Baton Rouge’s new mayor-elect, Sharon Weston Broome, introduced the leaders of her transition team—attorney Donna Fraiche and the Rev. Raymond Jetson—this afternoon.
At her first press conference since the Democrat’s 52%-48% victory Saturday over Republican Sen. Bodi White, Broome promised a transition that will be open, inclusive and “reflective of the diversity of our entire parish.”
Fraiche and Jetson will serve as co-chairs of the transition team, which has an ambitious agenda and much to accomplish in just a few short weeks. Both have longstanding ties to Broome and considerable experience in the public sector.
Fraiche is a partner with Baker Donelson and one of the state’s foremost experts in health care law. Jetson is pastor of Star Hill Church and president and CEO of MetroMorphosis, a nonprofit organization that is tackling problems plaguing the inner city.
Together, Fraiche and Jetson will oversee eight teams that will review specific departments within city-parish government, including: finance, public works, public safety, the Office of Community Development, the Office of Human Development and Services, homeland security, information services and purchasing.
Aside from the emerging shape her transition team will take, Broome had few new specifics on who might help lead her administration. She reiterated her campaign pledge to conduct a national search for Baton Rouge’s next police chief, and said she looks forward to continuing to work with current Chief Carl Dabadie in the meantime. She also said it’s too soon to discuss who her chief administrative officer might be.
“The election was just over 48 hours ago, so I’m just not there yet,” she said.
Broome did express her disappointment with the defeat of a dedicated millage to fund the Green Light Plan II, a citywide road improvement project, and she noted that she cannot bring it back up again for a vote before 2018.
“We will finish the projects on the books and ensure they get finished in a timely manner,” she said. “We cannot do another tax measure in 2017, but that is the good thing about having community input … and it merits discussion.”
Broome said she doesn’t have plans to clean house at City Hall, and offered city-parish workers some reassurance, saying, “We want everyone in place to feel secure.” But she added that her transition team will assess each department in city government to find out what is going on and make recommendations to her administration.
All funds to cover the cost of the transition and the Jan. 2 inauguration will be paid for with private funds, she said.
Broome also announced her transition coordinator, Christopher Tyson, and her senior executive adviser, Tamiara Wade. She promised another press conference Thursday to announce more appointments to the transition team.
—Stephanie Riegel
