GET DAILY REPORT FREE
“Time for truth.” Those were the head-scratching words of former Mayor Sharon Weston Broome in her recent Instagram post criticizing the current mayor, Sid Edwards.
She complained that Edwards was blaming her administration for the budget mess caused by the St. George incorporation. Broome said, “Let’s be honest. That is categorically false. I warned this would happen.”
Well, current citizen Broome, when you were a state senator, many warned that if you denied southeast Baton Rouge its requested independent school district (twice)—demanding an incorporated city be created first, like in a previous demand with Central—then that is exactly what these parents would give you.
Your demand was met. St. George was established. So, be honest and admit you caused this.
In her social media post video, she claims that she had department heads preparing years ago for the impact. What a joke. Many of her staff were incompetent, and she was on her fifth chief administrative officer in eight years.
Broome declares, “Since I left office, we have lost ground.” What? Mayor, our Capital City lost ground every year during your eight-year reign.
Then she says, “We don’t need coaching, we need concerted, courageous leadership and collaboration.” Just political speech. Broome was always better with words than with leading, vision or results. On her post, she used “#leadershipmatters,” and we do agree on that. However, while I had high hopes for her eight years ago, Broome failed to lead and deliver.
Edwards, no doubt, faces many challenges—most left behind by Broome—and he’s made mistakes that he’ll have to learn from quickly while building his team to succeed. But Broome said on her Instagram, “Our community deserves better,” and the voters agreed last year by voting her out and electing Edwards to take charge and lead as our new mayor-president.
A second chance?
Many years ago, an abandoned public school stood on College Drive, adjacent to Interstate 10. The state planned to develop the land and build a single cloverleaf entrance ramp to I-10, heading east, from the right lane of College Drive. That plan never came to pass, as is painfully clear from the current left-turn lane that crosses oncoming traffic and often causes vehicle backups. These backups block the intersection and prevent vehicles from exiting I-10 onto College.
Why didn’t this happen? Because the East Baton Rouge Parish Public School Board instead chose to sell the property for $1.5 million so that an Albertsons could be built there. It was a deal where the money would be spent quickly and have no positive impact on the students. It was also one that squandered an opportunity to implement a major fix to College Drive’s nightmarish traffic.
I fought the school system’s desire to sell the land to Albertsons, pressing the state DOTD to oppose the deal and asking the Metro Council to intervene. It didn’t matter. The school board wanted the cash, and it got it. A fascinating question: What did the school system do with the $1.5 million?
This much is certain: The money is long gone, but the disaster that is traffic on College remains. However, much like the school that closed decades ago, Albertsons has announced it soon will be closing, too.
It’s a chance to right a wrong of many years ago, giving the city and state a second chance to use that land and make a graceful exit.
Walk the walk
Many people talk about wanting change for our Capital Region. But we know that talk is cheap. It’s easy to post on social media, demand change, or complain about others’ actions. It’s even easier to just click “like” on someone else’s post. Big deal.
The key is who is willing to “walk the walk” and get their hands dirty? That’s when things suddenly go quiet.
Our community is working on a major initiative—Plan Baton Rouge III—that encourages us to think big and think differently about our downtown and riverfront. We can create something dynamic that improves our quality of life, attracts conventions and tourists, and boosts economic development while building the Baton Rouge brand into something everyone can be proud of.
Plan Baton Rouge III is something you can get excited about and embrace by attending the upcoming public meeting on Wednesday, July 16, at 5:30 p.m. at the Old State Capitol. Come share your ideas.
Don’t wait for someone else to attend and do the work—you show up! To me, this is like voting—if you don’t show up, then don’t complain about the results.
To prepare, visit PlanBatonRouge.com. You can also fill out a survey and join over 1,000 others who have shared ideas.
Mark your calendar now and bring someone who also cares about the future of Baton Rouge—and is ready to get involved. We know actions speak louder than words. Let’s stop posting on Facebook and Instagram or tweeting about all that should be done. Get in the game and take action with Plan Baton Rouge III.
LSU proud
Congratulations to LSU coach Jay Johnson and his baseball team on a stellar performance in Omaha. Their dedication to excellence and strong work ethic were evident in the regionals, super regionals and College World Series, making all of Louisiana proud. LSU, under Johnson, will continue to be a regular contender in Omaha.
I also expect they’ll be joined by a new icon and fan favorite who debuted at the College World Series: Mardi Gras Mike. I was proud to team up with Barry, Fitz, and Patrick from Kern Studios over a year ago to help bring this idea to life. Amazing. This 30-foot tiger float is impressive and fun and will appear again on the LSU campus this fall. Keep an eye out for MGM.
Spotlight on technology
Hats off to Nexus CEO Tony Zanders for the first-ever Technology Cup. The statewide event, held at the Water Campus, aimed to showcase the latest software and hardware developed by high school and college students, as well as entrepreneurs. A total of $100,000 in cash was awarded to the winners.
Baton Rouge native Ryan Williams was the keynote speaker and received the Visionary of the Year award. Williams is a Harvard graduate, serial entrepreneur and currently the CEO of Cadre, a $9.7 billion tech company. Williams has been featured on the cover of Forbes and is a member of its “40 under 40.” We can all be Baton Rouge proud.
A salute to the Top 100
Once again, we should applaud and thank the Top 100 Private Companies for their contributions to our Capital Region. Business is the backbone of any community, and the leadership in these 100 companies is vital to our economy and quality of life. Consider the risks and investments they undertake, the jobs they create, and the volunteer and philanthropic efforts of their employees and executives, which collectively make the region a better place to live. All of it is essential to our growth and success. Kudos and thanks to the Top 100—and to all the entrepreneurs who put it on the line every day as you aim high.
