In a move that left Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister wondering if there was a little something “extra” in their brownies, the Metro Council at its Oct. 11 meeting passed a resolution urging Amazon to consider East Baton Rouge Parish for its new HQ2, which would bring a $5 billion investment and 50,000 jobs.
The same council—in yet another head scratcher—also appears poised to hire interim airport director Ralph Hennessy permanently for the job later today, ignoring an earlier promise from Councilman Trae Welch to conduct a national search.
“It seems some elected officials get into office and believe they are ‘all powerful’ and ‘untouchable’ by voters, even if they act stupid, pursue their own self-interest, make deals with colleagues [as if no one will find out] and simply snub their noses at the public. They should remember, ‘pride goeth before a fall,’” McCollister writes in his latest column.
Councilwoman Tara Wicker has indicated she’ll play along if an acquaintance, who is from Baton Rouge and currently working in Florida, is guaranteed the No. 2 spot at the airport. Otherwise, she’ll vote for the national search.
As for Amazon, the Metro Council’s resolution says EBR has “a stable and business-friendly environment, urban and suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent, and is a [community] that thinks big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options.”
“I am a hometown boy and love Baton Rouge, and I consider myself an optimist, but let’s get real here,” McCollister writes. “I had to laugh (because I didn’t want to cry) when I read the part about ‘thinks big and creatively.’ Shoot, it appears the Metro Council often doesn’t even ‘think’ at all. And ‘creative?’ Not.”
Baton Rouge needs stronger leadership and top talent at its government agencies if it wants to play in the “big leagues,” McCollister says, adding Amazon would be less than impressed with the city’s infrastructure, crime, schools and the council’s antics.
Citizens, he notes, are already fed up.
Under a recent Daily Report item, Weezy Anna wrote: “I’ve been played for a sucker twice. I voted for the CATS tax because I wanted a better city and better public transportation is part of that. I voted for the Council on Aging tax because who wouldn’t vote to support older citizens in need? Well, both have been a disaster and my property taxes just keep going up. And the problem with all these dedicated taxes is that we now can’t allocate the money where we ‘need’ it. So, the answer is ‘no.’”
The comment, McCollister says, reflects the mood of many voters.
“Our elected officials better wake up and realize the anger and lack of trust among voters—and respond,” he writes. “We won’t be fooled by a fancy resolution about Amazon HQ2.”
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