Mayoral Candidates: Poles Apart On Issues Facing City of Central

The two announced candidates for Mayor in April 5, 2014, municipal elections are poles apart on many issues facing the City of Central.
Candidate Dave Freneaux has made controversial statements before the City Council on the proposed Baton Rouge Loop, CH2MHill, access to public records, and City Council reapportionment.  Candidate Jr. Shelton has often taken the opposite side. Central mayoral candidate Dave Freneaux has taken a number of controversial stands on issues facing the Central City Council, and those positions are likely to be issues in the upcoming race for Mayor of the City of Central.  His opponent is Jr. Shelton, who narrowly lost the post in 2010 to incumbent Mac Watts.
Some of the controversies are
•    CH2MHill — In October 2010, Freneaux spoke out at the City Council meeting against terminating the city’s contract with CH2MHill, the private contractor which was administering the City of Central at the time.  In August 2010, the company had been ordered by the City Council to release public records sought by the Central City News, but the company refused to honor the Council’s request.  At the October meeting, the Council was considering whether to cancel or at least not renew the contract.  Freneaux opposed giving notice of non-renewal as premature.  However, Councilman Ralph Washington warned that a failure by the Council to act could result in the contract being automatically renewed.  The Council voted to give CH2MHill notice that its contract would not be renewed.  Ultimately, another firm was  hired in its place.
•    Public Records — In November 2010, the City Council was considering whether to order the City Attorney to release her billing records to the City of Central, after it was disclosed that she had been paid more than $700,000 by the city and the school board.  The City Attorney had released copies of her bills but with virtually everything blacked out.  Freneaux spoke at the Council meeting against requiring her to release the unredacted records.  Furthermore, he objected to use of the Public Records Act to obtain records and said citizens should approach City Council members and ask them to try to get records they want to see.
•    Reapportionment — In September 2011, the Central City Council was considering whether to adopt a new reapportionment plan for the election of Council members in the future.  A study committee appointed by Mayor Mac Watts recommended that the Council have seven City Council members with five elected from single member districts and two elected at-large.  Jr. Shelton, now a candidate for Mayor, served as a member of the advisory committee that recommended the new plan.  He spoke in favor of the combination of single member districts and at-large representatives.  Freneaux spoke against the reapportionment plan, and said he favored a five-member Council made up exclusively of members elected from single member districts.  He accused those who favored the combination of single member districts and at-large representatives of being for “big government.”  The City Council adopted the plan Shelton favored but Mayor Mac Watts vetoed it.  As a result, the old reapportionment plan stayed in effect, and in next spring’s election, there will be no single member districts, and all five Councilmen will continue to be elected at-large.
•    Baton Rouge Loop — In January 2012, the Central City Council considered whether to exercise its power, as provided by state law, to prohibit the construction of the Baton Rouge Loop through Central.  The preliminary plan had it cutting straight across the city.  Freneaux spoke against the resolution to block the Loop coming through Central, while Shelton spoke in favor.  The resolution passed, the Loop is now banned from coming through Central.