BATON ROUGE — City Hall officials hosted a delegation from the National League of Cities on Monday as the group tours 100 cities to mark its 100th year.

"Today we were fortunate to have a visit from the National League of Cities," said Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, the group's first vice president. "We were able to showcase Baton Rouge and some of the work we are doing here." 

Broome and others gave the delegation a tour along Government Street, showing recent work that narrowed the thoroughfare from four lanes to two, with plantings separating east- and west-bound traffic. The group also visited various housing initiatives and projects the city has taken on with the league.

Robert Blaine, the senior executive and director of NLC's Center for Leadership, Education, Advancement and Development, said the organization partners with cities to improve things for their residents.

"We know that opportunity is the rising tide that lifts all boats," he said. "We want to be a part and a partner with the administration to try to do that."

Baton Rouge's city officials met the delegation at the River Center and led it with a second-line parade to City Hall before leaving on a tour of the city.

"You feel the pride when you get here," Blaine said. "The mayor greeted us with a second-line. That’s not happened at any other stop in the history of the tour."

Broome, who faces a re-election battle this year, is in line to become the group's president in November.