For three of Webster Parish’s top local officials, serving their communities now means having a voice beyond the parish line.
Minden Mayor Nick Cox, Minden Police Chief Jared McIver, and Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker are each serving in leadership roles with their respective statewide associations, giving Webster Parish an unusual presence in organizations that represent municipalities, police departments, and sheriffs across Louisiana.
“Pretty awesome for a small, little, Webster Parish, Minden, to have three people sitting on boards in the state,” Parker said.
Cox serves as District A vice president for the Louisiana Municipal Association, representing Caddo, Bossier, Webster, and DeSoto parishes. He was also selected to serve on the LMA Executive Board.
McIver serves on the executive board of the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police as sergeant-at-arms, while Parker serves in the leadership rotation of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association. Parker said he recently moved from sergeant-at-arms to secretary-treasurer and will progress through the association’s leadership positions, with the expectation of becoming president in 2029.
Parker said his position is the first time a Webster Parish sheriff has been elected sergeant-at-arms of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association. McIver said his role is also a first for him and for Minden’s municipal police department.
The three officials said their statewide roles are about more than titles. They provide opportunities to advocate for local concerns, build relationships with state officials, share resources, and bring information back to Webster Parish.
McIver said the associations can serve as a collective voice when legislation affecting local governments and law enforcement is being considered.
“We’re a representation of all the sheriffs, all the mayors, all the chiefs. We’re like a voice for them,” McIver said.
Parker said that unified voice can carry significant weight at the state level.
“When you get the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association, Chiefs Association, the Mayor Association, everybody coming together on something, I mean, it’s hard for those legislators to turn a blind eye to you because you kind of get their attention,” Parker said. “It’s a big deal.”
For Cox, the connections created through the LMA have already provided practical benefits.
“I didn’t realize when I was first elected mayor but — being mayor of Minden — it actually carries a lot of clout in the state,” Cox said.
Cox said his involvement gives Minden access to both the city’s lobbying resources and those of the LMA.
“The city of Minden has lobbyists. We have one in D.C. and one in Baton Rouge, but the LMA has lobbyists too. So I get to utilize our lobbyist and their lobbyist, which gives us a lot more leverage there,” Cox said.
The relationships also give the local officials access to peers facing similar challenges in other communities.
Cox said he can call other mayors for advice on issues ranging from infrastructure to municipal policies and learn from their experiences before making decisions in Minden.
“Getting that other outside perspective to make better decisions for the city, whether the people understand it or not — I can get that perspective of somebody who’s already done it,” Cox said. “It saves us an enormous amount of trouble.”
Parker said the same principle applies to law enforcement, particularly when one agency needs resources or assistance from another.
When hurricanes or other disasters affect southern Louisiana, for example, northern agencies can provide assistance, while Webster Parish can benefit from resources available elsewhere.
“It’s all helping each other out and using our resources,” Parker said.
McIver said his position with the chiefs’ association has also expanded his professional network. Chiefs from around the state have contacted him about training and other opportunities.
He said one of his goals is to make sure smaller departments have access to training that larger agencies may take for granted.
“It’s allowed me to network out,” McIver said. “I try to think outside the box of things that we need that could help them — not just thinking about bigger municipalities, but the small ones as well.”
The three officials also see their statewide roles as an opportunity to bring more attention to North Louisiana.
“I think it’s good for North Louisiana because a lot of times, you know, I-10 south is the policy,” Parker said. “And it’s good for the north end of the state to stay involved in that and having some attention drawn to our little piece of Heaven here in Webster.”
McIver said he has already seen signs that Minden and Webster Parish are becoming more recognizable to leaders around the state.
“It puts our area on the map,” McIver said. “It’s a good feeling knowing that people will start knowing where Minden is now or where Webster Parish is now because you’re on this board and you’re entrusted to help make the best decisions representing everybody.”
Cox said the three officials serving in statewide leadership roles at the same time could be significant.
“Our association works with y’all. The lobbyists work together,” Cox said. “So a lot of the deals that the LMA makes, we have to get support from their association to make it go through, or sometimes we’re at odds with them.”
The officials said their local responsibilities remain their first priority.
Parker said citizens should not interpret the statewide roles as taking their attention away from Webster Parish.
“This is our job. This is what they elected us for,” Parker said. “We’re still going to be their sheriff, their chief, their mayor, but we’re also going to have an additional deal for a short period of time.”
Cox said the demands of local leadership do not stop when he leaves Minden.
“I’m never not the mayor,” Cox said. “It doesn’t matter where I’m at. I am always the mayor of the city of Minden until I’m not.”
The three said their willingness to remain available to local residents is part of what drew them to public service in the first place.
“What we’re talking about with answering the phone calls and being on 24/7 is not a complaint,” McIver said. “It’s something we want to do.”
“Everybody that calls, their problem — no matter whether it seems small or large — is significant to them,” he said. “So it’s significant to us.”
For Cox, Parker, and McIver, the statewide positions provide another way to serve the same community they represent at home.
“I think that God made people different and special, and I think the three of us just have that desire to be of usefulness,” Cox said. “And I think it’s very rewarding, when you’re built like that, to be able to do what we do.”