Loupe elected mayor pro tem

Just minutes after the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council took the oath of office this morning, veteran District 3 Councilman Chandler Loupe was elected mayor pro tem. Though several council members were interested in the position, which became available when Mike Walker’s term ended at the end of 2012, no one opposed Loupe’s nomination by District 4 Councilman Scott Wilson. The election of Loupe as mayor pro tem—a job that entails running the council meetings and standing in for the mayor in his absence—might suggest more of the same in terms of the divisions that existed between Holden and the previous council, which was sharply divided along racial and political lines. But Loupe tells Daily Report he wants to work closely with the administration. “I think this council will work hard on their issues and do so with a good working relationship with our mayor and his administration,” Loupe says. Councilwoman Tara Wicker, who was also vying for the position, is not overly optimistic that will happen, but she says for now everyone is putting their best foot forward. “My hope is that we will be able to work effectively with the administration,” Wicker says. “That hasn’t been their history, but we don’t want another four years of contention. So hopefully they will be able to come together well and do what is best for the council and the city.” —Stephanie Riegel