Election Oct. 12, 2019, on Creating City of St. George St.St. GeorgeGeorge LeaderLeader October 2019 • Vol. 1, No 1 • 24 Pages • Circulation 25,000 • 20,000 online • “Like” St. George Leader on Facebook • 225-261-5055 2-Cent Parish Sales Tax Will Simply Transfer to City

City Won’t Need NewCentral Taxes Has Huge First Edition of Budget Surpluses A Newspaper With Lower Taxes For St. George Than in City of BR ST. GEORGE - Community Press, BATON ROUGE - A high-ranking LLC, publisher of the Central official of a company that admin- City News in the City of Central, isters privatized cities such as the the Istrouma Journal in North Ba- City of Central says a computer ton Rouge, and the Capital City model his firm uses indicates the News in South Baton Rouge, has revenues of the proposed City of launched the St. George Leader, St. George would be more than suf- to serve the people of the pro- ficient to cover its expenses with- posed City of St. George. out the need for additional taxes. Woody Jenkins, who is editor The official said, “The popula- of all four community newspa- Photos by Shane Evans Shane by Photos tion of St. George is four times pers, said, “The southeast area greater than Central, but the tax of the parish has been without a base is about 10 times greater. newspaper since the closure of LT. GOV. BILLY NUNGESSER (right) at the Ronald Reagan Newspaper Luncheon Central is basically a residential the Southeast News. Now, with with (left to right) the late Metro Council member Buddy Amoroso, St. George move- ment leader Norman Browning, and Metro Council member Dwight Hudson. Council community, whereas St. George the strong possibility that voters member Amoroso was a fervent supporter of incorporating the City of St. George. has a strong commercial and retail will create a new city, it is im- base. St. George will be able to perative that St. George have its cover all of its expenses and have own independent news source. EARLY VOTING SEPT. 28-OCT. 5 • 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. a very larger surplus left over. I The hostility of The Advocate to City Hall downtown • Coursey • Secretary of State St. George makes it impossible assume that surplus will be used for them to fill that role, because ELECTION DAY IS SATURDAY, OCT. 12, 2019 in part to improve the roads and See LEADER on Page 8 at Your Regular Precinct 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. streets in St. George. But there is See ST. GEORGE on Page 8 Residents Deluged with Propaganda Campaign Woody Jenkins St. George has continued in earnest. City of St. George: plicating costs. Editor The campaign has been led by the • It will break up Baton Rouge. • It will mean higher taxes! Baton Rouge Advocate newspa- • It will impose a burden on fu- • It will mean loss of funding for BATON ROUGE — The campaign per, which has published scores of ture generations. the D.A. and other officials. against incorporating the City of St. false and misleading articles and • It will bankrupt our future. • It will hurt public safety. George really began in January 2014 columns. The Advocate has been • It will cripple one of the stron- • It will hurt our bond rating. with a speech by then-Mayor-Pres- joined by the far-left group Togeth- gest economies in the nation. • We’re being held hostage in a ident Kip Holden before the Baton er Baton Rouge, organized by Saul • It will divide us. disagreement over schools. Rouge Rotary Club. Holden con- Alinsky’s Industrial Areas Founda- • It will take a major financial toll. • It will turn back the clock on ra- demned supporters of the proposed tion (see Page 18), and BRAC and • It will take Baton Rouge taxes. cial harmony. City of St. George and described BRAF, which never met a tax they • They’d have to provide police, Only One Thing Was True. Ev- them as a “small group of people,” didn’t like. fire, garbage, and public works. ery single thing the Mayor-Presi- even though more than 10,000 peo- In that first speech in January • They would have to elect city dent told the Rotary Club about the ple had signed St. George petitions 2014, Mayor-President Holden officials. proposed City of St. George was even as he spoke. poured out a litany of carefully- • It would duplicate existing gov- false, except for one thing: If the Since then, the propaganda cam- crafted cliches designed to end the ernment services. new city is created, there will be an paign against the proposed City of discussion about incorporating the • Duplicating services means du- See RESIDENTS on Page 3 Republican Party Endorses Parishwide Officials BATON ROUGE — The Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish has voted to endorse four parish- wide officials: • Sheriff Sid Gautreaux • Assessor Brian Wilson • Clerk of Court Doug Welborn • Coroner Dr. Beau Clark All four have Democratic oppo- nents who have been endorsed by the Democratic Party. The GOP said, “We are blessed in East Baton Rouge Parish to have four very capable, honest, hard-working conservative individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to serve the people of this parish. We are honored to endorse all four as being worthy of reelection.” Assessor Brian Wilson Clerk of Court Doug Welborn Sheriff Sid Gautreaux Coroner Dr. Beau Clark 2 St. George Leader October 2019

What City Will Look Like When New Mayor Sworn in Facts About New City of St. George

