Eric B. Lewis

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?

Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?

Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?

Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?

Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?

Yes
No
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?

Yes
No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?

Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?

Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?

Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?

Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?

Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?

Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?

Yes
No

Vincent Jemison

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?
Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?
Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?
Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?
Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?
Yes
No
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?
Yes
No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?
Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?
Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?
Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?
Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?
Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?
Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?
Yes
No

Tenika James

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?
Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?
Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?
Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?
Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?
Yes
No
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?
Yes
No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?
Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?
Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?
Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?
Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?
Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?
Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?
Yes
No

Pamela Smith

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?
Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?
Yes
No
I don’t agree with placing additional taxes on property. I think we should find other ways to solve this problem.
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?
Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?
Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?
Yes
No
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?
Yes
No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?
Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?
Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?
Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?
Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?
Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?
Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?
Yes
No

Dawn Chanet Collins

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?
Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?
Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?
Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?
Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?
Yes
No
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?
Yes
No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?
Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?
Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?
Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?
Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?
Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?
Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?
Yes
No

Susan Kaufman

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?

Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
In the past, I thought that I was doing enough by just being "not a racist" (race neutral approach ?) but I believe that solving the racial inequities that exist requires an active voice and not a passive one.
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes
No
Covid 19- I think the state and local governments did the best they could but I would have liked to have seen stronger limits imposed at the beginning to stop the spread. I believe we started opening things up too early to get ahead of the curve. It's possible that the economic impact would have been lower with a stricter but shorter shut down time.
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?
Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?
Yes
No
Minimum wage: $7.50 an hour is nowhere close to being a living wage. I am a small business owner. I do not have actual employees but when I hire contract labor for my construction jobs, I start them at $15 an hour. When employees are treated well, they perform well.
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?
Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?
Yes
No
Funding/de-funding the police. I answered no only because currently in Baton Rouge we have some of the lowest paid officers in the state. I beli. ve that we can find money to provide those services by taking a look at the budget and making hard choices about what is really important. Baton Rouge is growing like a big city but we have kept so many processes that are "small town". It is inefficient and does not serve us well. this goes to some of the other questions as well when I say that we have to stop putting the burden on the people who need the most help and have the least ability to pay. There is a lot of untapped revenue potential because of "this is how we do it" mentality has us stuck in the past.
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?
Yes
No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?
Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?
Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?
Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?
Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?
Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?
Yes
No
Fair and affordable housing is important to me. I have just gotten back in the business of developing distressed and blighted property. This is an area where there is so much potential.
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?
Yes
No

I am not a politician. I am not using this as a stepping stone for higher office. I think I have something to offer my neighborhood and the city. Thanks, Susan Kaufman

LaMont Cole

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?

Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?

Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?

Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?

Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?

Yes
No

I believe we have to be clear about what we expect from our local law enforcement agencies. Once we are clear what we want, we can then begin to discuss how to better fund services we know have a positive impact on underserved communities.
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?

Yes
No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?

Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?

Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?

Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?

Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?

Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?

Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?

Yes
No

Wendell Piper

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?

Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?

Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?

Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?

Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?

Yes
No
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?
1. Yes
  No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?

Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?

Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?

Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?

Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?

Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?

Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?

Yes
No

Quentin Anthony Anderson

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?

Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?

Yes
No

I do want to be clear: I support local control of the minimum wage and sick leave policies in this particular instance - but I don't generally believe local control of issues relative to fairness, equity, and equality result in fair and equitable outcomes. I think in this regard, the state's policy (and politics) are such that we know here locally we can achieve a better policy outcome, but that's the exception to the rule and applies largely only in communities like Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Allowing for 64 different Parishes to determine what "fair" means could ultimately result in even more inequitable outcomes.

All of this is to say no matter what we do here in EBR, nothing is a substitute for the legislature doing the right thing and passing a living wage & sick leave bill. And even then, that doesn't absolve the federal government from doing the same.
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?

Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?

Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?

Yes
No
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?

Yes
No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?

Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?

Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?

Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?

Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?

Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?

Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?

Yes
No

Davante Lewis

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?

Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?

Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?

Yes
No
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?

Yes
No
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?

Yes
No
Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?

Yes
No
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?

Yes
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?

Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?

Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?

Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?

Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?

Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?

Yes
No

Tania Nyman

Baton Rouge is often described as a “Tale of Two Cities” because of its racial and economic divides. When presented with issues and/or policies that have been shown to further inequality through disproportionately negative impacts on communities of color, will you try to directly address those racial equity issues through policy and resources, or will you take a “race-neutral” approach?

Directly address racial equity
Pursue race-neutral approaches

I find the possible responses to be either confusing or offering a false dichotomy. I do believe there are many seemingly race-neutral problems which exacerbate racial inequities. Take the proposed City of St. George, for example. Or our fundamentally flawed school accountability system which targets majority minority communities for privatization, essentially eliminating community members’ voting rights. I’d rather not choose one of the options because I do not want to perpetuate the notion that institutionalized racism exists solely because of overtly racial laws. Racism is often institutionalized by seemingly race-neutral laws.
Generally speaking, do you agree with the approach the Louisiana state government and East Baton Rouge Parish government have taken in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes
No
Do you think that East Baton Rouge Parish should have the freedom to set its own minimum wage and worker sick leave policies (state law currently bans local governments from enacting these measures)?

