A city-parish retiree and accountant has launched a bid to be Baton Rouge’s next mayor.
Beverly “B.J.” Amador, who retired from the East Baton Rouge Parish Office of Community Development in February, is running as an independent.
Amador’s platform includes a focus on providing funding and services for the city’s poorest residents.
“I’ve been poor,” he says. “I know what it’s like to be poor so my heart is to help them.”
Amador says he wants to ensure that federal grant dollars are distributed faster to homeless shelters than they are now. He also wants to help city-parish employees laid off in recent years—including many from the Office of Community Development—find work.
Amador also says he will spend 10% of the city’s budget on poverty programs and doesn’t intend to raise taxes.
“That 10% would be the equivalent of tithing that money to the poor. I would try to conduct the city with a Christian ethos,” Amador says, adding he intends to honor the separation of church and state.
Amador joins an ever-crowded field of candidates vying to replace term-limited Mayor Kip Holden this fall.
Others announced candidates thus far include former state Sen. Sharon Weston Broome, state Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, former Southern University Athletic Director Greg LaFleur and former Metro Councilman Byron Sharper, all Democrats. Republicans in the race include state Sen. Mack “Bodi” White and Metro Councilman John Delgado. Real estate broker Darryl Gissel is also running as an independent.
Amador says he wants to provide free Capital Area Transit System bus passes to Baton Rouge residents who can prove they’re homeless and turn empty school buildings into homeless shelters.
Though he hasn’t quite worked out all of the logistics of how to fund such initiatives, Amador says he would look at whether general fund dollars could help pay for the bus passes.
Amador also is concerned about crime in Baton Rouge. He says he intends to work with organizations such as 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge to help reduce crime in high poverty ZIP codes. Amador also wants to offer law enforcement training to citizen volunteers, who would help patrol the city.
Amador admits that the odds are long for him to be elected Baton Rouge mayor. And if he isn’t, Amador hopes other candidates will address some of the issues his platform addresses.
—Alexandria Burris
