BATON ROUGE — Many know him as Coach Edwards, and if you call him a politician, he’ll quickly correct you. East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards is marking his first 100 days in office—not with a big celebration, but by taking his staff out to eat and sitting down for an hour-long conversation on Louisiana Unfiltered, the UWK podcast.
One hundred days isn’t enough to fix everything, but it is enough to gain perspective: What’s working? What isn’t? What are the immediate needs? And what has Coach Edwards already learned in his first-ever political role as mayor-president?
“Some of it’s surreal, even to the point. It’s mainly weekends when I have time to breathe, which isn’t much, where I’ll look in the mirror and I’ll say, ‘How did this happen?’ It’s such a huge responsibility. I was out by L’Auberge speaking at an event, and just realized how far out that is. We’re responsible all the way up to the back roads of Zachary, to the Ascension Parish line. (That’s) half a million citizens. What a responsibility, so I’m grateful and honored to be in here,” Edwards started off.
Coach Sid Edwards described his first 100 days as both exhilarating and exhausting. His favorite part so far? Interacting with the public. The worst part? The red tape.
“I’m disgusted with the slow, slow-moving process of government,” he said. “You have to have a DNA test to make coffee, it seems like, in government. I mean, it’s really terrible. If we want to get this done, you gotta go to this board, and you gotta go to this committee, then it’s gotta pass council, then it’s gotta go here, and then it’s gotta go there. What about the CBD, all these acronyms that are crazy out there, and to me, they’re just things that are simple.”
‘We have a bullet problem in Baton Rouge’
Edwards didn’t shy away from speaking plainly: “We’ll know when we can say Baton Rouge is safe. Today is not that day. We’re not there yet.” That’s why, he said, he’s met with Governor Jeff Landry to request help.
“We’ve spoken several times, and coming from him, I’m getting a commitment that we’re going to get help, and I believe it’s going to be in the form of the State Police coming in. How’s it exactly going to look? I’m not exactly sure.”
While he couldn’t provide a timeline, Edwards said he hopes help will arrive within the next three to six months. If state troopers can handle traffic accidents, it would free up local officers and deputies to respond to other calls.
He highlighted a 23% decrease in homicides and a 33% drop in non-fatal shootings. Edwards emphasized his ongoing efforts to increase pay for Baton Rouge Police officers and boost the Crime Stoppers reward. He stressed that crime influences where people shop, dine, and spend their free time, and unfortunately, more and more residents are opting to go to other parishes. He commended East Baton Rouge law enforcement for doing their part, placing blame instead on judges for releasing arrestees too quickly or with low bonds.
“Arrest record since the first is extremely high. I’m so proud of Chief TJ Morse and Sheriff Sid Gautreaux and what they’re doing, and their troops are doing out there. The divide, or the problem, is these judges. I’m just gonna call it like I see it: letting them out. They’re picking people up, arresting them, and often arresting them again the next day. There’s a problem, and it’s many tentacles. There’s a lot of issues. Our parish jail is terrible. It’s one of the worst in the country. It’s bad for the inmates. It’s bad for the workers. It’s bad for Baton Rouge.”
He acknowledged that there are gangs in Baton Rouge, even if the term has become politically sensitive. That’s why he’s implementing the Office of Violence Prevention. He’s also in discussions with EBR Schools Superintendent Lamont Cole about summer programs to keep kids off the streets and plans to start teaching anti-violence education as early as third grade.
Economic Development
Public safety also plays a critical role in economic development across the Capital City. Edwards said he’s in conversations with several entities to grow the economy, but again, it all comes back to safety and red tape.
“American Cruise Lines – I want to sign a contract with them at the old ‘Paper Clip’ on the river. They want that to be a docking station, and we’re working on that. There’s a plant that was in negotiations, the old Kaiser Aluminum site at the foot of the old, the whole bridge, talking to some folks about that. Everything’s gonna tie back to crime. Everything’s gonna tie to the city being clean. We gotta be attractive for people to come here.”
Another goal: bringing a grocery store to North Baton Rouge. Edwards believes that you can’t ask people to move to an area if there’s no grocery store nearby.
Transition Teams
When Edwards took office, he appointed ten transition teams, each with its own members and focus. Every team was tasked with submitting a report within the first 100 days outlining key issues and recommendations. Edwards said he received those reports on Monday and is currently reviewing each one.
When asked about innovation and technology, Edwards was candid: He doesn’t fully understand artificial intelligence, but that’s why he’s assembled a team to handle it. Many of their suggestions are included in the transition team reports.
As for his attire, Edwards is still adjusting. A lifelong coach turned political leader, he’s more accustomed to track suits than professional suits. That’s why he keeps a few in his office for speaking engagements or public appearances. But if you run into him on a regular day, he’ll probably be in something more comfortable—and yes, custom track suits are on order for Coach Edwards.
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