225BatonRouge.com

When you tally it up, 2007 has been a good year for Baton Rouge.

It seems like long ago now, but the LSU Tigers kicked off 2007 by spanking the Notre Dame Irish in the Sugar Bowl, a preview of their amazing season.

But not all the news has been good. One national survey ranked us the most corrupt state, and another said we’re the 49th healthiest.

On the plus side, we elected a new governor, a new commissioner of agriculture and a new attorney general, and we put many new faces in the Legislature.

Our economy continues to boom, but senseless violence still creates too much havoc.

As I reflect back on 2007, I see that while we have had challenges; we’ve had more good news than bad, which makes me hopeful about the future.

Good: Downtown’s renaissance continued with new businesses and buildings popping up, plus even more bold plans for the future. The new district courthouse and the City Plaza II office building right across the street are both under way. One Eleven, the Brownstone luxury apartments, Stroube’s Grill, the King Hotel and the Kress building are all under construction or renovation. And there’s more to come.

Good: We elected a new governor who promises to make our government more open, responsive and efficient, a breath of fresh air for the people of Louisiana. Bobby Jindal’s election brought Louisiana national accolades and positive coverage in USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Jindal and his team will have to work hard and smart to achieve voters’ expectations, and success will mean a better Louisiana.

Let’s hope the Legislature cooperates.

Bad: Our highways and roads remain congested. Traffic is among residents’ primary frustrations. The city-parish’s Green Light program is moving slowly, and traffic even more slowly. It reminds me of the lack of vision by our mayors for the past 16 years in failing to solve the problems. Lets hope Mayor Kip Holden keeps this a top priority and gets state help for Baton Rouge gridlock.

Good: The Capital Region’s economy remains strong and growing with construction leading the way. There are $5 billion in regional construction projects under way or set to launch in the next 12 months. We added 6,500 new jobs in 2007, and projections for the next 24 months call for that figure to keep rising.

Bad: Our workforce shortage, but there’s a downside to a strong economy. Finding abundant, skilled labor remains a problem in virtually every sector. There needs to be more vast development and training of our workforce for our region to remain competitive. The Baton Rouge Area Chamber has made that a top priority.

Bad: Senseless violence. Remember the shootings on the levee at the July Fourth celebration? A senseless crime by ignorant kids who hurt innocent people and marred a wonderful celebration. To top it off, no one steps forward to help arrest the shooter. I know the mayor, police chief and 100 Black Men are committed to stopping the violence, but we as a community must commit to support their efforts to clean up the streets if we are to become known as a great American city.

Good: Our arts community is on the move. Derek Gordon has a year under his belt as director of the Arts Council, and he and his team are doing a great job producing and delivering great art and music, including the Jazz Master Series, Live After Five, Sunday in the Park and Art Melt.

Good: LSU’s Cardiac Cats, also known as the Tiger football team. OK, forgive the nickname, but I’ve just spent the past several Saturday nights with my heart in my throat as the Tigers pulled out a string of fourth-quarter comebacks.

Their prize for never giving up? A spot in a BCS Bowl game, and very possibly the National Championship game itself.

There also were many smaller-scale victories and positives this year: Glasgow Middle School earning its blue ribbon distinction from the U.S. Department of Education; LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business placing ninth as the best MBA program by the Wall Street Journal; and Pennington Research Center finally securing funding from the Legislature.

But there’s no time to look back.

It’s time to gaze ahead at the horizon, to tackle the new challenges 2008 will bring, and to keep working one day at a time to make more good news than bad.