Comite River City of Baton Rouge Livingston Parish

Map of Proposed City of St. George Ascension Parish

Bayou Manchac

Map of New City of St. George, Louisiana Things to Know About Louisiana’s Newest City Population: 86,000 • Rank in LA: 5th largest after New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Lafayette. St. George will be larger than Monroe, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Kenner, and Houma Land Area: 60 Sq. Miles • Location: Southeast portion of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana Median Household Income: $79,000 • Median Income Rank in LA: 2nd in State. Highest is Youngsville in Lafayette Parish ($94,564). Next: Zachary ($75,472), and City of Central ($70,618) Demographics: 79 percent white; 12 percent black, 8 percent Latin, Asian, and other Voter Registration: 27,124 Republicans, 13,375 Democrats, 14,141 other party or no party 54,680 Total Registered Voters City Officials: Mayor, Police Chief, and 5 to 7 members of City Council (Lawrason Act) Initially appointed by the Governor • Special election to be held within six months. Estimated Tax Revenue: $48 million • Source of Revenue: Existing 2% parish sales tax plus existing occupational license fees • Estimated Expenses $34 million Law Enforcement: East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office will continue to provide law enforcement (funded by existing property tax millage) Fire Protection: St. George Fire Protection District will continue to provide fire protection (funded by existing property tax millage) Roads and Streets: Existing parish roads will be allocated between the Parish of East Baton Rouge and the City of St. George by an intergovernmental agreement between the two. St. George will assume maintenance of an estimated 354 miles of city roads allocated to it. The State of Louisiana will continue to maintain state roads located in the City of St. George. Drainage: Existing waterways, bayous, creeks, and other drainage will be allocated between the Parish of East Baton Rouge and the City of St. George by an intergovernmental agreement. St. George will assume maintenance of waterways allocated to it. Public Works, Planning and Zoning, Building Codes, Issuances of Permits, and Occupational Licenses: Will be administered by the City of St. George. Garbage & Trash, Sewer Fees, Animal Control, and Mosquito Abatement: Will be unchanged October 2019 St. George Leader 3 Residents Have a Legal Right to Form A City if They Choose, Despite Critics Continued from Page 1 residents of East Baton Rouge Par- election for Mayor, Police Chief, ish, the people of Central pay a law and City Council. That’s true! enforcement tax to fund the Sheriff’s The things he said were simply Office. Before Central was incorpo- talking points but they are not true, rated in 2005, the East Baton Rouge and he could not back them up ­ then Parish Sheriff’s Office was the pri- or now. Since 2014, the opponents mary law enforcement agency. of St. George really haven’t come Now 14 years after incorporation, up with a single new argument the Sheriff is still the primary law against St. George enforcement agency in the new City A Basic Principle of Our Law. of Central. The tax has not been in- The basic principle at issue here is creased, and Sheriff Sid Gautreaux that people living in unincorporated says he has no additional costs be- areas of Louisiana have the right un- cause of the City of Central. Logi- der Louisiana law to organize a new cally, why would he? He’s providing city (La.R.S. 33:1 et seq). Further- the same services he has in the past. more, the Louisiana Constitution of Sheriff Gautreaux said, “If the 1974 has a specific provision (Art. 6 City of Central wants additional §2), which repealed a part of the City- patrols or services over and above, Parish Plan of Government, which then they have to provide the fund- had prohibited the formation of new ing.” This year, the City of Central cities in East Baton Rouge Parish. will pay the Sheriff’s Office about The law is clear — people have $100,000 for additional patrols. a right to file an incorporation peti- The City of Central has no reason tion with 25 percent of the registered to create its own full-time police voters and then vote on whether to department. That would duplicate incorporate. If the ayes have it, the services already provided by the incorporation can still be chal- the Sheriff. But Central does have lenged but the likelihood of such a a part-time volunteer Central Police challenge being upheld is extremely Force which assists the Sheriff’s Of- small. fice. The Central Police Department Virtually all of the issues which has only one full-time employee, 14 are likely to come up in any legal part-time employees, mostly police challenge to the incorporation of St. WAVING THE FLAG — Local realtor Jim Talbot worked Jones Creek Rd. for signatures. officers, and eight reserve officers. George have already been decided They function similar to Reserve by the courts. One of the most im- Sheriff deputies. Every police offi- portant cases is Devall v. Starns, Obviously, the City of St. George is not breaking away from cer in the Central Police Department which challenged the incorporation the City of Baton Rouge. It’s not part of the City of Baton Rouge. is fully certified. Central police pa- of the City of Central. “We’re talking about the unincorporated areas that the City of Baton trol neighborhoods and work traffic For example, the notion that vot- Rouge never wanted to annex. Suddenly, the fact that the people accidents, freeing the Sheriff from ers outside the proposed city should there want to have their own city is “dividing us.” How ridiculous! St. that responsibility. They are also get to vote on the incorporation of George is going to be right next door to Baton Rouge. It will still be available for any emergency that a new city was dealt with in Devall in East Baton Rouge Parish! Everyone will travel from one city to may occur. and disposed of as without merit. the other freely and seamlessly. There won’t a 10-foot-high wall or When I interviewed Sheriff Sid For a more detailed explanation of Gautreaux on the topic, he said he checkpoints. Having a great new city right next to Baton Rouge can will continue to provide the same the legal issues, see Page 23. only make Baton Rouge better. A Tale of Two Cities. Instead level of law enforcement protection of trying to go through the Mayor- after incorporation that he did be- President’s ill-advised and over- 2005. In fact, it doesn’t even impose” employees, the City of Central has fore incorporation, if citizens vote to the-top remarks one by one, there is a city property tax. It has had budget no bureaucracy, and the public is incorporate St. George. He also said something to realize. surpluses year after year and has an not accruing vast unfunded liabili- that if the city wants extra patrols We don’t have to guess how in- accumulated surplus of $40 million. ties for hundreds of city employes other special services, it will have to corporating a new city in East Ba- This success can be attributed large- who may want to retire in the future. pay the Sheriff’s office expense of ton Rouge Parish would work. It’s ly to privatization of city services — This obligation simply doesn’t exist doing so. already been done! The City of the same plan proposed by the lead- in Central. Fire Protection. Before incorpo- Central (population 28,000) was in- ers of the St. George. Law Enforcement. Like other See SURVEY on Page 12 corporated in 2005. We know that St. George will not be run the way the City of Central has NOT raised Baton Rouge is run. It will be run on taxes since it was incorporated in a 21st century model of privatization. Who Is Woody Jenkins and Why Is He Writing The simple way to understand A Tale of Two Cities what is being proposed is to com- About Proposed City of St. George, Louisiana pare two cities right here in our Editor’s Note: This edition of the St. the Central City News, he helped City of Hammond, LA area — the City of Hammond (pop. George Leader consists primarily of ar- create the City of Central and the Founded: 1818 20,000) and the City of Central ticles written by editor Woody Jenkins, Central Community School System. Population: 20,000 (pop. 28,000). They are two pretty which previously appeared in the Central Jenkins said, “Texas has more than Annual Budget: $30 million nice cities but they were founded on City News or Capital City News. 1,000 school systems, each with a Deficits: Struggles to avoid a two very different models of gov- BATON ROUGE - Former Rep. high school, a deficit of $500,000 a year ernment. Hammond was founded in Woody Jenkins represented Baton middle school, Number of Employees: 325 1818 and follows the same model Rouge in the Louisiana Legislature as cities in the 1800’s. Central was and two or three Number who may someday for 28 years, longer than anyone elementary retire at taxpayer expense: 325 founded in 2005 and follows a 21st in state history. A native of Baton century model. schools. For A Traditional City, much like Rouge, he graduated from Istrouma many years, my others founded in the 1800’s In Hammond, with a population smaller than Central, city govern- High, the LSU School of Journal- goal has been to ment costs four times as much! ism, and the LSU Law School. break the EBR City of Central, Louisiana As a delegate to the Louisiana School System Founded: 2005 There are 325 employees in Ham- mond, compared to three full-time Constitutional Convention of 1973, down into sev- Population: 27,000 he succeeded in amending the Con- Annual Budget: $8 million and 13 part-time employees in Cen- en community tral. Privatization and Central’s fru- stitution to allow the incorporation school systems, Surplus: $1-2 million a year of new cities in East Baton Rouge Woody Jenkins Cash Reserves: Over $40 mil- gal government are why Central has more like those a surplus of $40 million on hand, Parish. That change made the cities in Texas. Smaller systems are more lion of Central and St. George a legal Number of Employes: 3 full- which can be used for capital im- governable and provide a better ed- provements and emergencies. possibility. In the House, he au- ucation for students.” time, 13 part-time police officers thored constitutional amendments and dispatchers. Central: A Conservative, Cost- A lifelong journalist, Jenkins is Number who may someday Conscious City Government. that created the Baker and Zachary founder and editor of the Central retire at taxpayer expense: 3 City Employees. With only three school systems. Later, as editor of City News. He has covered events A Fully Privatized City, built surrounding the incorporation of on a 21st century model Yes, big companies may put an office in Baton Rouge, but Central and creation of the Central City services are provided school system for the past 15 years. by IBTS, a non-profit organiza- where are the employees going to live? You can bet that, unless The Central City News has been tion established by the National “something changes, they will be headed to Livingston and Ascen- named the outstanding community Governors Association. IBTS sion! But St. George will provide people with a great place to live newspaper in Louisiana for six of the has about 20 of its employees as- right next door to the City of Baton Rouge in the southern part of past nine years. Jenkins was named signed to the City of Central. THIS parish — a city with good schools and safe neighborhoods. the Volunteer of the Year in the EBR ” Parish School System for 2018. 4 St. George Leader October 2019

Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish GOP Endorsements for Oct. 12 BATON ROUGE - The Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish has endorsed Baton Rouge busi- nessman Eddie Rispone for Gov- ernor in the Oct. 12 primary. The Republican Party of move was a surprise because the East Baton Rouge Parish state GOP endorsed both Rispone and Congressman Ralph Abraham (R-Ado), the two major Republi- Endorsed Candidates can candidates running to replace October 12, 2019 Democratic Gov. John Bel Ed- wards. Election Parish Republican chairman Eddie Rispone Woody Jenkins said both Rispone Governor and Abraham are fine candidates but it is time for Republican voters to make a choice. “Here in Baton Rouge, we know Eddie Rispone and have watched him grow from a young man in humble circumstances to one of the most outstanding business leaders in Louisiana. We have questioned him in great detail on policy is- sues, and he is solidly conservative Billy Nungesser Kyle Ardoin Jeff Landry John Schroder Mike Strain Tim Temple and pro-family on all major issues. Lt. Governor Secretary of State Attorney General Treasurer Agriculture Insurance However, he is also a man with a lot of heart, a person who first and foremost cares about people and the real life consequences of our policy decisions. He is not a politi- cian and doesn’t weigh everything to be politically correct, but we be- lieve four years from now we will all be very happy that we elected Eddie Rispone as our governor.” Eddie Rispone’s grandfather Joe Bodi White Franklin Foil Rick Edmonds Scott McKnight Paula Davis Michael DiResto Rispone arrived from Sicily and Senate - Dist. 6 Senate - Dist. 16 House - Dist. 66 Senate - Dist. 68 House - Dist. 69 House - Dist. 70 passed through Ellis Island on Sept. 12, 1912, and eventually settled in the Florida parishes of Louisiana. Joe was the first Rispone, and ev- eryone in the world by that name is descended from him. As a baby, Joe was abandoned in a basket in front of the home of a midwife in Sicily. When she discovered the basket and pulled Greg Spiers Beau Brock Beau Higginbotham Trae Welch back the cover, the baby opened BESE Dist. 6 Judge Div. A Judge Div. C Judge Div. L his arms wide to her, and she ex- claimed, “risponde,” meaning he responds or he is alive. She gave him the last name of Rispone, a name otherwise unknown in Italy. Eddie Rispone’s father Sam and his mother, Rosalie Gulino, moved from Amite to Baton Rouge in 1940, so Sam could work for a contractor at Kaiser Aluminum. He later got a job at Standard Oil. The Sid Gautreaux Brian Wilson Doug Welborn Dr. Beau Clark family built a house on the corner of Sheriff Assessor Clerk Coroner Hollywood and St. Dorothy Street. Sam and Rosalie raised their seven children, including Eddie in that 1,000 square foot home. By kins said. opposition can of course make up • Sheriff - Sid Gautreaux 15, Eddie was working construc- “In the governor’s race, we feel tion with his oldest brother Sam- anything. When Sunday, Oct. 13 • Assessor - Brian Wilson Eddie Rispone is best positioned arrives, Eddie Rispone will have • Clerk of Court - Doug Welborn my. Eddie attended Redemptorist to defeat the incumbent gover- High, which was just a few blocks the resources to immediately sell • Coroner - Dr. Beau Clark nor. Unfortunately, Congressman his positive plan for Louisiana and • District Judge - Div. A - Beau away, and he was an All-State Abraham, whom we all admire, has football player for the Wolves. He contrast it will the Edwards admin- Brock been hurt by the constant negative istration record.” • District Judge - Div. C - Beau graduated in 1967. He became a attacks launched by the Edwards committed Christian. The Republican Party of East Higginbotham campaign. In the runoff, we fear his Baton Rouge Parish is the largest • District Judge - Div. L - Trae In 1989, Eddie and his brother limited resources would have to be Jerry started ISC Contractors, a parish party in the state in turning Welch spent in defending himself instead out Republican voters. More Re- • Board of Elementary and Sec- specialty contracting firm. It grew of selling his positive message. and became very successful, gross- publicans actually vote in the par- ondary Education - Greg Spiers On the other hand, Eddie Rispone ish than in any other. • Senate Dist. 6 - Bodi White ing hundreds of millions of dollars has never been in politics and has a year. Today, Rispone has 3,000 The party also made the follow- • Senate Dist. 16 - Franklin Foil a stellar record in business. There ing endorsements: • House Dist. 66 - Rick Edmonds employees. is very little to attack, although the “In Baton Rouge, we know Ed- • Lt. Governor - Billy Nungesser • House Dist. 68 - Scott Mc- die Rispone as a very successful • Secretary of State - Kyle Ardoin Knight businessman but an even better • Attorney General - Jeff Landry • House Dist. 69 - Paula Davis man. He gives of himself at every • State Treasurer - John Schroder • House Dist. 70 - Michael DiR- turn. He has been one of our most Follow • Agriculture Commissioner - esto generous citizens in giving to wor- St. George Leader Mike Strain Jenkins said, “Remember to vote thy causes but he also gives what • Insurance Commissioner - Tim for Beau — we have three good is most valuable — his time,” Jen- on Facebook Temple Beaus on the ballot!” October 2019 St. George Leader 5

