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It wasn’t a rarity four years ago to find front yards in Baton Rouge sporting signs supporting George W. Bush for president alongside signs supporting Kip Holden for mayor, even though the commander-in-chief is an undeniable Republican and Holden is a tried-and-true Democrat.

The pairing made for good math. Coincidentally, or not, both men carried 54% of East Baton Rouge Parish in 2004 and won with an impressive showing of white voters. In hindsight, the crossover appeal for Holden, the city’s first black mayor, isn’t surprising. He’s one of the more social mayors the city has ever had; just try and find one of his predecessors on a dance floor or chatting with local hunters over cold beers.

On one memorable occasion last year, Holden donned an elaborate Napoleon Bonaparte costume, including a wide-brimmed hat and lumpy coat, for the annual Spanish Town Mardi Gras ball. Among the hordes of tables flocked with half-dressed mannequins and shiny flamingos, Holden, the motley krewe’s 2007 king, made promises about parade routes and related ordinances. For one, special night Holden was truly the hit of the ball.

Holden has become one of Baton Rouge’s premier personalities, political or otherwise. It’s a reputation he has cultivated since first being elected mayor. To be certain, he’s a card. Holden can switch from urban chic to down-home rhetoric to good ole boy chatter with little effort.

He’s also bold. While serving in the state Senate, Holden was often chided by colleagues for his flashy suits. The attire has been toned down noticeably since then, but not much; the remaining pinstripes and slicked back hair still reveal a stylish zoot-suiter.

Maybe it’s a polished and crafted veneer, or possibly a small glance into the private life of a public official, but the traits and quirks are important nonetheless. They’re to be credited, at least partially, for Holden’s amazing crossover appeal. In an interview earlier this month, it became clear that the accumulation of crossover votes was a primary objective in Holden’s original campaign and will remain a calculated approach during this year’s effort. “It was an out-front strategy,” Holden says. “You can find more and more crossover voters these days in this town. It still shocks me when people come up and say they listen to Rush Limbaugh but voted for me. We had a focused message that crossed racial and gender and party lines.”

Today, Holden finds himself leading a city that is suffering from growing pains and facing an unprecedented transition. Political power has pooled in the parish, commercial growth is at an all-time high and the next U.S. Census is expected to show a substantial jump in population.

As it turns out, Holden is at a crossroads as well. Hurricane Katrina blew in most of these changes during Holden’s second year and, as such, many of his keystone programs won’t bear fruit until next term. In short, his future in the city-parish’s history book may very well be dependent on a second term.

Holden’s 2007 annual report from the previous year revealed more than $200,000 in the bank, but the next filing due in February should show more cash. And even though he appears financially secure, Holden is still under attack.

He talks openly about the whisper campaigns that accuse him of having a white mistress or multiple homes in the parish, whether you inquire directly about them or not. He gently shrugs them all off as nasty rumors, complaining only that his family has become the target of political attacks. Holden also says he’s caught wind of a possible “squeeze play” later this year, by where another black candidate would be floated to divide the African-American vote and push him out of the runoff. He shrugs that off as well. It’s a hallmark of Holden’s. More than anything else, he has found a way to de-racialize Baton Rouge politics and, particularly, his own office, even though attempts to play race cards often come and go.

The Internet has likewise been fertile ground for political warfare, in classic Republican fashion. At least two Web sites—the blog RedStick.WordPress.com and LaNewsLink.com, which is operated by paid political consultant Pat Bergeron—regularly publish unsavory remarks about the mayor and his administration. “I believe there is a coordinated Republican effort to put something out there about me every day,” Holden says. “But I’m not afraid of anyone running against me. I’m ready.”

Earlier this month, Tony Perkins, a former GOP state representative from Baton Rouge who now serves as president of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., also lashed out at Holden in what the mayor calls a “venomous attack.” Holden pushed for a nonbinding resolution in October that called for the city to embrace “people from all walks of life” including race, gender and sexual preference. The Metro Council voted the resolution down and activists poured in to comment. Perkins, a Republican, took Holden to task for disagreeing with a pastor and offered the readers of his e-mail alert links to additional resources, like a booklet entitled, “Homosexuality Is Not a Civil Right.” The topic is expected to be the source of attack vehicles this fall if Holden indeed draws a serious opponent.

