In her annual State of the City address at the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge on Wednesday, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome highlighted a few of her administration’s key accomplishments from the past year while also outlining a handful of focus areas that she believes will be crucial to the city-parish’s success in the years to come.
Broome first made note of the work her administration has done to address Baton Rouge’s aging infrastructure, specifically citing the progress of MovEBR, the city-parish’s infrastructure enhancement and traffic mitigation program.
“We have delivered on 115 projects in various phases with 16 currently in construction, totaling $182 million,” Broome said.
She went on to highlight MovEBR’s traffic light synchronization efforts, saying that 90% of traffic signals in Baton Rouge have been synchronized thus far.
As for economic opportunity, Broome emphasized her administration’s work in north Baton Rouge.
“My administration has been pivotal in facilitating the planting of seeds that are now reaping a tremendous harvest,” Broome said.
Those “seeds” include federal grants for transit, infrastructure improvements, investments in housing, redevelopment of dilapidated areas and, perhaps most notably, the Amazon fulfillment center.
The mayor then addressed public safety, noting the 34% reduction in gun violence in Baton Rouge over the past two years and dispelling the public’s misconception that violent crime is on the rise. She also recognized outgoing Police Chief Murphy Paul and welcomed his replacement, Thomas Morse Jr.
Looking forward, Broome highlighted five specific areas that she will focus on for the remainder of her current term and, if she is reelected, in the years ahead.
Those areas are:
- Increasing community safety.
- Improving quality of place and life.
- Creating equitable business opportunities.
- Developing sustainable environment and infrastructure.
- Prioritizing opportunities for all to thrive.
“I have taken a lot of bumps and bruises for this community and to fix the foundation of our city so that we can now accelerate big and bold ideas,” Broome said in conclusion.
