Although she has a few months left remaining in her term—and potentially another political life as a candidate for mayor of Baton Rouge—Senate President Pro Tem Sharon Weston Broome, D-Baton Rouge, delivered her farewell remarks in the upper chamber around noon today.
But her day started much earlier, at 6 a.m., penning handwritten notes to each of her 38 colleagues in the Senate.
“No note is duplicated,” she said, referencing the personal messages.
At times fighting back tears, and surrounded by elected officials from the city, members of her church, friends, family and children from her mentoring program, Broome reflected on the political path that brought her to the Senate.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” she said, quoting the concluding segment from a radio show she hosted for a time in Baton Rouge. “Running for public office was not in my career plan, but it was obviously in God’s plan.”
It has led her through a stint on the Metro Council that started in 1988 and then to the state House in 1992. From there she carved out a niche pushing policies that focused on families and children, as well as her closely held Christian beliefs.
She specifically thanked former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, among many others, for “breaking the glass ceiling of women in legislative leadership.” It was Blanco who supported Broome’s bid to become the first women elected as House speaker pro tem, a position similar to the one Broome now occupies in the Senate.
As for her counterparts from the Baton Rouge region, she said the headlines over the years playing up their difference couldn’t be farther from her collective experience.
“Contrary to popular belief, the East Baton Rouge Parish delegation does not fight all the time,” Broome said, recalling what she described as good times and fond memories.
She added, “No matter what people say about the Legislature, and what they say about us as legislators, I am extremely grateful to be identified with an institution whose primary focus is public service.”
Broome has expressed interest in running for mayor, and she also has established a campaign fund. Mayor Kip Holden’s term runs through 2016, but he will have to vacate his office early if he’s successful in his run for lieutenant governor this fall.
Jeremy Alford and Jeremy Harper will publish a daily update throughout the legislative session on Daily Report PM. Alford reports on Louisiana politics at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
