Various items

It looks like Mike Walker will be the next Mayor Pro Tem. Mike has done a good job of providing leadership to all of the new council members and they will reward him by making him the next Mayor Pro Tem of East Baton Rouge.

Bones Addison is the odd man out. Bones is spending more time in Florida and Chicago with the Obama transition team than he is in Baton Rouge. Bones told a friend of mine that with the election of Obama his business has increased ten times. Bones is in tight with the Obama team and Jessie Jackson. It appears that Bones has very little interest in the Metro Council. Last Thursday there was a retreat for the new Metro Council, Bones only showed up to take the official picture of the new council with the mayor and then he left. I have not heard anything official but makes me wonder if Bones is lining up for some appointed job with the Obama administration. My personal opinion is I would not put money on Bones completing his term of office.

This new Council has a very good working relationship and they are determined not to fight among themselves. It will be interesting to see how long this last.

Ronnie Edwards, Donna Collins-Lewis, C. Denise Marcelle, and Tara Wicker are natural allies and old Friends. I would expect that they will vote together most of the time. If you want something past in the Metro Council you better have the girls on your side.

The Parish of East Baton Rouge is getting geared up to be in the Obama Economic Stimulus line this February. I talked to someone in the Mayor's office and I was told that the mayor believes that President Elect Obama first actions as president will be to have an economic stimulus package that will include infra-structure improvement for cities. The Mayor wants to be in that line for money early and is now drafting a request. I was not told what kind of infra-structure improvements the Mayor will ask for, but I hope that he is asking for money for Baton Rouge's aging sewer plants and bridges.

The Baton Rouge Fab Five!

Edwards and Donna Collins-Lewis

First it was Hilary, then it was Sarah Palin and now it is the Baton Rouge Fab Five!

To me the BIG, BIG story of this local election is the five women who won seats on the Baton Rouge Metro Council. Never in the history of Baton Rouge have there been five women serving on the Metro Council at one time.

All of these women are forward thinking and have been involved in the city for many years. Over the years these women have worked on projects together, so that they already have a close working relationship.

Tara Wicker was the neighborhoods coordinator under Mayor Bobby Simpson. She was the bright spot of the Simpson administration. While working for the Simpson administration she work with many of these women and count some of then as personal friends.

Alison Cascio is a professional city planner who had been David Boneno assistant, she is very knowledgeable of the problems in our city and will be a great asset to the Metro Council.

Ronnie Edwards is no stranger to politics. She is a long time ally of State Senator Sharon Weston Broome and the founding executive director of Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation. She has very good political instincts. She knows how to bring people together and build coalitions.

Donna Collins-Lewis has worked with Yvonne Dorsey and she is an old friend of Ronnie Edwards. Lewis worked for the East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court working with Yvonne Dorsey and even Mike Walker.

C. Denise Marcelle worked with an attorney as a legal assistant and has been involved with churches in her district. She has also worked on projects with both Ronnie Edwards and Donna Collins-Lewis.

With these sharp, intelligent women on the Metro Council I am expecting great things from the Council.

All I have to say to the men on the Council you better either lead, follow, are get the hell out of the way!

My crystal ball is hazy:

My crystal ball is hazy:

I was very wrong about Kennedy! I guess a bad candidate is a bad candidate and coat tails can’t help a bad candidate.

Mayor's Tax proposal
Fails because nothing in it for Central and Zachary.

This measure failed by less than two percent of the vote. If the mayor would have put some goodies in for Central and Zachary the story could have been different.

Judge, Juvenile Court, Elec. Sect. 1A
Gerald T. "Jerry" Arbour, R Overwhelming a Republican district. The "R" behind Arbour name wins the race.

I blew that call!

Metro District 2
Handy wins. Too much support from the Mayor.

And this one! The mayor will have his hands full with Bones.

Metro District 3
Chandler Loupe wins big!

Loupe won, but it was no landslide.

Metro District 5
Edwards wins big 70%+. Put a fork in this race it is over, Edwards is just too organized.

Edwards won by 68%. Close but no cigar.

Metro District 6
Toss up. Depends on turn out. Don't count Tassin out.

Wasn’t even close. Donna Collins-Lewis won by a landslide.

Metro District 7
Sharper has the edge. Sorry about that folks.

I miss this one bad. I must salute the voters for voting a bad guy out.

Metro District 10
This is a hard one to call to good candidates both well organized. I have to go with my heart and go with Tara Wicker.

Boy this was a close race. Wicker won by 6 votes.

Metro District 11
Cascio by a landslide.

Got this one right!

Metro District 12
Benham in a close one. Status-quo is hard to beat.

Smokie won by 36 votes. This race really surprised me.

HOLDEN & TASSIN

Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks withinSmiling faces, smiling faces sometimes They don't tell the truth uh Smiling faces, smiling facesTell lies and I got proof.

This 1970's song written by Barrett Strong and made famous by the Temptations and latter by the Undisputed Truth sums up the relationship of Mayor Kip Holden and his dear friend Martha Jane Tassin.

Martha Jane Tassin is in a fight for her political life with Donna Collin-Lewis for her 6 District seat on the Baton Rouge Metro Council. Since Mayor Kip Holden was elected Tassin has been one of his strongest allies and the Mayor has made a promise to her that he would help her get re-elected and how important she is on the Metro Council and the Planning Commission.

Tassin demographics have changed radically since 2005 because of Hurricane Katrina and now African Americans are the majority voters in her district. Martha Jane's opponent in the run-off is Donna Collin-Lewis who is a very well connected African American that is closely aligned with Yvonne Dorsey. When Mayor Kip Holden is at white groups such as Good Growth Coalition he talks about how important Martha Jane Tassin is to the city and that it is very important for her to be re-elected. But the facts are that Holden is also helping Lewis and that his number one lieutenant Alfred Williams is running Lewis campaign.

Kip Holden could help Martha by actively campaigning for her but he has chosen only to help her with false words of help. In District 1 Mayor Holden has endorsed Gerald Handy over Bones Addison. In Handy's race the mayor has become very active and very public in his campaigning for Handy. He has sent out letters of endorsement for Handy and he has helped raise money for him. The Mayor has not in any way helped Tassin. His promises to help her have been empty lies. As Kip Holden smiles and reassures Martha of his support he is stabbing her in the back.

Republican like Mike Waker and Mike Futrell should take the advice of Barrett Strong song when dealing with Mayor Kip Holden:

Beware, beware of the handshake that hides the snake I'm telling you beware, beware of the pat on the back It just might hold you back.

I understand that Mayor Kip Holden has promised Mike Walker that he is going to help him become the next mayor pro-tem. Yea, right.

Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes they don't tell the truth, uh

Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies and I got proof.