The mayoral landscapes have shifted in Lake Charles, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Shreveport, Jeremy Alford writes in his latest column.
“Hopefully, you can visualize five of Louisiana’s six largest cities now, each representing a significant portion of the Bayou State’s beating heart,” Alford writes. “There’s fresh leadership in almost all of these cities today. But what’s truly impressive is that the new mayors were elected during the past two and a half years.”
Republican Nic Hunter was sworn in as mayor of Lake Charles over the weekend, and residents in New Orleans will get a new mayor this fall, he notes. Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome was sworn in just six months ago. Former state Rep. Joel Robideaux became Lafayette mayor one year ago, and Ollie Tyler became mayor of Shreveport in 2014.
Whether any of these mayors will collectively create an important mile marker in Louisiana politics remains unseen, Alford writes.
“Time will tell,” he says. “We do know that together they have already replaced institutional names in their regions and individually promised new ways of governing.”
This should have been a noteworthy transition of municipal power, given the turf covered. But Alford says the storyline has somehow slipped past the prognosticators since December 2014, when Tyler succeeded former and current state Rep. Cedric Glover as mayor of Shreveport.
As for Broome, she took over the mantle from of Baton Rouge mayor from Kip Holden and inherited a bit of a mess, like many newcomers. The Capital City, Alford writes, is plagued by racial tension, disrupted by last year’s floods and disheartened by a string of police-involved shootings.
“Broome’s biggest test, however, is yet to come,” he writes. “With the federal government backing away from the shooting death of Alton Sterling, local and national advocates are now waiting on the state to complete its investigation. When the time comes for that final announcement, a voice of reason will be needed.”
So what’s the big picture for Louisiana? Are there any ties that bind? Is there a collective breeze of municipal hope flowing through Louisiana?
Alford says it’s difficult to judge—a mayor’s impact is best gauged from the perspective of a decade or more out from their final term.
“Yet from a political perspective, it’s worth pointing out that only one of these mayoral seats was turned. Hunter, a Republican, snagged a seat that was previously held by a Democrat. In doing so Hunter likewise flipped an important Louisiana city that supported both Hillary Clinton and Foster Campbell in 2016,” he writes. “For donors and party faithfuls, that’s the kind of takeaway that’s definitely worthy of remembering.”
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
