Happy New Year! Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister is making one prediction to start off the year: Coach O and Joe Burrow will lead the LSU Tigers to a national championship in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. What a great way to start the year for Baton Rouge and Louisiana.
In the first monthly Business Report issue of 2020, you will find many predictions and perspectives from a variety of people and professionals in our community about the next 12 months.
However, McCollister says he has more questions about the future than predictions, in his latest opinion piece. The pace of change in business is so rapid that it’s hard to guess what will come next. And when it comes to politics—all politics—there is no normal; anything goes.
Here is one thing McCollister will predict about the new year: Unfortunately, politics—local, state and national—will dominate the news and our lives. It is likely to be nasty and negative, especially on the national stage.
We are constantly reminded—even hourly—that we have a presidential election this fall, on top of the impeachment proceedings likely to end in acquittal. Here at home, we will have our own saga taking place at the State Capitol with the Jan. 13 inauguration of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards following his close re-election.
On that same day, there will also be the election of the new Senate president and speaker of the House—both expected to be Republicans, who will then name committees and the chairs. This will be a harbinger of the first session of this newly elected Legislature held by a majority of conservative Republicans. I predict a tough battle for Edwards over the next four years, McCollister writes.
And there’s more politics closer to home in East Baton Rouge Parish. Don’t forget our local elections for the mayor-president and Metro Council.
But lucky for the mayor, Baton Rouge demographics and politics have changed and work in her favor—despite the CityStats report showing only 38% of residents believe the parish is going in the “right direction.” (EBR is a majority minority parish). Our Democratic governor just won East Baton Rouge Parish by a 2-to-1 margin over a Republican opponent who grew up in the capital city.
Now the Metro Council elections will be a different story, with some term-limited members and others who may be vulnerable. Some races could be a free-for-all.
McCollister also predicts that politics will be front and center in the LSU Board of Supervisors’ hiring of a new president—and the same could happen with the EBR school board’s selection of a new superintendent.
I have shared with you before that politics plays too big a role in Louisiana and our lives and I think we will see that again in 2020, McCollister writes.
Also in his column, McCollister shares some demographics about East Baton Rouge Parish that might surprise you.
Read McCollister’s full column here, and Geaux Tigers!
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