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‘A trailblazer’
Kip Holden, Baton Rouge’s first Black mayor, dies at age 72 BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER and ANDREA GALLO Staff writers
Kip Holden, the son of north Baton Rouge bar owners who became the city-parish’s first Black mayor-president, died Wednesday morning. Holden, 72, died at the Carpenter House hospice after a lengthy illness. A Democrat, Holden took over at City Hall in 2005 after unseating Republican incumbent Mayor Bobby Simpson in an upset victory, partly by gaining the support of much of the city’s business
community. Holden served three terms as mayor-president, with his tenure bookended by Hurricane Katrina at the start and the 2016 floods at the end. William Daniel, Holden’s chief administrative officer in the final four years of his tenure as mayor-president, called him an “incredible leader” during a time of crisis. Daniel said Holden was instrumental in leading the cityparish after Hurricane Katrina, as Baton Rouge became the epicenter for recovery efforts. “I admired his vision. I admired his strength. I admired the way he was a rock star,” Daniel said.
Holden was known for helping revitalize downtown Baton Rouge, pushing for economic development and successfully convincing voters to tax themselves for road and infrastructure improvements worth more than $2 billion. He was able to court politicians and power brokers from different parts of the parish to make deals, and was known for dressing in costumes that fit each occasion he attended as mayor-president — from Napoleon Bonaparte to Mr. Universe. Holden emphasized tax breaks to lure employers and hotels
STAFF FILE PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden addresses the ä See HOLDEN, page 8A crowd before a groundbreaking in 2016. Holden died Wednesday at 72.
BACK HOME
‘American Idol’ finalist John Foster returns to his hometown of Addis for a parade and concert ahead of Sunday’s season finale
Metro Council OKs tax plan Questions loom about pay raises BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON
‘American Idol’ finalist John Foster performs during a concert on Wednesday in Plaquemine after a parade in his hometown of Addis. BY JAN RISHER, JUDY BERGERON and HALEY MILLER Staff writers
On Wednesday, John Foster was happy to be home — and his family, friends, schools and community were just as happy to welcome him back. He made the rounds — a morning visit to the elementary school where his 4-year-old sister, Presley, is a student. Then ä More to Brusly High, where he was co-valedictorian just a photos from year ago. Wednesday’s Students, teachers, facparade. PAGE 1B ulty, family and friends gathered at Brusly High for a pep rally on the football field. The marching band played. The cheerleaders cheered. And the sun was shining — oh, was it shining. Even though the heat was oppressive, no one’s spirits seemed to wilt. The crowd shouted, “We love Brusly!” and “Geaux, John Foster!” despite the 90-degree Louisiana sun. The day brought the full range of emotions. “It’s nice to be in the news for something happy,” said school secretary Aimee Rabalais. “We’ve had so much sorrow.”
ä See HOME, page 4A
WEATHER HIGH 91 LOW 75 PAGE 6B
Thousands fill the Plaquemine Waterfront Park to see John Foster on Wednesday.
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Most of East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ tax rededication plan was approved by the Metro Council on Wednesday night, but it came with a significant reduction to the plan’s bottom line. Measures to rededicate funding from the parish library system, the Council on Aging and the mosquito control program passed council vote unanimously. A fourth item worth about $6 million — known as the “alimony tax” — was deleted. The alimony Edwards tax is a general tax levied by municipal governments for operational use. The mayor and council members feared the item would have been seen as a new tax to voters, and they couldn’t risk any collateral damage. But the concession means pay raises for the Baton Rouge Police Department and other city-parish workers that the mayor originally said would be made possible by the “Thrive! EBR” plan are now not as tangible as they were pitched in the original announcement. Edwards said the plan is crucial in order to eventually get those raises, which remain a priority, but the money first needs to address employee retention among other things. “Without this plan, if this plan doesn’t pass, well, then, yeah, then it’s dead on the table,” Edwards said about Police Department raises. “But with the plan, it opens the door for us to be able to do some of those things.” Voters have shown a general wariness to taxes on Louisiana ballots in recent cycles. Earlier this month, a new tax for the District
ä See TAX, page 7A
100TH yEAR, NO. 319