Editor’s note: This column expresses the opinion of the author only and does not constitute any endorsement by Business Report. Business Report does not endorse candidates for political office.
With the governor’s race over, all East Baton Rouge Parish eyes now turn to 2024 and the race for mayor-president.
Sharon Weston Broome, the incumbent, has declared she is running again and has already held her first fundraiser. The primary issue for voters should be her performance: Are you better off today than you were four years ago? Eight years ago?
Perhaps most alarming is the continuing decision by so many of our young people to leave for cities like Dallas, Austin, Nashville, Atlanta, Tampa and Washington, D.C. These young, talented people are our future, and the exodus makes it evident that we lack the economic opportunities and quality-of-life offerings they desire.
What has the mayor done—and what is she doing—to address this brain drain?
Baton Rouge has incredible potential, but it also has work to do. Is a mayor who can’t synchronize traffic lights and needs seven years to install parking meters downtown the right person to cast a bold vision and inspire us to turn potential into reality?
So who will challenge Mayor Broome? Many believe a white, nonincumbent Republican can’t win a parishwide election, given the demographics of East Baton Rouge. President Joe Biden got 56% of the EBR vote and Gov. John Bel Edwards received 66%.
I hear that former state Rep. Ted James, a Black Democrat whom Biden appointed to serve as regional director of the Small Business Administration, is telling folks he will be a candidate. The name of state Sen. Cleo Fields has also circulated; I’m told he is waiting to see what happens with Louisiana congressional district maps.
Another name that’s popular with many is that of District Attorney Hillar Moore, who won in 2008 with 74% of the vote and ran unopposed in 2014 and 2020. As a white Democrat with a parishwide base, strong name recognition and cross-party appeal, he would likely lead any poll. I suspect he already has the money in his DA campaign fund to run. (His last annual campaign finance report with the Louisiana Board of Ethics, filed in March, indicated a balance of $161,792.) Moore was mentioned as a potential candidate for the recent governor’s race but opted not to run.
However, Moore hasn’t indicated any interest in the mayor’s race, and his current term runs until 2026.
The big question: Could a well-funded Republican not simply make the runoff, but win head-to-head against Broome or another Democrat?
The 35.77% voter turnout for the governor’s election shows just how apathetic voters are.
A key to Best Places to Work companies is that such businesses create an atmosphere and have policies that result in employees wanting to work for those entities. A more engaged and satisfied workforce is more active within the organization. Louisiana residents loudly demonstrated their disinterest in the state they call home.
While Gov.-elect Jeff Landry got 52% to win, let’s put that in perspective: According to the census, there are 3,529,710 adults in Louisiana 18 and older. Of those, 2,970,167 are registered to vote. On Oct. 14, 1,062,498 votes were cast, with Landry getting 547,827.
Yet that only represents 18.44% of all Louisiana registered voters and 15.52% of all adults. This means that if you have 19 adults at your Thanksgiving dinner table representing our population, only three of those eating turkey represent the votes officially cast to elect Landry the governor.
I am also voting yes to all four constitutional amendments.
Read McCollister’s full column from the latest edition of Business Report, in which he outlines why he’s in favor of the constitutional amendments and expresses his strong support for Israel. Send comments to editor@businessreport.com.
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