Don’t give up on mayor’s vision

On the Nov. 4 ballot, the voters of East Baton Rouge Parish were presented with a $989 million bond proposal for capital improvements, which would have been used to upgrade infrastructure that has been neglected for decades. Mayor-President Holden’s proposal would have provided $598 million to address drainage woes, dangerous bridges, an overcrowded parish prison, deteriorating and outdated traffic signals, and aging fire stations. Funding for these needs, plus an additional $391 million in economic development projects, would have come from a 30-year, half-cent sales tax and a 9.9-mill property tax.

I was a strong supporter of the bond proposal because it would have focused on many of the issues that plague the city-parish. As a young college student, I see the potential that Baton Rouge has, and I want to become a part of the transformation. The addition of the Alive [riverfront] tourist attraction would have set another course for the city, which was already experiencing a new awakening. This attraction would have created jobs and brought in new revenue for the city-parish. An economic study forecast the attraction would have retired the bond within 18 years.

I urge all voters to think of the positive results the mayor’s bond proposal can bring to the city-parish, and vote in favor of the levy when it is presented on a ballot again. Although the price tag to many residents may seem far too expensive, we can’t afford to wait and address these issues years from now.

We should be united in our efforts to tackle the needs of our city-parish. Our mayor envisions a city-parish that has a quality of life like none other, and I am ready for that vision to become a reality.