• By GREG GARLAND
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Oct 23, 2009 - Page: 9B

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

Mayor-President Kip Holden was upbeat about the prospects of voters approving a $901 million capital improvements bond issue when he spoke recently to the Press Club of Baton Rouge.

Asked to predict the likely outcome of the Nov. 14 vote, Holden responded with cautious optimism.

“I expect it to be close,” Holden said. “But we feel the momentum has shifted in a positive direction and that people are hearing our story. The energy is out there, and we will go and capitalize on it.”

The conventional wisdom about the prospects of the bond issue passing is far less rosy in many quarters.

Although a similar bond issue almost passed last year, it’s been a much bumpier ride for this year’s version. And opposition appears to have intensified along with each bump on the road.

The attempt to create a special taxing district that excluded Baker, Zachary and Central voters was one bump.

The decision to make the bond issue an all-or-nothing proposition, despite public sentiment to separate it, was another.

When the Metro Council voted Sept. 2 to put the issue on the ballot, council member Rodney “Smokie” Bourgeois commented, “I think this thing’s going to be a dog; that’s all I’ve got to say about it.”

And the yet-to-be resolved questions that surfaced after the council’s vote — involving land access and uncertain state funding for the Alive riverfront attraction portion of the tax package — probably were big bumps as well.

On Oct. 12, Holden barely fought off an effort by some members of the Metro Council to pull the tax package from the ballot.

The attempt failed on a 6-6 vote.

The road to getting a tax passed doesn’t get much bumpier than this.

At the Press Club luncheon, the mayor ducked a “what if” question — as in “what if” the bond issue fails on Nov. 14? Would he go back to voters again next year and would he separate the bond issue on a third try?