GOP Backs Shelton

The Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish has endorsed businessman Jr. Shelton for Mayor of the City of Central in municipal elections set for Saturday, April 5.The action was taken by the Republican Parish Executive Committees or PEC, the 17-member elected body established by state law to govern the party in the parish.The party issued a statement saying Shelton is a man of character with a positive plan for the City of Central. Shelton narrowly lost the mayor’s race in Central to incumbent Mac Watts four years ago by 300 votes out of 8,000 votes cast. Watts is not seeking reelection.

Jr. Shelton is a native of East Baton Rouge Parish. He graduated from Broadmoor High School and earned a B.S. in business administration from LSU. He and his wife Rita have been married for 39 years and have resided in Central for the past 36 years. They have four children and six grandchildren. He has been a deacon at Broadmoor Baptist Church for 41 years.

Shelton’s family owned Shel-Boze lighting company for 56 years, and he co-owned the business for 37 years of those years. The company closed during the recession in 2009. He is a realtor with C. J. Brown and last year served as chairman of the C.J. Brown Agents Council. He served on the Board of Central Private School for 16 years.

In his interview with the PEC, Shelton predicted Central will become the outstanding city in East Baton Rouge Parish because of low crime, an outstanding school system, and accessibility. He said Hooper Road puts Central only seven minutes from the Baton Rouge Airport and I-110, Joor Road puts Central five minutes from Cortana Mall, and the Central Thruway now links Central directly to I-12.

Shelton said he wants to improve relations between Central and surrounding communities. He said he wants to work with officials in East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes on matters of mutual interest.

He said his priorities include improving the infrastructure of Central, especially drainage and roads. “We have an accumulated surplus, and some of those funds should be used to provide much needed improvements, including $3 million in drainage projects,” he said.

Shelton said highway priorities include working with the state and parish to widen Greenwell Springs Road and extend Hooper Road across the Amite River to Watson. He said he wants to maintain Central’s rural atmosphere and its strong sense of community.

Shelton said there is a need to build up Central’s retail and commercial sectors. “There are three phases of development — residential, retail, and commercial — and they all have to grow together. Right now, our residential development is ahead of the other two. Our citizens want more retail development, and we need commercial development to provide more jobs locally. These will be priorities.”

Shelton and other candidates for police chief and city council went through the PEC’s screening process, which included meeting residency and party registration requirements and verification of education and military service. They submitted a complete biographical profile and an eight-page questionnaire on their views on issues related to the office they are seeking. The final step was the formal interview and questioning by the PEC, which occurred in public at the Metro Council Chamber.

In its questionnaire, the GOP asked Shelton what he hoped to accomplish after four years as mayor. He said, “I’d like our economic development to be a model for municipalities across the state. I want our citizens to have trust in their government and confidence that every decision is made in their best interests. I’d hope they would be happy with infrastructure improvements with regards to streets, drainage, and sewerage. Four years is a short time in the life of a city, and I believe we need a long-range plan that is a stepping stone to great things for Central. If we don’t have a roadmap of where we are trying to go, we won’t get anywhere.”

Shelton also discussed the purpose of government. He said, “Government should work in the background in the lives of our citizens. We should make sure citizens have the right to make the decisions in their lives without government being intrusive. Our laws should be fair and insure the peaceful living that they want. If government is working right, it is not talked about by citizens. We should be a facilitator of progress, not the determining factor in someone’s success or failure. Government should not be a candy store handing out samples, but rather an entity that puts in place the mechanisms that allow citizens to live their lives without infringing on the lives of others.”

Shelton was also endorsed

this week by the Capital Regions Builders Association.