COMMUNITY PRESS, LLC St. George Leader CENTRAL CITY NEWS Vol. 1 • No. 1 Vol. 22 • No. 9 • CCN No. 431 910 North Foster Drive Post Office Box 1 Baton Rouge, LA 70806 City of Central, LA 70739

910 North Foster Drive Vol. 3 • No. 2 Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Phone (225) 261-5055 • Entire contents © 2019 Email stories and photos for all papers to [email protected] Published Monthly The Leader was founded April 30, 1998. The Central City News was founded April 21, 2005. They merged May 4, 2006. The South Baton Rouge Journal began publication in 1989. It went on hiatus in 2008 during its 20th year of publication. It resumed publication as the Capital City News on Aug. 16, 2012, with Vol. 21, No. 1. The North Baton Rouge Journal began on August 11, 1966 and went on hiatus in 1976. It resumed publication as the Istrouma Journal on April 6, 2017. Editor & Publisher Woody Jenkins Business Manager Jolice Provost Account Executive Kim Powers

Member, Louisiana Press Association and Chamber of Commerce of EBR Parish STRONG SUPPORT FOR ST. GEORGE Deadline for news and advertising: 5 p.m. Friday before publication — Gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone $18 a year by subscription in advance • $25 a year outside East Baton Rouge (right) has been a strong backer of St. George since 2014. He is shown here with St. George Leader editor Woody Jenkins (left). Rispone resides in St. George. How a Prominent Civil Rights Leader, Acie Belton, Set in Motion St. George Choctaw, east of Scenic, and inside State Constitution Was the Airline Highway. It was a vig- LOUISIANA CONSTITUTION OF 1921 orous campaign, and I was elected, Changed in 1975 to as was Edwin Edwards, the new East Baton Rouge Plan of Government - Section 1.05 Allow Incorporation of governor. Adopted in 1949 (made part of the Louisiana Constitution) During the 1972 regular session The incorporated town of Zachary and the village of Baker shall be Scotlandville, Central of the legislature, Gov. Edwards parts of the rural area as defined in section 1.08 and shall continue in proposed and the legislature ap- existence as municipalities subject, except as specifically provided Woody Jenkins proved calling a constitutional in this plan of government, to the general laws of the state relating to Editor convention to consider drafting incorporated towns and villages respectively, and may enlarge their a replacement for the Louisiana boundaries as provided in such laws. No additional city, town or BATON ROUGE - People in Baton Constitution of 1921. I ran and village shall be incorporated in East Baton Rouge Parish. Rouge should open their minds to was elected a delegate. Our delib- the idea of incorporating the new erations began in early 1973. LOUISIANA CONSTITUTION OF 1974 City of St. George, especially when Soon after my election as a del- we realize how it all got started. egate, I got a call from Mr. Acie Louisiana Constitution of 1974 In Louisiana, any community of Belton, the president of the Second Article VI §8. Home Rule Parish; Incorporation of Cities, 300 or more people anywhere in Ward Voters League. He was one Towns, and Villages the state outside an incorporated of the most respected civil rights Section 8. No parish plan of government or home rule charter municipality has the right to file a leaders in our parish and indeed in shall prohibit the incorporation of a city, town, or village as pro- petition calling for an election to the state. vided by general law. form a new city. But it hasn’t al- He was a big, imposing man, ways been that way. who might bring fear to anyone In 1971, the federal courts or- who didn’t know him. In person, corporate.” tion of 1921 that ratifies that part dered that the Louisiana House of he was more like a teddy bear, I was incredulous. “Mr. Belton, of the Plan of Government and el- Representatives and Senate should warm and kind. I had only met Mr. how does the Constitution prevent evates it to the constitutional level. be reapportioned into single-mem- Belton a couple of times before he Scotlandville from incorporating?” This convention may be our only ber districts. In the elections that called me. “Rep. Jenkins,” he said, I asked. chance in our lifetime to change it!” year, both blacks and Republicans “I have a favor to ask. There’s a He said, “The Plan of Govern- Mr. Belton said, “I believe the were elected in significant num- provision of the Constitution I’d ment for East Baton Rouge Parish people of any area should be able to provides that there shall only be incorporate themselves into a new bers for the first time since Recon- like you to try to change.” city and provide protection of their struction. I was 23 years old and He said, “There’s a provision of three municipalities in the parish. It forbids any others. Some years city and services to enhance life. ran for the new House seat from the 1921 Constitution that forbids The people of Scotlandville should North Baton Rouge — north of Scotlandville from incorporating, ago, Mayor Woody Dumas had a and we would like the right to in- provision placed in the Constitu- See AFRICAN on Page 10 ISTROUMA KIWANIS CLUB Ronald Reagan Serving the Children of North Baton Rouge Newsmaker Luncheon Meets 12 Noon 1st & 3rd Mondays Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019 Doe’s Eat Place 3723 Govt. St. Sponsored by Republican Party of EBR 11:30 Reception • 12 Lunch • $19.50$19 “Like”“Like” CapitalCapital RepublicanRepublican Visitors Welcome Café Américain • 7521 Jefferson Hwy. on Facebook or go to Istrouma Kiwanis on Facebook No Reservation Necessary CapitalRepublican.com

The Voice of St.George Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge A Small Business Chamber Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 WSGX 95 1 Lunch 12n $19.50 • Café Américain Classic Rock of 50's and 60's. 7521 Jefferson Highway Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Download 'My Tuner' from App Store www.ChamberEBR.com See HOW on Page 12 6 St. George Leader October 2019 DOUG WELBORN Clerk of court What a Difference a Few Years Make... At Home, a Few Years Ago Today, Look How They’ve Grown!

At the Clerk’s Office, a Few Years Ago, Everything Was on Paper. Since Then, We’ve Led the State in Computerizing Our Office, and So Much Is Available with a Few Key Strokes.

“ Just because a governmental office might be the only place to receive a particular service doesn’t mean a citizen deserves any less than the very best customer service found in the competitive private sector…” — Doug Welborn This office operates almost entirely with self-generated funds rather than tax dollars. Duties include Conducting our Elections in EBR Parish • Recording of Mortgages • Filing of suits and legal documents • Sharing of criminal records among Law Enforcement • Marriage licenses • Birth and death certificates • Domestic vio- lence assistance • Genealogical research • Copies of needed docu- ments • Training of attorneys and researchers

#114

Paid for by the Doug Welborn Campaign October 2019 St. George Leader 7

Organizers Started with Names of 18,000 Supporters St. George: More Going for It This Time New Boundaries Eliminated Pockets Of Opposition to Incorporation Push Woody Jenkins Editor

BATON ROUGE - When the move- ment to incorporate a new city in the southeast part of East Baton Rouge Parish began in earnest in 2014, it was given little chance of success by most elected offi- cials, media, and business leaders. Today, quite the opposite is true. When organizers of St. George an- nounced that they are launching a second petition drive that would call for a referendum on the issue, no one was laughing. The dynamics of the issue have taken a 180 degree turn. Breard Charles by Photo First, it is important to realize WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL will be the hub of the new Southeast Community School District if organizers of the proposed City that only the people of the pro- of St. George get their way. After the city is incorporated, they plan to go to the legislature and ask for a referendum to amend the state posed City of St. George will get constitution to allow the creation of the new school district. Failing that, they could use a little known provision of the state constitution to sign or not sign the petition and that allows a municipality to operate its own school district and receive MFP funds and levy local property taxes for school purposes. only they will get to vote in the referendum. The matter will not go before the Metro Council, the With 86,000 People, St. George Would Be State’s 5th Largest Mayor-President, or the legisla- unincorporated areas of the par- if the people in an area did not want In addition, last time around, the ture. It is for the residents of St. ish south and southeast of the City to be included last time, they aren’t organizers of St. George started George or any proposed city to de- of Baton Rouge. Now the revised included in the proposed city this with nothing. They did not know cide whether to incorporate. map excludes areas that were op- time. That could well eliminate who would support their proposed Last time around, the proposed posed to or lukewarm in their sup- most of the opposition from within city. But this time, they started with City of St. George included all port of St. George. In other words, St. George. See ST. GEORGE on Page 10 Cafe Americain Restaurant and Catering ` Catering` On Site and Off Site • Banquet Facilities Available

