Supporting Fiscal Flexibility for Parish-Wide Improvements
“Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. St. George is not why East Baton Rouge Parish has problems – but we are proud to be causing necessary, long-overdue reforms at EBR. The only way forward is to be honest about what hasn’t worked and fix it.
St. George was born out of frustration with the Parish. We wanted a better government. That’s not unique to us – it’s the same parish-wide frustration that elected Sid Edwards. I am pleased our work is creating a race to the top for government services. I am glad EBR can no longer kick the can down the road.
The THRIVE propositions give Sid flexibility with EBR’s current money – that’s all this is. It makes sense – to me – that we would all give Sid the flexibility he’s asking for to work through the reforms he was elected to bring to fruition.
Regardless of how this vote goes, change with EBR will and should show up in staffing. If positions have sat vacant for years, eliminating them is good management. If some roles go away because St. George now handles its own work, that’s a necessary realignment – not a crisis.
We’re building a lean, accountable city hall in St. George. The parish is reshaping itself for the new landscape. That’s what reform looks like – government finally matching reality.
As we build our city, keep in mind we’re still very much part of East Baton Rouge. The parish has responsibilities within St. George – sewage, trash and recycling, animal control, traffic-signal maintenance.
Let’s deal with real issues in plain language, fix what’s broken, and keep raising the bar on ourselves. I encourage voters to cut through the noise and focus on making EBR better.”