These are the times when the influence of Holden’s grandfather, a minister, shines through, as does the mayor’s knowledge of Bible passages. “Yeah, they took a swing at me on that,” Holden says. “But if they only looked at the context of Jesus Christ’s teachings, they would know where I’m coming from. If Jesus can accept an adulterer, transform a prostitute, forgive tax collectors and find a place in his heart for us all, we can be accepting, too.”

As for the bigger picture, it may be Holden’s own campaign promises that pose the biggest challenge, as explaining them today takes a bit of voter education. Most notably, Holden vowed to fix the city’s traffic nightmare. When asked if he would believe a radio ad declaring that the problems had been fixed over the past four years, especially if he was sitting in transit on College Drive or Siegen Lane, Holden just nods his head.

“I think everyone knew that this was going take a few years, but people are going to be surprised at all the ribbon cuttings they’ll see this year,” he says, noting projects on Bluebonnet Boulevard and Siegen Lane. “And that’s not because it’s an election year. The loop is gearing up, we’ve seen changes around the riverfront, lights have been synchronized and we are finding ways to deal with all of our growing pains.”

Holden also takes credit for other infrastructure improvements, like the city’s sewer system, which was an unsightly mess that was inherited by his administration.

But the trash many communities are complaining about these days involves crime. Baton Rouge chalked up 16 more murders in 2007 than it did the previous year, according to preliminary police figures. But Holden is quick to add that the Federal Bureau of Investigation also noted a 12% decrease in reported violent crimes, the result of targeted programs by his administration to address domestic violence and other issues.

Holden adds that he has launched an outreach program to work with ministers to identify criminals and work with them. Crime Stoppers is being beefed up, he says, and a new program is being developed that will take officers out of their vehicles and put them on the streets on foot. Cameras have recently been placed in high-crime areas, and helicopter-surveillance is being explored. “I’m not going to let this town be defined by crime,” Holden says. “If we need to do job fairs, we’ll do it. Social aspects, we’ll look at that, too. Any technology that is available, I want it. I’ve even been talking to the Defense Department about experimental drones to use in certain areas.”

Despite his popularity, Holden has steered clear moving up the ladder for now, particularly in the 6th Congressional District, which U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, a Republican, will soon relinquish for a posh lobbying gig. There are nearly a dozen or so people looking at the race, but Holden contends he is not one of them. “This job is a dream come true, and I still have things to finish as mayor,” he says, adding he would likely back a candidate once the dust settles.

While he’s hands off on the congressional race, Holden is staking a claim in the upcoming election for district attorney. Incumbent Doug Moreau, a Republican, might run again—or not—or even seek Baker’s old seat, leaving what could possibly be an entirely open field. Republican attorney Dan Claitor will have an organized campaign this year, and former state Sen. Cleo Fields, a Democrat, has also thrown his name in as a possible candidate. But Holden has another Dem in mind. “I definitely think [local attorney] Hillar Moore [III] has the advantage today,” Holden says.

For now, at least technically, Holden already has his place in local history records as Baton Rouge’s first black mayor. But he is also becoming a member of the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in Winnfield next month, alongside late Advocate reporter John M. LaPlante Jr., and others. His photos, documents and voting machine from the state House will rest alongside life-sized mannequins of Huey and Earl Long. It’s certainly a compliment for a Louisiana politician, but it’s the approval of voters in East Baton Rouge Parish that Holden seeks most aggressively, especially during an election year. “I’m just happy here in this office,” Holden says. “I never would have thought that the people of East Baton Rouge would ever accept me in this way, across party and racial lines. And I want to continue overseeing our transformation from a small star on the map to a city that is glowing with opportunity and bursting with enthusiasm.”