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Working with Volunteers and Without Big Money St. George Is a Citizens Movement Tax Base of New City Sufficient to Cover All Reasonable Costs Continued from Page 1 little doubt there will be a tax sur- plus and certainly no need whatso- ever for a tax increase.” His statement came just as op- ponents of St. George launched a (Left to right) Sign waving for St. George, signing a petition, delivering petitions, and delivering withdrawals. campaign to convince voters that creation of the City of St. George will raise their taxes. Meanwhile, pro-St. George in- corporation leader Norman Brown- ing said St. George opponents are using fear tactics and targeting el- derly voters with false claims that St. George will raise taxes. “On its face, it’s so illogical,” Browning said. “The very purpose of St. George is to get out from under the high tax, big govern- ment policies of Baton Rouge and allow our citizens to keep our tax dollars in St. George. This is the most prosperous part of the parish with the strongest tax base. The existing tax structure is more than sufficient to fund the City of St. George and provide a strong sur- plus. Where do you think you are more likely to have a tax increase — Baton Rouge or St. George? ST. GEORGE LEADERS — Those delivering 4,630 additional petition signatures during the first petition drive were That is obvious.” Sen. Bodi White, Lionel Rainey, Norman Browning, Dustin Yates, and Josh Hoffpauir. Volunteers for St. George have been working hard to close strong during early voting and leading up to election day, Saturday, Oct. 12. St. George is a citizens move- ment composed of volunteers and no big backers. They have been opposed by The Advocate newspa- per, BRAC, BRAF, and big money interests in Baton Rouge. It’s a case of David vs. Goliath. CHECKING — Registrar of Voters official Patricia Fuglar, St. George supporters, and Dianne Hanley, who opposes it. Spokesmen Outline Reasons for St. George BATON ROUGE - Chris Rials and two-year total in East Baton Rouge to pay for East Baton Rouge Par- Andrew Murrell, two leaders of the Parish history. St. George will in- ish drainage improvement. Look St. George movement, reviewed ef- crease East Baton Rouge Parish at your ditches — overgrown with St. George Leader forts to create the City of St. George Sheriff’s office coverage of St. grass, trash, sediment-filled cul- at a meeting of the Greater Baton George. verts. The City of St. George will Hits Retail Stores, Rouge Civic Association earlier 2) Taxes. A total of 23 new tax- address drainage. this month. Some the accomplish- es have passed since 2003. That 4) Schools. The East Baton Mailboxes Across ments they cited were: totalled $53 million in additional Rouge Parish School System ranked • 17,000 signatures collected in taxes in 2018 — more than total 58th out of 70 statewide school City of St. George seven months with 14,585 validat- St. George budget. Since 2009, Ba- districts, with the lowest perfor- Continued from Page 1 ed, 1600 more than required ton Rouge has increased spending mance scores among large munici- people in St. George simply • The largest petition in the by more than the cumulative total palities. Five school closures since don’t trust them.” state’s history budget increases of Lake Charles, 2014, while surrounding school Jenkins has more than 55 years • St. George’s population will Lafayette, New Orleans, Alexan- districts expand their schools and in journalism. He was inducted be larger than the combined popu- dria, and Shreveport. In 2017, JP economies. Our future majority into the LSU Journalism School lation of 290 out of 308 municipal- Morgan identified Baton Rouge as minority school district will com- Hall of Fame. Jenkins and his ities in Louisiana. the 5th most over-leveraged city pete with Zachary and Central. staff have won more than 200 • St. George will be larger than in the U.S. They said the city must 5) Unprecedented Exodus. Res- awards for excellence in journal- the entire population of 15 parishes raise taxes 24 percent to meet its idents have been voting with their ism, including outstanding com- • On October 12, 2019 the City 30-year liabilities. There are no munity newspaper in Louisiana feet. There are 6,000 fewer resi- for six of the past nine years. of St. George will become the larg- documented plans by the admin- dents in East Baton Rouge Parish est city ever incorporated in state The staff has won 1st Place istration or BRAC to address this now than in 2016. An East Baton for Best News Coverage, Best history financial reality. Rouge Parish School System study • It will be the 3rd largest city Investigative Reporting, Best Central has not raised their taxes forecasts a further loss of nearly Breaking News Story, Best ever incorporated in our nation. since they incorporated in 2005, 20,000 residents by 2030. And an News Photo, Best Sports Photo, • St. George will be the 5th and neither will St. George. EBR Parish Land Use Study con- and Best Retail Ad Design. Jen- largest city in the state, surpassing 3) Drainage. The City-Parish firms that by 2030 there will be kins has won Best Columnist in Lake Charles in population administration would not priori- fewer residents in EBR Parish, res- the state on many occasions. • It will be in the top 4 percent tize $2 million in a nearly $1 bil- idents over 60 years of age will in- For information on advertis- of municipalities in the nation. lion budget to obtain $255 mil- crease by 50 percent, and residents ing in the St. George Leader, call Murrell cited the Top Five Rea- lion in federal monies secured by over 70 will double. Advertising Manager Kim Pow- sons tor the City of St. George as Congressman Garret Graves. The However, St. George will turn ers at 225-921-8784 or the office 1) Crime. The 193 murders in City-Parish administration asked at 225-261-5055 or email cen- this around and grow our city and [email protected]. 2017 and 2018 were the highest the governor and state taxpayers EBR Parish. October 2019 St. George Leader 9

Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved Greenwell Springs Road, August 2016 When Our Future Was Uncertain and Our Property Values Temporarily Collapsed... Assessor Brian Wilson reassessed the value of more than 40,000 properties downward to reflect the reality of the situation and make sure we were not overtaxed during a time of recovery!

I am proud to represent East Baton Rouge Parish, which is filled with strong and determined people who are passion- ate about their community. Since the flood of August 2016, it has been a privilege for my staff and me to work with so many of you to make sure your property was assessed fairly during this difficult period. We are proud to have assessed more than 40,000 pieces of property, including most of yours, which were damaged by the flood. Our parish embodies the best Louisiana has to offer. In spite of all we have been through, the future looks bright, and I am proud to serve as your Assessor! – Brian Wilson

Click QR Code to Watch St.George Assessor Brian Wilson VOTE EARLY Brian Wilson at Ronald Reagan East Baton Rouge Parish Assessor Newsmaker Luncheon Sept 28-Oct 5 on Coursey or SOS

Brian Wilson • East Baton Rouge Parish Assessor 222 ST. LOUIS STREET, BATON ROUGE, LA 70802 PHONE 225-389-3920 10 St. George Leader October 2019 African American Delegates to CC/73 Pushed to Allow New Cities in EBR Continued from Page 5 not be discriminated against in this One of our biggest victories of the Constitutional way!” I told Mr. Belton I would re- Convention for African American delegates was pro- search the matter and call him tecting the right of local governments to incorporate. back, which I did the next day. It“ was the biggest fight I personally had, and we were In that conversation I pledged able to expand the right of certain areas such as Scot- my support. Soon George Dewey landville to incorporate! Hayes, the delegate from Scotland- ville, and Delegate Mary Wisham — The late Rep. Johnny Jackson of New Orleans were on board. We went to the Committee that was drafting the speaking of his experience as a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional” Convention of 1973 Local Government provisions of the new constitution and were met with a stone wall. There was no way to pass it in committee. We The late Rep. Johnny Jackson of number of municipalities in the would have to go to the floor of the New Orleans, who served as a del- parish was still on the books. convention and have a floor fight. egate and worked tirelessly for the On appeal the Louisiana Su- Delegate Gary O’Neill from Scotlandville amendment, said on preme Court upheld the incor- Central contacted me and said the 40th anniversary of the new poration of the City of Central. some people in Central also want- constitution that the passage of our Among other things, it ruled that ed the right to form a city someday. amendment on incorporation was the Plan of Government provision I drafted the amendment to pro- his proudest moment in the consti- was repealed by the new consti- vide that the right of incorporation tutional convention. tution. That was obvious, but it in East Baton Rouge Parish would He said, “One of our biggest vic- nevertheless removed that argu- be the same as in the rest of the tories of the Constitutional Con- ment from the table in the future. state. We introduced the amend- vention for African American del- It is ironic that the opponents of ment and began lobbying the del- egates was protecting the right of the incorporation of the City of St. egates of the convention to support local governments to incorporate. George have repeatedly alleged it. Mayor-President Woody Du- Jenkins Woody by Photo It was the biggest fight I personally that the incorporation is a racist act mas came to the convention, which had, and we were able to expand designed to discriminate against was meeting at Independence Hall Late Rep. Johnny Jackson fought for the right of certain areas such as African Americans. near the State Capitol. He was on a right of people to incorporate. Scotlandville to incorporate!” In reality, the right to have ad- tear! He was lobbying hard against The reason it was such an im- ditional cities in East Baton Rouge the proposal. He found me and told portant issue across the state was Parish came directly from civil me if I didn’t withdraw it, he would Watch NAACP, St. George that there had been efforts to stop rights leader Acie Belton who be- defeat me in the next election. Download the incorporation of some majority lieved that “...Any area should be When the proposal came to the QR Reader black cities in such diverse areas as able to incorporate themselves into floor, I offered the amendment and Scan Plaquemines and Caddo parishes. a new city and provide protection spoke in favor of it. The transcript of here Ironically, despite the passage of of their citizens and services to en- that debate is online in the archives the new constitution, the Plan of hance life. The people of Scotland- of the Louisiana Constitutional Government of East Baton Rouge ville should not be discriminated Convention of 1973, or CC/73. Parish remained unchanged, still against in this way!” Our coalition of delegates worked wards refused to try to remove it. saying that there will only be three The truth is that incorporation hard and prevailed. The convention When the proposed Louisiana municipalities in the parish. is a normal function of govern- voted for the amendment, meaning Constitution of 1975 went before When the people of Central vot- ment in Louisiana. The people of that municipalities could be in- the voters of the state, the amend- ed to incorporate their new city in St. George have the legal right to corporated anywhere in the state. ment allowing the people of East 2004, attorney Bob Raborn filed propose a new city. If they can get Mayor-President Dumas was so Baton Rouge Parish to incorpo- suit to challenge the incorporation the required number of signatures angry that he went to Gov. Edwards rate new cities, if they choose, was of the city. One of his legal argu- and win the referendum, then it is and threatened to oppose the entire intact. The constitution was ap- ments against incorporation was right and proper to recognize and constitution unless that provision proved by the voters, and today it the fact that the Plan of Govern- respect the new City of St. George were removed. However, Gov. Ed- remains the law of our state. ment article limiting to three the and the people it will serve.

