justice advocate and has been a youth pastor and youth coach.
Nine of 11 commissioners gave Jones their vote Monday.
More: Caddo Commissioner Lynn Cawthorne announces resignation following wire fraud guilty plea
The District 6 seat will be up for election at a primary level on November 8, 2022, and at a general level - if necessary- on December 10, 2022.
Upon receipt of Cawthorne's intention to resign, the Commission had 20 days to choose a replacement. There were four candidates who applied. Those candidates were interviewed before the appointee was chosen.
Cawthorne was set to defend himself against federal money laundering and wire fraud charges in relation to a scheme prosecutors say Cawthorne and his sister, Belena Cawthorne-Turner, used as an opportunity to steal $536,000 from government programs. The programs were meant to provide nutritious meals to students from low-income areas during the summer.
Charges were originally levied against the duo in April 2018, then later that month a grand jury indicted them for wire fraud. Charges were expanded in February 2019 when 18 counts of money laundering were filed.
The trial was delayed 10 times.
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Cawthorne was originally appointed to the District 6 seat in Sept. 2015. He was recommended to the seat by his predecessor, Lindora Baker, who also resigned. Baker said she resigned to pursue custody of her granddaughter.
Cawthorne won his first election to the seat in Oct. 2015. He was able to win re-election in 2019 despite the looming charges. He received 54 percent of votes.
At the time of her resignation, Baker owed $9,325 to the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program for failing to file timely personal disclosure and campaign finance reports. A month after Baker resigned, the Ethics Administration announced they would begin filing objections to the legitimacy of candidates who had outstanding debts.
Kendrick Dante writes for the USA Today Network and is a government watchdog reporter in Shreveport, Louisiana. He enjoys cooking, concerts, and content. Email him at kdbrown1@gannett.com or connect on Twitter @kendrickdante.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Caddo Parish Commission chose Steffon Jones to fill their vacant seat
