The Leesville City Council approved, with one caveat, an ordinance Monday to authorize Mayor Betty Westerchil to execute a contract between the City and CyberDefenses, Inc. of Round Rock, Texas, to hire Tim Jenkins as a regional growth management coordinator. Jenkins is an employee of CyberDefenses, Inc. and will fulfill the duties of the position with the support and backing of his employer, he said.
A half hour before the Council meeting, Jenkins was introduced to the Council in a public meeting during which Council members had an opportunity to ask questions. Councilman Steve Kennedy, District 2, expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the process used to hire Jenkins, citing a lack of equal representation in the group which ultimately selected Jenkins to fill the spot. Kennedy said that his district lacked any representation at all in the process.
Some, though not all, members of the group, the Vernon/Fort Polk Regional Growth Management Team, that selected Jenkins were present to address Kennedy's concerns. The group represents entities from throughout the parish and region. Individuals on the team are Mayor Betty Westerchil for the City of Leesville; President Jim Tuck for the Vernon Parish Police Jury; Superintendent Jackie Self for the Vernon Parish School Board; Anacoco Mayor Leroy Cooley for the rural municipalities; Mike Reese for Fort Polk Progress (representing the parishes of Vernon, Beauregard, Sabine, Rapides, Natchitoches and Allen); State Senator John Smith; local State Representative James Armes; and Col. Francis Burns, garrison commander of JRTC and Fort Polk.
Tuck assured Kennedy and those present that the team had the good of the entire parish at its root. The team, he said, did include representation for Kennedy's district by including himself, Westerchil, Smith and Armes, all elected to serve areas that include Kennedy's district.
In addition, Westerchil pointed out that Kennedy had voted to allow the City to enter into a  Memorandum of Understanding establishing the group, its purpose and its members.
Also included in the Memorandum is a provision that allows the team to revise its own membership as it deems necessary.
According to Joy Cryer, assistant to both the mayor and City Administrator DeLain Prewitt, the resolution authorizing the mayor to execute the Memorandum as a member of the Vernon/Fort Polk Regional Growth Management Team was added to the agenda during the May 26, 2009 meeting of the Council.
Usually whomever introduces the addition also explains the item, said Cryer. Council members were also provided copies of the document in their mailboxes on the day of the meeting.
Cryer said the resolution to execute the Memorandum passed unanimously, with the Memorandum becoming effective June 1, 2009.
 Before voting on Monday's ordinance to contract with CyberDefenses,, Micheal Elliot, District 4, indicated that he preferred better representation for minorities, specifically the black and Hispanic populations, in future endeavors associated with the City's growth, to which Westerchil said there was no opposition.
Alice Guess, Councilwoman-at-large, agreed with Elliot.
The ordinance passed, with only Kennedy voting against it.