St.Continued George: from Page 7 More Going for It This Time would take the steam out of the St. of each house of the legislature, a The language suggests that the the names of 18,000 who signed George movement, but the contrary statewide referendum, and a refer- City of St. George could create a the first St. George petition. Gath- appears to have happened. endum in East Baton Rouge Parish public body to operate a city school ering the signatures this time was The leading opponents to St. and St. George. system and that if it “supports” that far quicker and easier than before. George, the vast majority of whom Or the other hand, organizers school system, then the system Last time around, the organiz- live in Baton Rouge rather than St. have another option, which is little would be entitled to MFP funds and ers of St. George got enough sig- George, still remain opposed. How- known and has never been attempt- the levying of property taxes like natures, but while the Registrar of ever, many who had reservations ed although it seems clearly autho- every other school system in the Voters was certifying signatures, a about St. George and others who rized by the Louisiana Constitution. state. group called Together Baton Rouge sat on the sidelines have changed State law allows municipalities Under the provisions of Art. 8, launched a campaign to have sign- their minds and are now supportive. to do all things that are not spe- Section 13, no “city school boards” ers of the petition withdraw their One example is well respected local cifically forbidden to them by law. or “city school systems” currently names. Ultimately, over the course contractor Eddie Rispone, who also Municipalities are not forbidden exist. That is clear because the sec- of two months, they got a few hun- happens to be running for governor. to begin or operate a school sys- tion says that “for purposes of this dred people to withdraw their sig- The main goals of the organiz- tem. Art. 8, Section 13 (B) of the section,” the existing school sys- natures, leaving the organizers with ers of St. George are public safety Louisiana Constitution specifically tems in Central, Zachary, Baker, more than 18,000 signatures but and good schools. After the City says that “city school systems” Monroe, and Bogalusa “shall be still 71 short. of St. George is incorporated, they will receive their share of MFP regarded and treated as parishes.” In 2016, the legislature changed plan to go to the legislature and funding. Likewise, Art. 8, Sec- The bottom line is that if St. the law regarding withdrawal of seek approval of an amendment to tion 13 (C) provides that the right George is successful in incorporat- signatures. While there was no to place the Southeast Community to levy a five mill property tax for ing, the question of whether or not time limit before, now signers of a School System in the Constitution. school purposes is afforded to any it also operates a school system may petition have five days after the pe- This would mirror the independent “city school board actually operat- not be controlled by the two-thirds’ tition is submitted to withdraw their school systems already created in ing, maintaining, or supporting a vote requirement for amending the names. That made it difficult for the parish in Zachary and Central. separate system of public schools.” state constitution. Together Baton Rouge to go back Those systems are ranked the No. 1 Note the word “supporting.” With 86,000 residents, St. George try to get people to withdraw their and No. 2 in Louisiana. Organiz- This subsection also provides that would be the 5th largest city in Lou- names. ers of St. George think their schools “any municipality or city school isiana behind New Orleans, Baton The political atmosphere sur- would be very competitive with board which supports a separate city Rouge, Shreveport, and Lafayette rounding the St. George movement those of Zachary and Central. system of public schools may levy and ahead of Lake Charles, Kenner, has also changed. Many thought the Amending the state constitution an ad valorem tax for a specific pur- Bossier, Monroe and Alexandria. election of a new Mayor-President would require a two-thirds vote pose.” Note the word “supports.” Analysis by editor Woody Jenkins October 2019 St. George Leader 11 12 St. George Leader October 2019 Gov. Edwards Opposes School District are met.” JBE Supports Right In the 2015 Governor’s race, As governor, he received the the Central City News submit- certified petitions from the Secre- To Incorporate But ted a series of questions to tary of State’s office and had the then candidate for Governor, obligation to call the election on Opposes St. George John Bel Edwards. Here are incorporation. The governor took his answers on two questions the position that his staff needed Incorporation Effort related to St. George: to review all the petitions, instead of simply accepting the certifica- BATON ROUGE— When then-Rep. LOCAL ISSUES 68. Will you support the tion from the Secretary of State. John Bel Edwards was running As a result, he delayed calling the for governor in October 2015, he creation of the Southeast Baton Rouge Community School Sys- election for several weeks. Never- agreed to answer a number of pol- theless, he did eventually call the icy questions posed by the Central tem? EDWARDS: No election for Oct. 12. City News. Two of those questions Earlier this year, at the behest of dealt with the proposed City of St. 69. Do you support the right of the voters of the proposed City East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor- George and the proposed South- President Sharon Weston Broome, east Baton Rouge Community of St. George to vote on wheth- er to incorporate? Gov. Edwards formally came out School System. and announced his opposition to Regarding the proposed South- EDWARDS: Yes, as long as the requirements of law are met. St. George becoming a city. east Baton Rouge Community If voters approve the incorpora- School System, Edwards was Earlier this year, Gov. Ed- tion of the City of St. George, Ed- clear and forthright: He opposes it. wards approved putting St. wards will have the responsibility With respect to the proposed George on the ballot, but of appointing the first officials from City of St. George, his answer was urged voters to vote No. among those nominated by legisla- nuanced. He said he supports the tors representing St. George. They right of voters in St. George to GOV. JOHN BEL EDWARDS said he supports the right of incorporation but opposes will serve about six months until a vote on whether to incorporate “as the incorporation of the City of St. George. He also opposes creation of the Southeast special election can be called. long as the requirements of law Baton Rouge Community School System, which could be considered after incorporation. Survey Showed White, Black Residents Wanted Same Things Continued from Page 3 which was, “Since you have lived in ration, the people of Central funded Central, have you experienced any the Central Fire Protection District We surveyed black residents of Central and asked if they had acts of racism or been made to feel through property taxes. The district been discriminated against in Central. Not one said they had been. uncomfortable out here?” was providing excellent service. So Asked“ why they chose to live in Central, they gave three reasons: We got looks of puzzlement, there was no reason to create a new Good schools, safe neighborhoods, and a wholesome rural atmo- laughter, and a lot of “Are you kid- duplicatory fire department in the sphere. When we surveyed white residents of Central, they gave ding? We love it out here! People City of Central. Similarly, the St. exactly the same reasons. People seem to want the same things. treat us great!” Out of 100 inter- George Fire Department will be un- views, not a single black resident of affected by the incorporation of St. ” Central said they had been discrimi- George. It is a completely separate sion, clerical staff, and building of- ed to annex. Suddenly, the fact that nated against or felt uncomfortable governmental agency. ficials to do inspections. the people in St. George would want in Central because of race. Sewer Services. Central was part Unlike inefficient local govern- to have their own city is “dividing We then proceeded to the next of the parish sewer system before in- ments, which may send out four or us.”Watch How ridiculous! the Game St. George is question, which was “Why do you corporation, and it still is. The peo- five inspectors to one job site, IBTS going to be right next door to Baton live in Central?” ple pay the same sewer user fees as sends a Certified Building Inspec- Rouge. It will still be in East Baton Here were the top three answers: residents of Baton Rouge. The same tor — one person who performs Rouge Parish! Everyone will flow 1) Great schools: “We want a good is true in St. George. all inspections, including building, from one city to the other freely and education for our children, and we Garbage Collection. Garbage col- plumbing, mechanical, and electrical. seamlessly. There won’t a 10-foot- couldn’t get it in Baton Rouge!” 2) lection is parishwide. So the people In addition to the 20 employees high wall or checkpoints. Low crime: “Out here we can let our of Central receive the same garbage that IBTS provides to staff the Cen- Truly, having a great new city children play in the yard without fear service that they did before incorpo- tral Municipal Services Center, IBTS right next to Baton Rouge can only of anything happening to them!” 3) ration, and they pay for it with the contracts with general contractors to make Baton Rouge better. Yes, big Rural setting: “We love the country same monthly user fee as in Baton repair potholes and provide street companies may put an office in Ba- atmosphere.” “It makes us feel at Rouge. So will St. George overlay. It uses sub-contractors who ton Rouge, but where are the em- home!” Parks and Recreation. Parks and work at pre-negotiated prices. Some ployees going to live? You can bet But the most interesting part of our recreation in Central are provided by services such as lot cutting are done that, unless something changes, they survey was yet to come. We decided BREC which levies the same proper- at a fixed rate per linear foot, rather will be headed to Livingston and As- to poll the white people coming out of ty tax in Central that it does in Baton than by the hour. cension! But St. George will provide Wal-Mart and ask them the same ques- Rouge. So the incorporation of Cen- Taxes. Municipal taxes in Central people with a great place to live right tion: “Why do you live in Central?” tral made no change in parks. That have NOT gone up with incorpora- next door the City of Baton Rouge Amazingly, the whites answered will be true in St. George as well. tion. In fact, they are LESS than mu- in the southern part of THIS parish the question the same — good Not Complex, Not Duplicatory. nicipal taxes in Baton Rouge. For — a city with good schools and safe schools, low crime, and country at- Not Expensive. The creation of the one thing, the Central City Council neighborhoods. mosphere. And in exactly that order! City of Central was really quite sim- has staunchly refused to levy a mu- The real racism in this debate has The black people and the white ple — not complex or duplicatory nicipal property tax. However, since been the knee-jerk reaction against people wanted the same things! — with respect to police protection, the city is run so efficiently and is St. George. Somehow if an area is The opponents of St. George who fire protection, sewer, garbage- col compiling large surpluses, there is majority white, conservative, and holler “Racism!” are doing such a lection, and parks. All those services no thought of a tax increase by the Republican, it shouldn’t be allowed grave injustice to this community and are the same now as they were before City of Central. Instead, the city fa- to incorporate and have a city. That to its people. St. George isn’t about incorporation. The only difference thers have been considering where to is a racist position to take. race. It’s about creating a city where is that Central has added a volunteer use some of its accumulated surplus It is also racist to assume that people of ALL races can go to pub- Central Police Force to supplement for capital improvements without the blacks and whites are looking for lic school and get a good education the Sheriff’s Office. necessity of acquiring debt. something totally different in a city. and where people of ALL races can What Did Change in Central? Experts in privatization we inter- Will blacks, Latins, and Asians want live in their home or shop at the store Three major areas did change: 1) viewed estimated that the City of to live in St. George? Of course they without fear of being robbed or mur- public works, 2) planning and zon- St. George could run the entire city will! dered. It’s about creating a city where ing, and 3) plan review, permits, with fewer than 10 employees, while A few years ago, a black politi- the people control their own destiny, inspections, and Code enforcement. utilizing a private contractor such as cal leader from Baton Rouge made a and decisions are not made from afar. These are very important areas of lo- IBTS to provide city services. They statement on WAFB-TV about what I have a challenge to the people cal government, and all require con- estimate the contractor would need to a racist community Central is. At the who are opposing St. George based siderable expertise. However, these utilize roughly 50 staff members and Central City News, we believed that on accusations of racism. The chal- services can readily be contracted certainly no more than 70 to provide was false but we wanted to find out lenge is this: Go out to Central and out to private providers. the services that citizens will expect. what the black people living in Cen- ask black people how they enjoy liv- The City of Central contracts with Charges That St. George Is tral thought about the Central com- ing in Central and having their chil- IBTS, a non-profit organization - es Breaking Away, That It Is Divisive, munity. We wondered if they saw it dren attend the Central School Sys- tablished by the National Governors or That It Is Racist. These allega- as a racist place to live? tem. Then maybe you will be able Association to provide these city ser- tions are intended to inflame passions Members of our staff went to the to speak with some authority about vices, along with a variety of other but have nothing to do with reality. Central Wal-Mart to survey black what having its own city and school things, such as personnel to answer Obviously, the City of St. George customers as they came out of the system will mean to St. George. citizens complaints and problems. is not breaking away from the City store. The first question we asked The bottom line is, it’s up to the IBTS provides the Public Works of Baton Rouge. It’s not part of the was, “Do you live in Central?” If people of St. George to decide if they Director for the City of Central, en- City of Baton Rouge. We’re talking they said no, we thanked them and want a city or not. And the decision gineering services, personnel to staff about the unincorporated areas that ended the interview. If they saw yes, should be based on the truth, not ri- the planning and zoning commis- the City of Baton Rouge never want- we proceeded with the next question, diculous lies and distortions. October 2019 St. George Leader 13

