Friends and colleagues are this morning remembering state Rep. Ronnie Edwards as a compassionate leader and mentor to many following the former Metro Councilwoman’s death on Wednesday after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Edwards was 63.
“It is a great loss in our community as it relates to not only a wonderful, kind human being, but a wonderful public servant,” Metro Councilwoman Chauna Banks-Daniel says.
Edwards was elected to the State House of Representatives in late 2015 and took the oath of office on Jan. 11 after serving for several years on the Metro Council. She was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer in late 2013, but continued working in her community and providing for her constituents.
“You meet few people in life that you can genuinely call a friend, but she was a sister to me, a true friend,” says Councilwoman Donna Collins-Lewis, who knew Edwards for more than 30 years. “Her service was genuine, it was pure.”
When Edwards was elected to the legislature, she recommended local attorney Erika Green to take her place on the council for the remainder of the term, which ends this year. Green says she is constantly reminded of all the great things Edwards did for people in her community.
“Everybody reminds me of how much they love her,” Green says.
Green says Edwards exhibited compassionate leadership and that it’s impossible to find anyone who had a negative word to say about her.
“I’m truly honored even more to stand in her footsteps and try to represent the district how she would want me to,” Green says.
Gov. John Bel Edwards released a statement Wednesday night after Edwards’ death, praising her leadership in the face of extreme adversity.
“Rep. Edwards will long be remembered and admired for her commitment and tireless effort to improve her community and this state,” Edwards says in a statement. “She fought for her district with the same fortitude with which she fought a difficult two-year battle with cancer.”
The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus also released a statement, saying Edwards leaves an “enduring legacy and impact as a community developer and committed public servant.”
—Ryan Broussard
