Baton Rouge business leaders unite against proposed City of St. George

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - On Thursday, Sept. 26, Baton Rouge city and business leaders delivered a message to voters, giving their take on the proposed City of St. George.

In a tweet this weekend, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome urged voters to reject the new City of St. George and stay united as a parish, and that was the purpose of Thursday’s unity speech with those local business leaders, backing up her stance, that the parish is better together.

Many different business leaders from Sparkhound, Community Coffee, ExxonMobil, Lamar Advertising, and more gave brief speeches on all the investments they’ve made into the parish, and why the city-parish form of government is the best option moving forward, this just two days before early voting kicks off Saturday, Sept. 28.

“Great cities don’t splinter. They don’t balkanize. That’s not a way to be great. You know Baton Rouge is a great city and on its way to being better, and I just can’t see a ‘yes’ vote, taking us in the direction of continuing that momentum,” said Sean Riley, CEO of Lamar Advertising.

WAFB reached out to a spokesperson with the St. George incorporation effort who said, “Of course Baton Rouge’s rich and elite wants to maintain the parish’s status quo, that’s how they become rich and elite. Further proof that St. George is a grassroots effort of middle class families trying to survive in East Baton Rouge Parish.”

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