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Franklin Foil family — Andy, Grace, Tanja, Franklin, and Kathleen Franklin Foil • Member, Louisiana House, 12 years • U.S. Navy Captain • Military Judge currently serving his 28th year Endorsed • B.A from LSU; J.D. from Loyola School of Law • Elder, First Presbyterian Church • Eagle Scout by • Married 28 years • Three children Republican Former U.S. Congressman Henson Moore said “As a state representative, Franklin has proven he can Party of East be trusted to listen and always do the right thing.” Senator Dan Claitor said Baton Rouge “In the Louisiana Legislature, I’ve worked with many but few have been as hardworking and effective as Parish Franklin Foil. It’s why I support Franklin to replace me as the senator for District 16.”

“Use of military rank, job titles or photographs in uniform does not imply the endorsement of the U.S. Navy.” October 2019 St. George Leader 15 St. George Vote Is Really a Showdown Between Liberals and Conservatives Are We So Paralyzed by Fear The City of Central (pop. 28,000) was cre- ated by the voters in 2005. It is now celebrat- The opponents of St. George ing its 14th birthday. Central is the only fully Of Criticism That We Cannot privatized city in the State “raise baseless fears. Their argu- of Louisiana and one of the ments are absurd. “We want to Act in Our Own Best Interests? very few in America. It all stay together!” they chant, as BATON ROUGE - There is really no mystery was created on a 21st cen- though the unincorporated areas about whether the proposed City of St. George tury model — not a 19th of the southeast part of the parish will be a success, and there is certainly no mys- century model, and it is tery about whether the proposed Southeast working beautifully. It has were somehow part of the City of school district will be a success. only three city employees Baton Rouge and were “break- We don’t have to guess whether incorporat- (compare Hammond, pop. ing away” from the City of Baton ing a new city and creating a new school sys- 20,000, with 325 city em- Rouge. The unincorporated areas tem in this parish can work. We have real-life ployees). Central contracts Woody Jenkins models right here in East Baton Rouge Par- out everything and runs are NOT part of the City of Baton ish — the City of Central and the independent the city on 25 percent of the cost of the City of Rouge, and they are not break- school districts in Central and Zachary. Hammond. Central has a $1-2 million a year ing away from anything. They are forming their own city at their own expense, in order to improve their lot, just as anyone has the right to do under Louisiana law.” surplus and $40 million in the bank. The Zachary Community School System be- gan in 2003. It has had the No. 1 school system in the state for 15 of the past 15 years. The demographics are 50-50 black-white. The Central Community School System was created in 2007 and quickly became the No. 2 school system in the state. Central has no industry and no large busi- nesses except a Wal-Mart. Yet, it is a model of fiscal integrity and sound business judgment. Is there any doubt that St. George, which has perhaps the highest per capita income in the state, will be able to have a successful city? No, there is no doubt. The opponents don’t really say that. They raise baseless fears. Their arguments are absurd. “We want to all stay together!” they chant, as though the un- incorporated areas of the southeast part of the parish were somehow part of the City of Baton Rouge and were “breaking away” from the City of Baton Rouge. The unincorporated areas are not part of the City of Baton Rouge, and they are not breaking away. They are forming their own city at their own expense, in order to improve their lot, just as anyone has the right to do under Louisiana law. On the other hand, the proposed South- east independent school system would greatly strengthen public education by bringing 10,000 or more students back into the public schools. Many of them would be white, and the pro- posed Southeast school system is projected to be 60-40 white-black. But that is bad. The opponents of St. George think the current East Baton Rouge Parish School System, which is a one-race school sys- tem (nearly 90 percent black), is wonderful, but a racially diverse school system like St. George will be is somehow a great evil.

Today, conservatives are sup- “porting the St. George incorpora- tion movement and liberals are fighting it. In fact, defeating St. George has become a cause célè- bre for the far left in this state. The reality is, St. George has the potential to bring tens of thou- sands of people back to this par- ish and prevent it from becoming another Detroit or News Orleans. And therein lies the explanation of why the far left hates St. George so much: They know Zachary, Central, and St. George will prevent this par- #ElectBeauClark2019 ish from tipping over the edge and www.electbeauclark.com becoming a mecca for the far left.” 16 St. George Leader October 2019 October 2019 St. George Leader 17 Why BRPD Officers Live Outside Baton Rouge: Police, Residency, Public Schools, St. George The Ungarnished Truth: Working Families Move Where Crime is Low and Public Schools Are Good; That’s Not Baton Rouge!

