In his latest column, Rolfe McCollister highlights the critical Nov. 15 vote on Mayor Sid Edwards’ Thrive EBR tax plan, which will shape parish finances. While it would be easier to “go along to get along” and support the proposed tax increases, McCollister says he won’t do it.
“I like ‘Coach’ Edwards and want him to succeed,” McCollister writes. “As I’ve noted before, former Mayor Sharon Weston Broome bears responsibility for the St. George incorporation, for failing to streamline government, and for neglecting to prepare for the current fiscal crisis. Still, Mayor Sid and his administration now own the solution they are proposing.”
After 10 months in office, McCollister expected significant changes. Instead, he writes, the community has witnessed little bold action and few meaningful reforms. He describes headlines that focus on controversy, among them the alleged misuse of an autopen for raises, dealing with ICE, internal staff disputes, poor communication with the Metro Council, a top aide on leave, and still no replacement for the chief administrative officer. “This is hardly a strong foundation,” he says, “for the mayor’s ‘show me the money’ Thrive plan.”
As McCollister writes, “The government’s default solution to any problem is predictable—ask taxpayers for more. Instead of cutting spending, they raise taxes and expect citizens to do with less. During the pandemic, city-parish services paused and nonessential employees stayed home, while staffing levels remained intact, unlike those of private businesses, which downsized. Today, I’m unaware of any records showing how many of the 4,500 employees still work remotely, where they work, or what they do.”
He contends the first priority after Broome’s exit, for a conservative Republican mayor with a Republican-majority Metro Council, should have been to reduce the size of government. “This city-parish is not an employment agency,” he writes. “it operates on taxpayer dollars.”
McCollister faults Edwards and previous mayors for refusing to rethink government operations. Rather than innovate, they chose the comfortable route of “the way we’ve always done it.” This mindset, he insists, has stalled Baton Rouge for decades.
“Yes, Edwards inherited a fiscal mess largely caused by Broome’s negligence,” McCollister writes. “But instead of aggressively cutting unnecessary staff, reviewing programs, tackling ballooning employee benefits and retirement obligations, or considering outsourcing, his first move was to reach for higher taxes.”
