District 4 hopefuls divided on economic development

• By AMY WOLD
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Sep 9, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.
• Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of stories about the candidates for the 12 Metro Council seats in the Oct. 4 primary. Due to coverage of Hurricane Gustav, the Metro Council stories are not being published in chronological order. The interviews for this story were conducted before the hurricane hit Louisiana.

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The need to improve traffic flow and boost public safety in District 4 is a common theme for the two Metro Council District 4 candidates.

However, the candidates — both Republicans — differ in their approach to economic development for the district and the parish.

Wayne Messina, 62, director of security with the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, faces Scott Wilson, 39, part-owner of a trucking company, in the Oct. 4 primary.

Messina and Wilson were asked to give their positions on four major topics: traffic, crime, economic development, and taxes and fees.

Both candidates agree traffic should be addressed by increasing the number of lanes on main roads.

“We’re growing so fast and so quick out there that the population is overrunning the infrastructure,” Messina said. Even just getting turn lanes installed on some of the roadways would help, he said.

“You’d be surprised at some of the small things that have made a difference,” he said, noting that the turn lane added at Sullivan Road and Wax Road “has made a world of difference in helping the movement of traffic.”

Nevertheless, paying for that type of work could be a hard sell during these difficult economic times, he said.

“Most of it is going to come from some sort of taxes. That makes it tough,” Messina said.

Wilson said Sullivan Road needs to be expanded to four lanes from Greenwell Springs to Joor Road.

Another complaint he said he hears is about the bottleneck on Greenwell Springs Road as commuters drive to and from Livingston Parish.

He said work also is needed to widen Hooper Road to address the traffic bottleneck at Magnolia Bridge.

“People work in the parish and live outside the parish,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to solve some of the bottleneck issues.”