Woody Jenkins Editor

Statistics from the Baton Rouge Police Department show that 58 percent of all police officers live in Central, Zachary, or parishes other than East Baton Rouge Parish. Many people complain about that but no one seems to want to ask Why? In reality, only 20 per- cent of the force actually resides in the City of Baton Rouge. But Why? When you say the words, “mid- dle income working people,” that describes virtually every member LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS from many jurisdictions honored a fallen comrade. Few police officers live in Baton Rouge. of the Baton Rouge Police Depart- neighborhood school. There are of ton. They wanted to be in Central. doesn’t want and never annexed! ment. They work for a living. They course a few good neighborhood So when Central got control of its The new Southeast Baton Rouge are not abjectly poor, but they cer- schools in this parish but very few. schools and it became one of the School System will bring people tainly don’t make a lot of money. The thing to realize about Baton top school systems in the state vir- back to this parish from Livings- Even with husband and wife work- Rouge is that things are not “nor- tually overnight, people started re- ton and Ascension by the tens of ing, few Baton Rouge Police offi- mal” here. They are not normal be turning to Central. thousands, because our former res- cers can afford to send their chil- cause we are missing one impor- That’s what the proposed City idents would rather be in EBR, if dren to private or parochial schools. tant segment of the population — of St. George is all about It’s about the schools are good! Yet, they want a good education for “middle income working people returning people to public schools So, yes, most Baton Rouge Po- their children. with children.” They don’t live in East Baton Rouge Parish by lice officers do not live in Baton So like most of the rest of the here. Oh, some do, but not many. creating a city with its own new Rouge. It’s because of high crime “middle income working people,” East Baton Rouge Parish but es- independent community school and poor public schools. But of- in the Capital region, they live in pecially the City of Baton Rouge system — a system like Zachary fer good public schools here, and Central, Zachary, Livingston, and consists of retired people, poor and Central, which are free of the people will pour back into this par- Ascension parishes, where crime is people, wealthy people, students, Byzantine structure of schools in ish, especially to St. George where low and public schools are good. single people, and married people the EBR system where true neigh- crime is low. The problem really began back without children. But what’s miss- borhood schools are virtually im- Like Zachary and Central, the in the 1960’s and 1970’s during in- ing is “middle income working possible. proposed Southeast Community tegration. In the late 1960’s, the par- people with children.” It’s not that It’s not about “dividing” the School System will bring middle ish had a system of neighborhood there’s an exodus going on. They City of Baton Rouge. The City income working people with chil- schools. Some were overwhelm- already left! Long ago. of St. George is exclusively in dren back to the parish and make it ingly white, some overwhelmingly That’s why only 20 percent of the unincorporated areas of the par- once again a “normal” community. black, and quite a few were racially Baton Rouge Police Department ish that the City of Baton Rouge Police officers will come too! mixed. However, Federal District lives in the City of Baton Rouge. Judge John Parker, unhappy with You could take a cross section of the rate of integration, ordered any other category of “middle in- cross-town forced busing in order come working people” and proba- to achieve a targeted racial balance bly find about the same percentages. in each school. How can we bring those middle His court orders, which extend- income working families back to ed more than three decades, left the East Baton Rouge Parish? East Baton Rouge Parish school You will never do it with the cur- system less integrated. Today, al- rent Byzantine structure of schools most 90 percent of students in the in East Baton Rouge Parish where system are black. We have defacto neighborhood schools are deprived segregation if not segregation by of the top 50 percent or so of their law. Now the EBR school board is students. once again pursuing neighborhood But there IS a way to bring schools. There is no longer forced “middle income working people” busing, although there are plenty of back to East Baton Rouge Parish buses crisscrossing the parish. — a way that is almost certain to The current EBR school board work! inherited a Byzantine system of But you may not want to hear it. magnet schools, gifted and talent- We KNOW how to do it because ed, charter schools, and neighbor- it’s already been done — in Zach- hood schools. ary and Central, the No. 1 and No. This system insures that most 2 school systems in Louisiana. neighborhood schools will be fail- An analysis of enrollees in the ing or near failing schools. Why? Central school system shows that First, the magnet schools pull away more families move to Central the best students (and often the top from Livingston Parish than from leaders) from the neighborhood Baton Rouge! They come back to schools. The gifted and talented East Baton Rouge Parish for the programs pull out most of the other good schools in Central! top students. Then many parents Who are the people who have who pay attention to their options moved to Central from Livingston sign up for charter schools. Parish? Mostly, they are former That leaves the rest of the kids residents of Central who moved to — who have been left out of the Livingston for good public schools. sweepstakes — to attend their They didn’t want to be in Livings- EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH sheriff deputies live in the City of Baton Rouge. 18 St. George Leader October 2019 What Exxon Means to East Baton Rouge Parish Professor Loren Scott bil’s Joliet Refinery in Illinois re- Economist ceives no property tax breaks. The Joliet Refinery is half the size of My latest report on the eco- Baton Rouge’s. Would TBR like to nomic impact of ExxonMobil’s take all the numbers in the previous four facilities indicates the com- paragraphs and cut them in half? pany employs 6,915 employees TBR says the company’s refin- and contract workers at an aver- eries in Texas pay more in prop- age wage of $74,158 a year — 51 erty taxes. The refineries in Texas percent above the average wage in did not have to write out a check East Baton Rouge Parish. For the for $17.5 million in corporate in- last 10 years, the company has in- come taxes like ExxonMobil did vested in excess of $250 million A in Louisiana in 2016. In addition YEAR in capital spending at these to no income tax, Texas has a uni- plants. Taking into account the fied sales tax collection, does not multiplier effect, every 10th job tax manufacturing utilities, does in the parish can be traced back ExxonMobil is the largest taxpayer in East Baton Rouge Parish. not tax manufacturing equipment, to these four plants. Yet, Together does not tax manufacturing inputs, Baton Rouge says ExxonMobil is Adding in direct and indirect employees contributed $1.4 mil- has significantly lower local sales not doing enough. sales taxes generated through the lion to our United Way, about 14 tax rates, and has a much higher In 2017, ExxonMobil paid East multiplier effect, ExxonMobil pro- percent of UW’s total collections ranking in education, roads and Baton Rouge Parish $32.7 million duced $88.5 million for our local and the largest from any entity in legal environment. But the “econ- in property taxes, two and a half government — enough money to the region. The ExxonMobil Foun- omists” with TBR say we do not times more than the 2nd ranked pay the salaries of 58 percent of the dation contributed $1.1 million to need the industrial tax exemption payer, Entergy. No other company public school teachers in the par- LSU and Southern universities last to compete with Texas. in the state writes out a check that ish. As a result, depending on what year, and the company and its em- The Baton Rouge debate pushed large to a parish government. In ranking you use, our schoolteacher ployees and retirees contributed $4 by TBR can create a precedent for ev- second place is Entergy, paying St. pay ranks between 11th and 16th in million to Baton Rouge area non- ery parish with industrial facilities. Charles Parish a much lower $20.1 the state. But TBR says ExxonMo- profits and schools. But TBR says If TBR prevails, prepare for the million. But TBR says ExxonMo- bil is not doing enough. ExxonMobil is not doing enough. poor in our community becoming bil is not doing enough. In 2017, ExxonMobil and its TBR points out that ExxonMo- much worse off. Reprinted from Capital City News of July 25, 2013 Together Baton Rouge, Saul Alinsky, and Snake Oil EDITOR’S NOTE: In January draw on loyalty to a church or reli- 2019, far-left Together Baton Rouge Saul Alinsky said community organizers should use gious group to create an organiza- launched an attack against Exxon- tion within which to function. Alin- Mobil resulting in the East Baton ‘symbol construction’ to create unity. He would draw on sky said create unity by identifying Rouge Parish School Board defeat- “ loyalty to a church or religious group to create an or- a common enemy, usually a local ing 5-4 a routine Industrial Tax Ex- ganization within which to function. Alinsky said create politician or opposing group. The emption (ITEP) for Exxon’s Baton unity by identifying a common enemy, usually a local next step is to destroy that person or Rouge refinery. The school board politician or opposing group. The next step is to de- group. The tactic is “Pick the target, action and some of the harsh attacks freeze it, personalize it, and polar- stroy that person or group. The tactic is ‘Pick the target, ize it.” against Exxon raised questions as .’ to whether Baton Rouge was still a freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it One of Alinsky’s rules is “Power good home for Exxon and whether is not what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.” Another the company would sour on Loui- A tax would be needed, Together org, says in ” the “About” section siana’s capital city. In 2013, our is “Make the enemy live up to its Baton Rouge said, to increase the that the group is part of the Indus- own rules.” Still another is “Ridi- sister publication, the Capital City Capital Area Transportation Sys- trial Areas Foundation. The Indus- News published this article expos- cule is man’s most potent weapon.” tem budget from $12 million a year trial Areas Foundation was orga- Alinsky focused on class war- ing the radical left roots of Together nized by Saul Alinsky in 1940 and Baton Rouge, which came here in to $30 million. A new 10.6 mill fare and knew that if he could make property tax, generating $180 mil- still follows many of his teachings in-roads in the “middle class,” he 2011. The school board action has on community organizing. Alinsky been the result of eight years of lion over 10 years was proposed for could be victorious. Baton Rouge, Baker, and Zachary. is famous for his book, Rules for Snake oil sells! radical political organizing at the Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for grassroots level in Baton Rouge. Other parts of the parish, which Together Baton Rouge’s current had voted against a smaller tax two Realistic Radicals. It was published target is the City of St. George. BATON ROUGE — If Brod years before, were excluded from just before his death in 1971. Bagert had come to the river city the vote. Rules for Radicals, which is in of Baton Rouge in the 1850’s fresh Bagert organized churches in the pdf form on-line, says the end jus- Watch More on off the steamboat with a trunk full inner city to get out the vote, and tifies the means and advocates “di- Saul Alinsky of snake oil and promises of mir- the tax narrowly passed in Baton rect action” to create conflict. acle cures, he could not have got- Rouge and Baker. Alinsky said community orga- Point Phone ten a more enthusiastic reception The website of Together Baton nizers should use “symbol con- at QR Code than he got when he arrived here in Rouge, www.togetherbatonrouge. struction” to create unity. He would 2011 with promises to make Baton Rouge “the next great city.” The veteran community organiz- er began working for the Industrial Areas Foundation in 2002. From his home in New Orleans, it was a The Advocate worked with natural step to come to Baton Rouge to help organize Together Baton Together Baton Rouge to Create Rouge and use public transportation to push an agenda of urban social- A Hostile Climate for Major Industry ism. The fact that Baton Rouge is a And for Industrial Tax Exemptions. low density city where few people ride the bus didn’t matter. A host of religious liberals and some big Then TBR Lobbied the School Board to businesses represented by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber were eager to Reject Exxon’s ITEP and They Did! join in. Bagert helped Together Baton Now The Advocate and Together Baton Rouge organize mass meetings and generate media exposure in almost every major media outlet in the city. Rouge Are Working Together Again, They said poor people were suffer- ing and the reason very few people Fighting to Kill the City of St. George. rode the bus was not enough buses and not enough routes. October 2019 St. George Leader 19 20 St. George Leader October 2019

