BATON ROUGE — Nine candidates initially qualified for the East Baton Rouge mayor-president position, and now seven remain in the race. Two candidates have removed themselves off the ballot. Republican Tammy Cook formally withdrew her candidacy on Aug. 2, and Gregory Taylor withdrew on July 24. The remaining candidates are:
- Sharon Weston Broome (D)
- Ryan “Badd Biddness” Carter (I)
- Emile “Sid” Edwards (R)
- Nathaniel Hearn (R)
- “Ted” James (D)
- Steve Myers (R)
- “Champagne” Roundtree (I)
UWK spoke with the candidates to learn more about them, their platforms and their motivation for entering the race to lead the Baton Rouge area. The election is set for Nov. 5, 2024.
Sharon Weston Broome
Incumbent Sharon Weston Broome, a Democrat, is seeking her third term as East Baton Rouge Parish mayor-president.
Mayor Broome holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a master’s degree in communications from Regent University. She has also taught as an adjunct instructor at Louisiana State University, Southern University, and Baton Rouge Community College.
Broome made history in 2016 as the first woman elected mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish. Before that, she served on the city’s metro council and in the State Legislature, where she held positions as speaker pro tempore in the House and president pro tempore in the Senate.
“We have accomplished so much over the past nearly 8 years but there is more work to be done to make our parish better. I’m asking the voters of East Baton Rouge to honor me with another term so we can continue to do the hard and important work to improve the quality of life for everyone,” she said in a statement.
In her2024 state of the city report, Broome emphasized achievements such as a reduction in gun violence, the removal of 141 condemned structures, the cleanup of the city by removing 1,250 tons of debris, and the funding of over 1,000 affordable housing units in various Baton Rouge neighborhoods. Broome also highlighted the allocation of $39.4 million in contracts and purchases to minority, women, and veteran-certified businesses.
Ryan “Badd Biddness” Carter
Ryan Carter, who also goes by ‘Badd Biddness,’ told UWK he felt called to run for mayor-president after facing numerous challenges. Carter, running as an independent, is from Baton Rouge and graduated from Southern University and A&M College with a degree in mass communication. Since 2020, Carter has experienced periods of homelessness and, at times, lived in his car. He was a truck driver until February when the company could no longer afford to pay him. That’s when Carter bought a plane ticket back to Baton Rouge.
He said he questioned God, “Why am I back in Baton Rouge?”
Carter believes his experience of being homeless, while humbling, has opened his eyes to issues many overlook. Relying on city buses, he noted it can take over two hours to travel across Baton Rouge, making employment difficult. He finds EmployBR challenging because he feels reduced to a number.
“This is something I’ve been called to do,” he said. “Being homeless did not break me; I came out swinging. God had to make me homeless, careless and jobless to show me that I can help.”
Carter aims to bridge the gap between the “elders and youth” to tackle crime and provide new opportunities for the homeless and job seekers.
Sid Edwards
Republican candidate Sid Edwards, a long-time resident and well-known sports coach, grew up in the 70805 zip code area and has recently returned. A Nicholls State University graduate, Edwards has coached softball, basketball, and football since he was 16.
Edwards believes his coaching skills are transferable to city leadership. He told UWK he knows how to assemble a winning team and has a history of placing people in the “right positions.”
Currently head football coach at Istrouma, Edwards has seen how crime and poverty affect the community, especially the youth. A freshman student and football player was killed on January 1, 2024, in a drive-by shooting.
“I’ve coached inner city before. I thought I knew what it was like,” he said. “But this is like the forgotten part of Baton Rouge.”
Edwards wants to address the city’s crime, clean up blight, and tackle traffic issues. He believes that, like in coaching, by “studying the films,” he can find solutions to make Baton Rouge safer and cleaner.
“I’ve never been in politics before,” he said to UWK. “I just think Baton Rouge needs the right person.”
Nathaniel Hearn
Mr. Hearn did not reply to multiple attempts by UWK to be profiled as a candidate.
A Facebook page run by the Nathaniel Hearn Committee to Elec says: “Nathaniel Hearn is a native of Baton Rouge and a resident of St. George running for Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish. He’s thirty years of age and a Republican. Nathaniel is a graduate of Dunham School, LSU and Southern Law School.”
“I want to change the trajectory of our community. We have a bloated and burdensome bureaucracy in City-Parish Government, people are fleeing for better opportunities and greater potential, crime is a BIG reason why they are leaving, and our streets, roads and infrastructure are a mess.”
Ted James
Democrat Ted James announced his candidacy in February 2024. James, a Baton Rouge native, graduated from McKinley High, Southern University and A&M College, and the Southern University Law Center. He is the proud father of his daughter.
In November 2011, James was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives, serving three terms. During his tenure, he chaired the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee and the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus.
For the past two years, James has served as regional administrator for the Small Business Administration, overseeing operations in the SBA’s South Central region, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
“Over the past two years, I’ve traveled, and I’ve watched what effective government is doing to raise the quality of life in places that don’t have a smidgeon of the resources we have in my beloved Baton Rouge,” he said. “I am running to create that culture of excellence that I’ve watched all across the country for the past two years. Baton Rouge, we can’t just hope for it. We’ve got to vote for it.”
James previously spoke about his decision to run against Broome, a political ally.
“I’m not running against anyone,” he said. “Way too often, we allow the personal to get ahead of the vision. This race is not about my relationship with any individual person. This race is about my relationship with my hometown. I love her (Baton Rouge) enough to submit my name, and I’m submitting my name no matter who else enlists their name.”
Steve Myers
Mr. Myers did not reply to multiple attempts by UWK to be profiled as a candidate.
He has run in several local elections, most recently for the District 70 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2023. Myers, who ran as a Democrat in that race, lost to Republican Barbara Freiberg.
Myers registered as a Republican for the mayor-president election.
Champagne Roundtree
Champagne Roundtree, an independent, has been in property management for five years, handling a client portfolio of $450 million. She has seen some of the city’s biggest issues firsthand and believes not enough has been done to address them.
Roundtree criticizes current leaders for not setting Baton Rouge in the right direction and avoiding accountability. She is frustrated and wants to change that.
One issue Roundtree highlights is city maintenance. Since the great flood of 2016, Baton Rouge has struggled with unaddressed drainage problems. After contacting 311 and making a claim in January 2017, Roundtree says her ticket remains unviewed. Issues like cracked sidewalks present problems for current residents and potential newcomers.
Roundtree is also frustrated with the city police, questioning why officers lack supplies and capacity to serve the area adequately. She recalled a call where police took over an hour and a half to respond.
Roundtree fondly remembers the Baton Rouge of her childhood and wants to restore a sense of community & local pride and wants to take the city back to being more of a community again, where neighbors can count on one another.
“We need to go back to ‘We the people,’ and do things together,” she told UWK.
The election for East Baton Rouge mayor-president is on Nov. 5, 2024.
Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
