By james art At the November 5th election, voters in East Baton Rouge Parish will have the opportunity to vote on hundreds of proposed amendments to our Management Plan, the Home Rule Charter. However, I want to warn all voters that it is important to do your homework before going to the polls to vote. This is because no information is provided on the official election ballot about the proposed changes. There is not even a summary or brief description of the proposed major changes to the charter. Instead, the ballot language directs voters to a website or tells them to contact the board administrator for information. Needless to say, neither option is a viable option if you are already in the voting booth. (even if you have access to the Internet and time to review the changes in the 63-page document available on the website).
Even if you do your homework before you go to vote, you’ll be limited to voting yes or no. In other words, there will be no opportunity for a separate vote on any of the proposed changes.
Many of the proposed changes are technical, minor administrative changes, or “domestic” in nature. But several are more substantial in nature, including allowing the Metro Council to set its own salary levels, changing eligibility requirements for applying for the position and filling vacancies, and adding new positions of city-parish manager, superintendent of staff and executive advisor in the City Hall office.
The most significant change is the reassignment of the Chief Administrative Officer at City Hall to become the City Manager. This proposal for a city-parish manager is problematic because it would weaken the executive power of the mayor-president, essentially turning the official into a glorified ribbon-cutter.
So I will be voting against the whole package of changes for these reasons.
JIM BRAND
Baton Rouge