Copyright Baton Rouge Advocate
Is Sid Edwards fumbling the Thrive plan? With just a few weeks to go before East Baton Rouge Parish voters weigh in on Edwards' signature initiative — three tax rededication propositions to address the yawning budget gap the city-parish faces since the incorporation of St. George — the turmoil in his administration is causing unnecessary distractions. On Friday, Edwards placed Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Monique Appeaning on administrative leave pending an investigation into her conduct stemming from a complaint filed a week earlier by another staffer. That staffer, Chief Service Officer Yolanda Burnette-Lankford, accused Appeaning of referring to another employee by using a racially-charged slur for disabled people and of creating a “toxic, intimidating and emotionally distressing” work environment. Appeaning’s suspension came hours after four Metro Council members, including three of Edwards’ fellow Republicans and one Democrat, sent an email to the mayor-president raising questions over her use of an autopen, a device that can replicate Edwards’ signature without him having to physically sign a document. They worried, specifically, that Appeaning had used the device to award big raises to some employees or sign contracts without Edwards’ knowledge To say that Edwards doesn’t need this right now risks underplaying the pivotal moment of his first year. The package of three separate propositions on the Nov. 15 ballot would rededicate a portion of taxes currently collected by the parish’s library system, its mosquito abatement and its council on aging to the city-parish’s general fund. In addition, some $52 million of the library system’s $100 million reserve would be transferred to the city-parish. The increased revenues and funds would be used to pay down debts and for infrastructure projects. If the proposals, which have been branded Thrive EBR, fail, Edwards and others have warned of severe layoffs and service cuts. They’ve asked departments to prepare budgets 6% and 12% smaller than what they got this year. Just getting the proposals on the ballot was a significant win for Edwards, after he first suggested rededicating the entire library tax and reserve fund to pay for police raises in the city of Baton Rouge. That drew such an immediate and furious reaction that he was forced to go back to the drawing board. What emerged was the product of negotiations with all three agencies and, impressively, won the support of all 12 council members and the parish’s Democratic and Republican parties. Now, instead of touting that unity, council members are calling for an investigation into Appeaning and openly wondering who is in charge. Edwards should have seen this coming. Appeaning has been at the center of private Metro Council and city-parish staff complaints for months. Those culminated in Burnette-Lankford’s four-page complaint. Burnette-Lankford said Appeaning ran her departments “like a mafia boss” and on several occasions humiliated her in front of co-workers. In one case, Burnette-Lankford arrived at work to find people moving her things out, allegedly at Appeaning’s directive. Burnette-Lankford also said Appeaning, who is Black, had referred to another employee as a “sambo retard.” Edwards could have moved decisively when the complaint was filed and put Appeaning on leave. But he didn’t, and that allowed the story to fester for a crucial week in the run-up to the Thrive vote. None of this should be terribly surprising. Edwards is not just a novice mayor-president, he’s a novice politician. That comes with a refreshing forthrightness and a welcome willingness to listen to other officials, but it has also made him appear indecisive. Appeaning's suspension hasn’t been the only shake-up. Edwards last month replaced his chief administrative officer with consultant Christel Slaughter, who took the job on an interim basis while she’s also conducting the LSU president search. None of this would be that big of a deal if the stakes weren’t so high. Putting a complicated tax proposal before voters is a tricky thing that requires strong coordination and deft messaging. These problems have distracted from that. And whether he wants it this way or not, Thrive is at some level a referendum on Edwards’ first year. Maybe it won’t matter and voters will go for it anyway. But if they don’t, Edwards can prepare for a bleak 2026.
