Sid Edwards

Mayor-president of Baton Rouge 2024 election

In July 2024, Edwards qualified as a Republican candidate for mayor-president in his first campaign for public office. He said that violence and poverty affecting Istrouma students, including the killing of one of his players, helped motivate his candidacy.

Edwards faced scrutiny after voting records showed that he had not participated in 25 elections over more than eight years. He apologized for not voting and said he had withdrawn from politics partly because promised teacher pay raises had repeatedly failed to materialize. During the runoff, Edwards presented himself as the candidate of change, while Broome emphasized her experience, infrastructure investments and government stability. The incorporation of St. George and its implications for parish finances were also issues in the race.

Before taking office, Edwards selected Baton Rouge businessman Charlie Davis as chief administrative officer. He also appointed former Baton Rouge police chief Jeff LeDuff and former legislative fiscal analyst Monique Appeaning as assistant chief administrative officers.

In September 2025, Edwards moved Davis into a newly created chief efficiency officer position and appointed consultant Christel Slaughter acting chief administrative officer. The administration said Slaughter would serve temporarily while a national search was conducted.

Edwards named Slaughter permanent chief administrative officer in November. WAFB subsequently reported that no national search had been conducted and that Slaughter's company, SSA Consultants, had initially been considered for a $50,000 contract to conduct the search. The administration said the proposed search contract was never written or executed and that Slaughter had agreed to assist without charge.

Later that month, the administration announced that Slaughter would no longer be chief administrative officer and would instead serve as an adviser. The parish plan of government requires the chief administrative officer to be a city-parish employee. In December, the Metropolitan Council approved a one-year, $180,000 contract with SSA Consultants for Slaughter to continue working in the mayor's office without the chief administrative officer title. The administration said using a consulting contract would save approximately $70,000 by avoiding employee-benefit costs.

Public safety, blight and homelessness Edwards assigned assistant chief administrative officer Jeff LeDuff responsibility for coordinating public-safety efforts among parish agencies. The Baton Rouge Police Department continued to experience staffing shortages, however, with approximately 150 officer vacancies reported in March 2026.

In March 2026, Edwards proposed increasing the salaries of sworn police officers by 15 percent. Some members of the Metropolitan Council advocated raises for other city-parish employees as well, citing a compensation study commissioned by the council. The council approved the police raises in April, increasing the starting salary from approximately $40,000 to $58,000 and providing for a salary of $65,000 after an officer's first year.

The administration increased spending on the demolition of blighted structures from approximately $140,000 in 2024 to $1.5 million in 2025. It reported demolishing 200 structures during 2025, compared with 49 during the previous year.

Budget and Thrive EBR In February 2025, Edwards introduced a proposal called Revive EBR in response to a projected $52 million city-parish budget shortfall associated with the incorporation of St. George. The proposal would have redirected money from the East Baton Rouge Parish Library System to the general fund for expenses including public safety and road improvements. Library officials opposed the proposal, disputing Edwards's characterization of the library's fund balance as a surplus and saying the money was reserved for operations, maintenance and construction projects.

The administration subsequently advanced a revised proposal called Thrive EBR. It consisted of three ballot measures that would have renewed and partially rededicated property taxes supporting the library system, the East Baton Rouge Council on Aging and the parish's mosquito-abatement program. The administration said the proposal would transfer $52.4 million to reduce city-parish debt without increasing the combined tax rate. Voters rejected all three measures on November 15. The library measure failed with 53 percent voting against it, while the mosquito-abatement and Council on Aging measures failed with 52 percent and 51 percent opposition, respectively.

Following the vote, Edwards laid off four employees in the mayor-president's office and directed most city-parish departments to prepare for budget reductions. Police and fire services were exempted from the proposed cuts. In December, the Metropolitan Council unanimously approved an amended 2026 budget containing reductions across most departments. Council members reduced their own operating budget by more than 19 percent and redirected approximately $550,000 to several affected agencies. In February 2026, the administration said that 46 city-parish positions were being eliminated under the resulting workforce-reduction plan.

St. George transition In April 2025, Edwards's administration reached an agreement with the newly incorporated city of St. George concerning the transfer of tax revenue and municipal services. Under the agreement, St. George would assume responsibility for services including road maintenance and drainage and begin retaining revenue from a two-percent sales tax on July 1. The Metropolitan Council approved the agreement by a 10–2 vote.

Council members who opposed the agreement argued that it did not resolve several matters, including sewer services, the city's legal incorporation date and possible liability for tax revenue collected after St. George voters approved incorporation in 2019. Administration officials described the agreement as the first stage of a longer transition. In July, the two governments reached an additional agreement allowing St. George residents to continue using the parish's 311 system and parish work crews while the city developed its own service capacity.

Recall effort A petition to recall Edwards was filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State on January 30, 2026. Its organizers alleged that Edwards had failed to provide effective leadership, demonstrate transparency and accountability, and act consistently in parish residents' interests. Edwards rejected the allegations and cited his administration's reported results concerning crime, homelessness and blight. Organizers had 180 days to collect 47,297 valid signatures to place the recall before voters.

The petition contained 2,193 names when it was submitted at the July deadline, falling short of the number required to hold a recall election.

Personal life Edwards is married to Maureen "Beanie" Edwards. They have four children and three grandchildren.