VIEWPOINT
RANDOM THOUGHTS
The curious case of Bodi White
JR BALL IT’S HARD TO believe Bodi White really wanted to be the mayor of Baton Rouge and the president of this parish. Given how hard the powerful state senator from neighboring Central works against Louisiana’s second-most important city, why in the name of all things Red Stick did he ever want to be its chief executive officer? Please tell me it’s for reasons other than Eddie Rispone put him up to it. Perhaps his spate of head-scratching legislative antics are payback to the highfalutin, city-dwelling snobs responsible for his 2016 loss to Sharon Weston Broome. Dismiss the notion if you want, but a cadre of Baton Rouge influential types, including a few who spend a fair amount of time schlepping the halls of the state Capitol, believe the animus is real. White’s spite isn’t reserved for the creative and eclectic types who call places like Spanish Town, Mid City and Southdowns home. He’s also none too pleased with the Bocage and Highland Road business crowd who not only didn’t support his campaign but also cast a rather condescending eye—apparently—toward the more rural and less diverse city of Central. The problem with this theory is that White was sticking it to Baton Rouge long before its moneyed, moderate white voters crushed his mayoral dream. Maybe he simply sees himself as a white knight, protecting his minions by fending off the hoity-toity, big city elites. 60
Which might help explain why Central and Zachary as it does in he 1) extorts BREC every decade Baton Rouge. #Facts. or so by threatening to create his Parochialism is why White can own parks department unless the wrangle an eye-catching $10.9 parishwide agency ponies up for million in federal American some pet youth baseball project Rescue Plan dollars for the city he in Central, loves so much yet now plays po2) Worked overtime to crush the litical shenanigans with money northern bypass segment of the the governor wants allocated for Baton Rouge Loop Project when a new bridge over the Mississippi the preferred route was not to his River. Does he honestly believe liking, and his beloved hometown won’t ben3) Plays a role in routinely efit from the project? fracturing the Capital Region His consistently myopic viewLegislative Delegation—annupoint is how he can file a bill ally costing the area millions— proposing to redraw the school while other regional delegations, boundaries for Central, removlike the one from New Orleans, ing Black and lower-income resmanage to remain unified long idents from the district, and be enough to rake in the largesse. oblivious that it comes off as racIn fairness, there were legitist. White could not care less that imate arguments against the such a move won’t play well with northern bypass—pitched as researchers or knowledge-based a public-private toll road—but companies being recruited to those had zero to do with White’s move into East Baton Rouge objections. His were purely Parish—not to mention this repersonal. gion’s quest to attract and retain White, a lifelong resident of the young, educated professionals. hamlet known as Central, is the The tragedy in all this is no city personification of the challenge or unincorporated region can facing Baton Rouge. We’re a parsurvive on its own. White may not ish with a colossal number of culbe willing to admit it, but a thrivtural divisions (racial, religious, ing Baton Rouge is truly a good economic, political, yadda yadda thing for its bedroom community yadda) and getting people to see neighbor to the northeast. a picture beyond their own paroIncredible research being chial view is nearly impossible. done at LSU, the Pennington It’s why the supBiomedical posedly small Research Center, government, anThe Water ti-tax Republican Campus, numerhas no problem ous health care steering $2 milfacilities and area lion from the state petrochemical budget to the plants have the Central Athletic potential to enrich Foundation but everyone in the retook a handsgion—not just the off approach on city that calls these $32 million for places home. phase one of the Entrepreneurs University Lakes creating new ideas, renovation and is knowledge-based actively working innovations, against commithigh-paying jobs State Sen. Bodi White ting the dollars and, yes, wealth necessary to finish for the successful this critically imrisk-takers benefits portant quality of life project. Central—even if none of those Maybe it would help if White enterprisers chooses to live there. checked the data indicating the Here’s the bottom line: East lakes project polls just as well in Baton Rouge Parish will never
live up to its incredible potential if White and so many others—including a great many people from Baton Rouge—remain so stubbornly insular. With White, love means having to say you’re sorry, so … Dear Bodi, On behalf of everyone residing in the city of Baton Rouge—and especially the business community—we’re sorry. Our bad for not supporting you en masse during your run for mayor-president. Forgive us for not hurling cash at your campaign, endorsing you (Thanks, Rolfe) or voting for you. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa if we big city folks give the impression of looking down on the good people of Central. On a personal note, Central residents are fabulous—especially Melanie at Central Pools and Jessica at Caliente Mexican Craving. Two finer people you’ll never meet. They’re even nicer than your baseball park in Central. Boy, that’s quite a sports Taj Mahal. It’s way better than anything Baton Rouge has got. And now turf fields are on the way? Well done by you, sir! If you want, I’ll come over and help run a lacrosse clinic to assist Central’s team. But I digress. Even if you can’t bring yourself to help improve Baton Rouge, can you at least stop working overtime to hurt the city that makes it possible for you to do what you do? Anyway, for not voting for you and for all the other slights we’ve heaped your way, we humbly apologize. Let me close by quoting the late John McKeithen, another notable country-born Louisiana politician, “Won’t ya’ hep me?” Sincerely, Baton Rouge
BUSINESS REPORT, May 2022 | BusinessReport.com
60-61 Viewpoint JR.indd 60
4/28/22 2:17 PM