Yes
No

I’m in favor of allowing local governments the freedom to set their own minimum wage, and I’m in favor of the federal government increasing the minimum wage in phases to $15 per hour. However, I do not support a local government setting a minimum wage significantly higher than the current federal minimum wage. Doing so would cause serious economic harm to the parish. It is possible that such a move along with other factors could push the parish into financial exigency, which would allow the state to takeover the local government and further disenfranchise the community. If local governments were granted the authority, there may be the need to limit their ability to authorize any increase to a specified percentage above the current federal minimum wage.
Regardless of your beliefs about local control of minimum wage, do you think the current Louisiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is adequate to meet the needs of workers in East Baton Rouge Parish?

No

Regardless of your beliefs about local control of worker sick leave policies, do you think requiring employers to provide paid sick leave is generally a good policy?

Yes
No

For large employers, yes, but I’d need to do more research to understand current policy and the concerns of small business owners.
Do you believe East Baton Rouge should try to reduce crime by shifting funding from police and incarceration to increased investment in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs?

I certainly believe we need to invest more in education, mental healthcare, infrastructure, equitable economic opportunity, and similar systems and programs. I believe we spend far too much on incarceration. But I suspect we also need to provide more funding for police for better training and better pay (not military grade weaponry).

Years of research has shown that investing in early care and education is one of the best ways to spend public funds, with a return on investment of up to 13%. Would you support a small increase to Baton Rouge property taxes, or another similar tax increase, to fund early care and education programs in the city?
Yes
No

First and foremost, the Metro Council should not govern education. That should be under the control of the locally elected school board. Efforts to allow city governments to take control of public school systems are generally used by financial interests as a means of privatizing public schools in order to eliminate community members’ voting rights. As for funding early child care, I was asked a similar question when I ran for the EBR school board in 2018. My answer then still applies: While I wholeheartedly believe in the value of universal early childhood education and hope that one day we can expand our public school system to include pre-kindergarten, I cannot in good conscience advocate for an additional tax as long as our community is at risk of losing the democratic control of its schools. As it stands now, corporate charter schools are eroding the democratic control of our schools in order to siphon our tax dollars out of our community and into national and multinational corporations. Unfortunately, an additional tax for a new program would likely exacerbate the proliferation of these corporate charter schools. This in turn would further destabilize our traditional public school system and set us up for a largely or entirely privatized system. Such a privatized system will eliminate rather than improve the community’s ability to address the inequities in our community.
Due to COVID-19, Louisiana is at risk of losing early care and education capacity because child care providers are going out of business or reducing the number of children they care for, which in turn jeopardizes parents' ability to provide for their families. Do you support increasing funding or redirecting funding from other sources to ensure that families have access to local, high quality-rated early care and education programs?

No
No
Do you believe local governments should have control over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) tax credits?

Yes
No
Do you believe formerly incarcerated people, regardless of their parole or probation status, should be allowed to vote?

Yes
No
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) has one of the highest mortality rates of any lockup in the nation. On average, from 2000-2014, only 18% of local jail jurisdictions in the U.S. reported any detainee deaths. But from 2012-2016 EBRPP reported 25 deaths, and 22 of the 25 (88%) people who died had not been convicted of a crime at the time of their death. Will you commit to prioritizing safety and justice reforms at EBRPP?

Yes
No
Do you believe the current system of funding our court system primarily through criminal fines and fees, known as the user-pay system, needs to be reformed--e.g., state and/or local governments should set aside more dedicated funding for courts?

Yes
No
Will you commit to drawing local political districts that are fair and equitable, and do so without regard for political incumbency or partisanship--In essence, will you commit to keeping political gerrymandering out of next year’s local redistricting process?
Yes
No
Primarily due to the Covid pandemic, but also because of pre-existing economic inequalities, thousands of East Baton Rouge residents are at-risk of being evicted from their homes or defaulting on their mortgages. Even with the CDC’s moratorium on evictions currently in place, tenants who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are facing thousands of dollars in back-rent owed when that moratorium expires at the end of the year. All of this adds up to a potential housing crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish. Is addressing that potential crisis a top priority for you?

Yes
No
Reducing gun violence in East Baton Rouge is of paramount concern to so many people in the parish. However, one reason that gun violence reduction measures have not succeeded in other places is that city and law enforcement officials have not effectively engaged the community as full partners in its implementation. Will you pledge to engage with community leaders and, in particular, those most directly impacted by gun violence, to help shape gun violence reduction strategies and ensure they’re effective?

Yes
No

Candidate Survey

East Baton Rouge Candidates

Municipal Primary Election Deadline to Register to Vote In Person or By Mail

Municipal Primary Election Early Voting

Municipal Primary Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot

Municipal Primary Deadline to Turn In an Absentee Ballot

Municipal Primary Election Day