2015 Man of the Year

When asked what it’s like to be Mayor, new Central Mayor Jr. Shelton says with a smile, “If you’re Mayor of Central, it’s a very good job!”  Shelton brags about  three things — the city’s low crime rate, great education system, and solid financial condition.

He can now add a fourth point: Central is also a place where a spirit of harmony and good will are prevalent — after four years of controversy.

Most of the divisions seem to be behind us,” Shelton said, “and people on all sides are really giving me a chance to do my job and bring everyone together.”

The Mayor said it’s a pleasure to come to work everyday.  “The best  thing is getting to work with people.  It’s all about relationships.  We’ve had great cooperation from past officials, IBTS, and citizens.  Mayor Mac Watts was phenomenal to work with during the transition.”

Mayor Shelton has already made one big change in city government since taking office last July.  At the Mayor’s direction, IBTS, the private contractor which provides most city services in Central, no longer takes a “reactive” approach to problems by limiting its work to problems that citizens call and report.  Instead, it takes a “proactive” approach, anticipating problems before they become a problem.  This is particularly true of drainage issues.

Shelton had praise for David Barrow.  Barrow, who served as Chief Administrative Officer under Central’s first Mayor, Mac Watts, stayed on with Shelton and has proven invaluable, Shelton said.

IBTS has also been a tremendous asset, Shelton said.  “In many ways, they are the backbone of city government.”

At a time when municipalities across the country are struggling financially, Shelton has the opposite problem.  His predecessor left the city with $20 million in the bank for capital and other purposes.

Shelton said, “We will also have surpluses.  However, it is time to put some of these funds to work for the citizens of the city.”  In 2015, the city will make some major improvements to Frenchtown Road from Greenwell Springs Road to the Central Thruway, spending about $1 million on enclosing roadside ditches, overlaying the road with asphalt, and installing traffic calming devices.  $800,000 of the funds will come from the surplus and another $200,000 will come from the state’s Capital Outlay Program.

Mayor Shelton said he has come to understand that the growth of the city is limited by the city’s sewer treatment capacity.  “Without sewer improvements, we can’t grow,” he said. So that will be a major goal of his administration, he said.

Of equal importance is a comprehensive drainage plan for the entire city, the Mayor said.

He is working with Baton Rouge Community College to bring new courses to its Hooper Road facility, including electrical and motor classes.  “This will bring new students and new businesses to Central,” he said.

Since taking office, Shelton said he has seen a change in attitude by developers and businesses who are looking at Central more closely.  “There’s not a week that goes by that I’m not contacted by a new developer or a shopping center wanting to locate here.  In the past, the city has wanted to slow down growth, in part because we didn’t have UDC codes in place to deal with the growth.  Now we have things in place.  We are very open to people who want to come here but they will live by the rules, and we won’t be overrun.”

“We’re talking to outstanding Baton Rouge retailers about building their second location in Central.”

Shelton said past City Councils have laid a good foundation for the City, and the current Council is loaded with good leaders.  “We also have a great relationship with the Central School Board.  I’m on the phone weekly with Supt. Mike Faulk.  The school board members are very supportive of the city.”

“2015 will be the year we put things in the ground for the new City Center.  You will see that happen,” he said.

After his election, Shelton put together a Transition Team that was composed 50-50 of those who supported and those who opposed his election.  He’s pleased with the work they have done.  Now he’s created committees for Human Resources, Law Enforcement, Election Law, and Sign Ordinances.  These committees will have limited roles and be of short-term duration.  But he has also created two standing committees which will be permanent — the Budget Committee and the Infrastructure Committee.  The standing committees consist of two Council members and three citizens.  He also holds a staff meeting every Monday with IBTS.

The Mayor says he does a lot of things that are not in his job description.  Most of these involve helping people, and it is one of the most gratifying things he does.

Every year, the Central City News honors an outstanding Central resident as Central’s Man of the Year or Woman of the Year.  This year, the award goes to Mayor Jr. Shelton for bringing Central together and making it once again a community that is united.