225BatonRouge.com

The power struggle for our parks and the grab for the public’s money has to stop, and it’s going to take everyone from the mayor to the Chamber of Commerce to make sure of it.

Parish voters in 2005 chose better parks for the future, buying into the bold master plan and then-superintendent Mark Thornton’s promise to get it done. But no sooner had the tax approved when special interests started clamoring for control of BREC and its new money.

BREC is staffed by hard-working people whose goal is to create great recreational experiences for Baton Rouge families. But they need a commission who supports and inspires them—not bullies who tell them who to hire and try to divert public resources into their pockets, their friends’ pockets or to the districts of the council member who appointed them.

BREC’s master plan is a good blueprint that calls for creating a dozen signature parks the whole community can be proud of, plus refurbishing decaying parks to a condition where children will actually want to use them. But Baton Rouge risks getting stuck with a weakened plan. Diverting tax money to clean up cemeteries or to do anything other than improve parks for children is not the wisest and best use of the public resources. And it’s not what the public voted on.

Worse still, the public seems to be growing frustrated with antics of BREC’s commission. And that could be catastrophic because next year voters will be asked to renew taxes that account for half its operating budget.

It’s now up to Mayor President Kip Holden and the Metro Council to step in and end the political shenanigans. Holden needs to set the bar high for what the City-Parish expects out of its BREC commission. And The Metro Council has its work cut out. It should start by removing Darrell Glasper from the BREC commission in light of Glasper’s false racial allegations last summer against a BREC employee and a fellow commissioner.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which has led the way in imagining better public spaces for Baton Rouge, should stay engaged in the parks issue to bring pressure on our elected officials to fulfill their promise to the voters to spend their money on improving the parks.

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber, whose boss, Stephen Moret, is helping in the search for a new BREC superintendent, needs to follow through and ensure the process remains open, legitimate and thorough. The Chamber and Moret raised millions to fund a five-year plan to grow and attract new jobs. Quality of life, including quality public parks, is crucial to recruiting executives and their employees. The non-elected BREC commission and those on it who insist on selfishly grabbing for power and money must not be allowed to put our community’s future at risk.