Norris graduated from West Monroe High School. In 1965, he procured a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana Technical University in Ruston. He obtained the Doctor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi.
Norris was unopposed for a tenth and final term as mayor in the election held on April 5, 2014. In 1963, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, then known as Northeast Louisiana State College. From 1966 until his election as mayor in 1978, Norris was an associate professor of economics and director of the Small Business Institute at the his alma mater, ULM. After becoming mayor, he continued to teach part-time at ULM until 1998.
One of the students whom Norris mentored was Robert "Bob" Mann, a journalist and political historian who holds the Douglas Manship Chair of Journalism at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
In 1971, West Monroe streamlined its city charter and expanded the powers of the mayor. Under Norris" predecessor as mayor, Bert Hatten, the city constructed a new City Hall, police department, jail, and convention center on the former Ouachita Valley Fairgrounds.
Norris is a key proponent of the Sparta Reuse Project, which converts wastewater into fresh water to reduce the depletion of the Sparta Aquifer. The project is financed from a combination of local, state, and federal stimulus sources earmarked to the city and its engineering firm, Energy Ventures Analysis.
Under Norris, the city built the Ike Hamilton Expo Center, an indoor arena off Interstate 20 popularly called "The Ike".
The center is popular for equestrian events, conventions, trade shows, and some concerts. Under Norris, the city built the West Ouachita Senior Center and expanded its recreational facilities to include Lazarre Park on the Ouachita River, Kiroli Park, a woodland experience in an urban setting, and Restoration Park, a wetlands park developed from a former gravel pit. In February 2010, Norris was unopposed for his ninth and current term.
In 2013, Norris confirmed that he expects to seek a tenth term in the position in 2014.
Despite struggles with aging infrastructure and municipal retirement commitments, West Monroe has been designated by the consumer advocacy website NerdWallet as one of the top four cities in Louisiana in which to rear a family. Favorable factors in West Monroe cited include median income, affordable home ownership, public school ratings, and economic growth.
