The first Saturday in December will be critical to Louisiana’s future direction, says Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister Jr., and will send a message to America too.
“There are clear choices for the U.S. Senate and House, and the country is watching,” McCollister writes in his latest column, noting early voting for the Dec. 6 election is already underway and open through Saturday. “There are also important school board races that may represent our last chance to turn the tide and find a new superintendent who truly can lead.”
McCollister is endorsing Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy in his bid to unseat three-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, and he’s supporting Republican Garret Graves in his runoff against former Gov. Edwin Edwards.
McCollister also says East Baton Rouge Parish voters should approve the proposed reorganization of the Department of Public Works that is on the ballot. As proposed, the single DPW director would be replaced with six new departments, each with its own director, dedicated to specific duties: Environmental Services, Transportation, Maintenance, Development, Buildings and Grounds, and Fleet Management.
“The administration says that DPW will become more transparent, accountable and responsive to public needs. In addition, they claim that productivity and accountability will be increased by having six DPW departments reporting directly to the Mayor‐President’s Office to speed up decision-making and eliminate backlogs,” McCollister writes. “The administration claims the new structure as passed will not add employees, overhead or administrative costs. That is important, and we must hold them to that. Change can be better, but only if we implement the plan as designed and execute it properly. That will come down to the leadership we hire for each department—and holding them accountable for results.”
Read the full column to see all of McCollister’s endorsements. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
