East Baton Rouge Mayor Pro Tem Mike Walker says a mayoral run next year against Mayor Kip Holden is just one of many possibilities the term-limited councilman is considering. “It really depends on Kip. It depends on how he behaves and what kind of job he does from here on out,” Walker says, when asked about rumors of a potential mayoral bid. “There’s lots of things I could possibly do and I’m keeping all my options open at this point.”
Holden has already said he’s going to run for a third term in 2012, and so far no challengers have publicly stepped forward. Walker and Holden have had an on-and-off relationship over the years, and it appears to be on a cool streak of late.
When the mayor was asked about their relationship during a radio interview this morning on 1150 WJBO, Holden said, “One day he’s OK, the next he’s not. We were very, very close. I don’t know what turned the tide on Mike Walker.”
Walker simply says he hasn’t heard from Holden “in a long time.” Whatever course Walker’s career takes after he fulfills his third term on the council next year, he says he has no plans of retiring. “I’ve got too much energy and too much desire to serve the public to go out of the picture,” he says. “I feel good. My health is good. So I have no intentions of riding off into the sunset. The people will tell me what they want me to do next.” —Steve Sanoski
Today’s poll question: Should Mike Walker run for mayor next year?
