Members of the East Baton Rouge Parish Planning Commission say it’s too soon to say which direction they’ll go to replace outgoing Planning Director Frank Duke, who notified them over the weekend he will retire in March after six years at the helm of the planning department.
But Planning Commission Chairman Rossie Washington suggests there could be structural changes to the department that would affect the selection of its next leader.
“A lot of discussions need to be had so we can figure out which way to go with this,” Washington says. “There are a lot of factors to consider. I know there are a few things out there that could change the way this commission operates. Decisions haven’t been made on any of those items. …”
A 2019 study by government efficiency consultants hired by Mayor Sharon Weston Broome recommended bringing the planning department, which reports to the Metro Council, under the same umbrella as the department of public works, which reports to the mayor, as a way to improve efficiency and save money.
A separate report by the Center for Planning Excellence for the Metro Council committee studying the 73-year-old plan of government examined best practices of planning departments in comparable cities. It found that Baton Rouge’s planning department, which is chronically underfunded and understaffed, is out of sync with peer cities.
“As we look to the future, it is important that the city-parish reassess our planning needs, organizations, and resources,” CPEX Executive Director Camille Manning Broome says. “The Planning Commission was formed decades ago. The city-parish has changed and grown tremendously since then. We need to take meaningful action toward aligning governance, expertise, and resources with the range of planning needs and opportunities that will shape Baton Rouge’s future.”
Metro Council member Donna Collins Lewis, who also on chairs the plan of government committee, says it’s too soon to discuss any structural changes. As of midday, she was not even aware of Duke’s plan to retire, which is effective March 13.
Other commissioners, who learned of Duke’s plans over the weekend or earlier today, say they are sorry to see him go and praised the job he has done since coming here from Norfolk, Virginia.
As for a replacement, commission member Ulysses “Bones” Addison suggests convening a blue ribbon committee of city leaders, business people and representatives of the development community to determine what the city-parish needs in terms of planning before launching a search for a new director.
“I think it would be wise of us to take a look at what we’re actually looking for and what we need,” he says.
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