City of St. George City of St. George Could Voter Registration Statistics Be Conservative Bastion ST. GEORGE — If the people of the and tax revenue should increase. September 22, 2019 proposed City of St. George vote to As people move into St. George create the new municipality on Sat- from Livingston and Ascension, it urday, Oct. 12, the ramifications are could also affect the demographics Registered Voters likely to be far-reaching. of East Baton Rouge Parish. The demographics of the pro- Politically, the parish is at the 54,680 posed city are white and Republi- tipping point. Hillary Clinton, the can, overwhelmingly so. Democratic candidate for President, White Voters With 86,000 people, it will be the carried East Baton Rouge Parish by fifth largest city in the state and is 16,000 votes in 2016, indicating 44,139 likely to become a player in state that Democrats now have a decided and even national politics. advantage in the parish. Black Voters Many national retail chains pick That could change as conserva- their locations based on the size of tive, middle income working peo- 6,760 the city. By being close to a popula- ple return to the southeast part of tion of 100,000, St. George will be the parish from Livingston and As- Other Races noticed by the chains who may lo- cension. cate here, in some cases even ahead Furthermore, interest in St. 3,781 of Baton Rouge, because of St. George politics could motivate vot- George’s high median income. ers in St. George to turn out at a Democrats Political candidates and elected higher rate than voters in the rest of officials will have to consider the the parish. President Donald Trump 13,375 views of the people of St. George carried St. George with more than with its 86,000 citizens and nearly 80 percent of the vote. When con- Republicans 55,000 voters. troversies in St. George cause vot- St. George is likely to get “a seat ers to turnout heavily, voters on at the table” whenever policy is be- both sides of the issue are likely to 27,124 ing decided at the parish level or in be conservative and Republican. the Capital region. That happened last Saturday dur- Other Parties or No Party That will likely mean another ing the first day of early voting. conservative voice to go along with Voters in East Baton Rouge Parish 14,181 the Mayor of Central and parish turned out at a rate 2.5 times higher presidents from Livingston and As- than in 2015 — largely based on in- cension parishes. terest in St. George. A total of 569 Your St. George Community Newspaper If, as expected, St. George gets voters turned out for early voting its own school system and rapidly downtown, 773 in Baker, and 629 moves into the top tier of school in Baker. However, the turnout was systems in Louisiana, along with record-setting at the two early sites St.St. GeorgeGeorge LeaderLeader Zachary and Central, St. George close to St. George. On Saturday, Community Press • 910 N. Foster • Baton Rouge 70806 could become a venue where fami- 1,459 turned out at the voting place Phone (225) 261-5055 lies with children seek to move. As on Coursey Boulevard and 2,567 at people look for homes and apart- the Secretary of State office on Es- ments in St. George, property values sen.

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Josh — Lineman, 18 years Olivia — Energy saver October 2019 St. George Leader 21 22 St. George Leader October 2019 St. George Supporters Were Called Taliban George, even calling them terror- Mayoral Candidate ists. Even when Delgado had cooled Refused to Back Off off — weeks later — he refused to back down and persisted in vilify- Use of Word ‘Taliban’ ing the citizens of Southeast East BATON ROUGE — In May 2016, Baton Rouge Parish as Taliban. Metro Councilman John Delgado The attacks came because peo- brought his campaign for Mayor- ple wanted to incorporate and have President to the Ronald Reagan their own city and their own school Newsmaker Luncheon and out- system to address the needs of their lined his plans for City-Parish gov- community. ernment, especially fighting crime. After Delgado got by with his He said crime is the No. 1 problem irresponsible attacks, other local facing the parish, and he wanted officials became more open in call- to add 200 officers to the Baton ing supporters of St. George rac- Rouge Police Department. ists. They were certain there was a The outspoken Republican who racial motive in the desire to start a takes a liberal position on some hot city and a school system. button issues was given a chance Better Together? Why would to back off from some of his harsh anyone want to be together with attacks against conservatives in the the “Taliban”? past, but he refused to do so. When asked if he would retract

his comparison of supporters of in- Jenkins Woody by Photo corporating the City of St. George St. George Leader with the Taliban (a terrorist group Metro Councilman John Delgado, candidate for Mayor-President in 2016 910 North Foster Dr. in the Middle East), Delgado said Baton Rouge, LA 70806 he was not very politically correct he would help create good-paying George leader Norman Brown- and that the comment was made jobs with economic development. ing told him he called a meeting 225-261-5055 during “a heated time,” but he did One untapped resource is the par- of Metro Councilmen to address centralcitynews@ not retract it. ish’s 12 miles of undeveloped river the problems at Woodlawn High hotmail.com Dwight Hudson, at that time frontage. School, and only one — Buddy himself a candidate for Metro Improving traffic problems Amoroso — bothered to come. FACEBOOK PAGE Council, told Delgado that his would also be a priority, he said. “None of the Councilmen who St. George Leader public statements on those who He discussed the Loop and ex- say we need to ‘work together’ Community Press, LLC disagree seem to take on a pattern panding the Green Light Program. showed up, nor did Better To- of demagoguery. “You talk about He said the City Parish should gether or One Community, One Woody Jenkins being ‘Better Together’ but when it be part of solving the education School System.” Browning said. Editor comes to supporters of St. George problem in the parish by expand- Delgado lost the Mayor-Pres- Our Newspapers Named or opponents of the Fairness Ordi- ing Head Start and recruiting great ident’s race badly, and he has Best Community nance, you don’t bring us togeth- charter providers to the parish. not been active in local politics Newspapers in Louisiana er.” Delgado responded that “I am Delgado said supporters of St. since. who I am.” George should work together to However, he opened the door Six of Past Nine Years The first-term Councilman said fix the parish’s problems, but St. to demonizing supporters of St.

5805 Jones Creek Road October 2019 St. George Leader 23 Most Issues in Any Legal Challenge To St. George Have Been Resolved Plan of Government prohibiting the was a deficiency in the certification Woody Jenkins incorporation of any additional city of the registrar of voters. Instead, Editor or town in the Parish of East Baton Mr. Starns offered evidence show- Rouge was superseded by the gen- ing that the preliminary require- BATON ROUGE —The decision eral law enacted by the legislature in ments for incorporation were in fact by the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal, Title 33 authorizing the incorpora- met. Additionally, Mr. Starns of- written by Judge Robert Downing, tion of an area in excess of two hun- fered evidence demonstrating that in the challenge to the incorporation dred inhabitants. Moreover, Section public services are being provided of the City of Central, addressed 1.05 violated the constitutional ban to the citizens of Central, and noth- St. George Leader most of the issues likely to be raised on any provision of a parish plan of ing in the evidence indicated that in any challenge to the incorporation government prohibiting the incor- such services would not be provided To Use St. George of the proposed City of St. George. poration of a city or town as pro- in the future. Moreover, there was The case, Devall v. Starns, was vided by the general law. Thus, as of no evidence suggesting that the in- decided Dec. 11, 2006, by the 1st Knight as Symbol 1984, Section 1.05 was no longer a corporation would have any adverse — In honor of St. Circuit. The ruling was upheld by viable and enforceable provision.” effects on other municipalities in the ST. GEORGE the state Supreme Court. George, the patron saint of England, • Louisiana Law on Incorpora- vicinity, nor was there any evidence the St. George Leader has adopted In that case, attorney Yigal Band- tion Is Not Unconstitutional on Its demonstrating that the incorpora- er made some of the same racial as its symbol a St. George knight Face or as Applied. “We find that tion of Central was unreasonable.” who carries a shield bearing the St. claims against the City of Central plaintiffs failed to prove that any • A Plaintiff Who Loses Will that he is making now against the of the provisions of La. R.S. 33:1- Have to Pay Attorney Fees and George Cross. proposed City of St. George. Key personnel for the newspaper 7, which provide a procedure for Court Costs. “For these reasons, are Woody Jenkins, editor; Jolice Some of the key language from incorporating areas with two hun- we find that plaintiffs failed to sus- that decision is as follows: Provost, business manager, and dred or more residents to petition tain their burden of proving any of advertising manager Kim Powers. • Residents Outside the Mu- the governor to hold an election on the grounds upon which the validity nicipality Have No Right to Vote Ms. Provost has been with Commu- the incorporation issue, are facially of the incorporation of the City of nity Press, LLC, for 10 years and on Incorporation. “We hold... that unconstitutional. Nor have plain- Central was challenged. In accor- plaintiffs failed to sustain their bur- Ms. Powers for five years. For ad- tiffs demonstrated how those provi- dance with La. R.S. 33:4(E)(1), we vertising, call Kim Powers at 225- den of proving that the incorpora- sions are unconstitutional as applied. enter judgment declaring the City of tion procedural statutes were uncon- 921-1433. For news, ad design, and Plaintiffs failed to offer competent Central to be incorporated as of July billing, call Ms. Provost at 225-261- stitutional or that the persons living evidence in support of their claim 11, 2005, and having those boundar- outside of the area of incorporation 5055. The email for both is central- that the boundaries of Central were ies as set forth in the legal descrip- [email protected]. were deprived of their right to equal purposefully drawn in a racially tion of the area to be incorporated protection or their right to vote, discriminatory fashion or were in the petition for incorporation. In and uphold the validity of the in- chosen to deprive black citizens light of this ruling, all requests for corporation of the City of Central.” in the area of their right to vote.” relief raised in plaintiffs’ answer to • City-Parish Plan of Govern- • No Evidence That Services this appeal are denied as moot. Trial ment, Which Attempts to Prohibit Could Not Be Provided or That court costs and costs of this appeal Additional Cities from Incorpo- Other Municipalities Would Be are assessed to plaintiffs/appellees.” rating, Is Contrary to Louisiana Adversely Affected. “Plaintiffs As a result of this decision, any Constitution of 1974. “It is evident failed to establish that the petition challenge to the incorporation of St. that after 1984, Section 1.05 of the was fatally defective, or that there George could have a difficult road. 24 St. George Leader October 2019

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