Mayor Kip Holden and several others today accused Metro Councilman and mayoral candidate Mike Walker of trying to divide the community along racial lines with a recent campaign ad.
“We are building a city and a region with a national reputation,” says Holden, who convened a press conference downtown this afternoon to discuss the “tone” of the mayoral race. “This commercial has the potential to stain our reputation.”
Holden is referring to an attack ad that claims Holden authorized the use of taxpayer funds to provide a police escort for Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan during a recent visit to Southern University. Motivational speaker, author and former LSU basketball coach Dale Brown spoke at today’s press conference, saying he asked to appear because he’s fed up with negative campaigns that seek to “pull somebody apart.”
Pat Felder, a small business owner—and Republican (Holden is a Democrat)—also spoke, calling Holden “a friend to the business community.”
John Noland, board chairman of the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority, and the Rev. Raymond Jetson, pastor at Star Hill Baptist Church, joined the chorus against the ad, saying it could reopen old wounds and make it harder to achieve racial harmony.
Asked for comment following the press conference, Walker issued a statement defending the ad.
“Escorting private citizens by BRPD personnel is bad policy,” Walker says. “It is inappropriate, misuses our tax dollars and takes valuable police manpower off the streets of Baton Rouge when we’re facing a crime emergency. As mayor-president, I will absolutely change this policy of escorting private citizens so this doesn’t happen again.”
Read more about the ad from Daily Report here.
