WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Some Question City Hosting Black Mayor's Conf. during "One Baton Rouge Month"

Some Question City Hosting Black Mayor's Conf. during "One Baton Rouge Month"

Just one day after Mayor Kip Holden declared next month as "One Baton Rouge Month," a time to bring together all races, some are questioning why the city is, during the same month, hosting the National Conference of Black Mayors.

Next month is supposed to be a time to celebrate the city's cultural makeup, "One Baton Rouge." Mayor Kip Holden says, "We have proven we're coming together as one unit, and I am the proof, simply because we're not a majority black parish, and people have stepped forward and made a difference."

But just one day after the mayor announced plans to connect people of different backgrounds, WJBO Radio posed the question: Why would the city then host the Black Mayors Conference? Mayor Holden says, "We reach out to everybody. If you're not going to have the black mayors or not going to have the Italian Festival or Jewish Film Festival that we put on, or Cinco de Mayo, not going to have National Festival, that's somebody with a very small mind."

The mayor says the name should not define who can come out. He says the Black Mayors Conference will cover issues all people want answers too: health concerns, traffic, crime, and education. "How can we save children, turn them away from a life and show them by education and job training that there's a better road ahead than the one they're choosing right now?" Holden asks. If people want to focus on something, city leaders say focus on the numbers.

Paul Arrigo with the convention and visitors bureau says, "We're looking well over a million dollars in direct spending in Baton Rouge area." The convention and visitors bureau says it's about getting new money into the community, and bringing these conferences here is making the city a travel destination, no matter who wants to come.

The conference is actually a really big deal politically. It's expected to attract at least five presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards. The public can attend the conference, but there is a $700 fee.

Reporter:  Tyana Williams, WAFB 9NEWS