BATON ROUGE - The final question of a mayor-president forum sponsored by WBRZ and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber was simple: Why should people elect you? Here are the highlights:

Steve Myers said he would install a "competent administration that lets the free market work." He said he would intend to solve problems in one term, and asked that undecided voters go his way. 

"Forty percent of people don't vote," he said. One of those who doesn't vote is Sid Edwards, another challenger to incumbent Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. Voting records shows Edwards hasn't voted in at least eight years; it did not appear that Myers was addressing Edwards' voting history directly.

Edwards, the Istrouma High School football coach, said he was the different one in the race.

"I'm not a politician. Is Baton Rouge ready for a real change?" he asked rhetorically. Edwards said he has been involved in changing people's lives as a coach and counselor for four decades. "I want to show Baton Rouge what it's like to win again."

Broome said that, in less than a month, voters have a chance to select someone who has already dealt with all of the issues spoken about Thursday night, dating to the 2016 flood and increasing crime.

"I've dealt with tough issues. ... I have demonstrated courage," she said. "I want to make sure everyone in this city is included and has a seat at the table. I’m the same Sharon Weston Broome that you’ve seen over the years."

Ted James said he could work through partisanship that has stifled governments in recent years, noting that he has received contributions from Democrats and Republicans. 

"I have demonstrated the ability that even though we are separated we do not have to be divided," James said. "Four years like the last eight?" - 7:59 p.m.

8:00 p.m. - That's a wrap from Thursday night's mayor-president debate, sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and WBRZ-TV, and hosted by WBRZ anchors Sylvia Weatherspoon and Michael Shingleton. 

Thanks to Baton Rouge High School for accommodating us after the previous debate was postponed because of Hurricane Francine. In a personal aside, this was my first time on the BRHS Auditorium stage since my graduation from here in a previous century.

We'll be present at other election-related events over the next four weeks, and join us for results on Nov. 5.

7:55 p.m. - Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome says that, compared to 10 years ago, downtown Baton Rouge is doing well.

Each candidate at a forum sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and WBRZ were asked how downtown should develop over the next decade, and Broome said people are already investing in the area, and noted that downtown hosted a concert in the last couple of weeks that drew 400-600 people "and no incidents, just fun."

Challenger Ted James said the city should work on eliminating the problems that are keeping people away. He suggested the use of business incubators to develop small businesses in the area.

Sid Edwards said downtown needed to address issues such as crime and also develop activities that children and adults can enjoy.

Steve Myers said the government shouldn't be involved in developing downtown - that it was a job best left to the private sector. "If it's a good idea economically, let the private sector do it." He also said that having a "trendy business" isn't enough.

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7:39 p.m. - Democrats have led East Baton Rouge Parish government since 2005, with Kip Holden serving until early 2017 and Sharon Weston Broome taking over then. She is seeking a third term.

Broome and Ted James are former state lawmakers. James left the legislature in 2022 to take a job as a regional director of the U.S. Small Business Administration under President Joe Biden.

Among the Republicans, Sid Edwards is a longtime football coach. He led Redemptorist to two state titles, then coached locally at Central before taking over at Istrouma. (Istrouma is a longtime rival of Baton Rouge High, where Thursday's debate took place.) Steve Myers has run for several offices in recent years, including the state House of Representatives and a spot on the 19th Judicial District court last year.

In 2022, Myers ran for a different judgeship, and in 2020 he sought a spot on the Metro Council. - 7:39 p.m.

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7:29 p.m. - The number of homicides have soared in recent years, and each candidate says that a solution is not as simple as "policing" ourselves out of a crime problem.

Ted James says it is key to admit Baton Rouge has a violent crime problem first, and then "give our law enforcement tools to keep us all safe."

Steve Myers said tools include higher salaries for law officers, and also instilling in residents a sense of place: "If we're going to be a city that people can be proud of, it is not going to just be by force."

Sharon Weston Broome said crime has increased across the country and that Baton Rouge is not immune. She invited people to see the city's "real time crime center" designed to reduce response times. She also touted her Summer of Home program, saying community efforts drive down the crime rate. She also decried an 18.5 percent poverty rate.

Sid Edwards said police are currently "working their tails off" to keep up with crime in the city. He said the city ranks 149th in municipal safety, and notes that "if I had that as a football coach, you know where I'd be." 

He also said that "when you peel back the curtain on parts" of the city, you won't like what you see. He said "the destruction of the family plays a role as well." -

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7:10 p.m. - Mayoral candidate Steve Myers goes first with opening statements. He says he was surprised to have been included in Thursday's debate. Among the four candidates selected, he polled the least, picking up support from 3 percent of respondents in the JMC Analytics poll.

Istrouma High School football coach Sid Edwards gives a shout-out to the 70805 ZIP code, where he works. He laments the shooting death of one of his players in an ambush last winter. "My guy died. We had to put that young man in the ground." He says senseless homicides occur in the city "way too often."

Sharon Weston Broome Broome, the incumbent, reminds voters that her term started eight years ago with a city in turmoil. In the last half of 2016, the city endured the police shooting of Alton Sterling, the ambush that killed four police officers and a severe flood that inundated much of the region. She said she relied on her experience, and also developed the first stormwater plan in the city's history.

James noted his south Louisiana ties - Broome is initially from the Midwest - and said that after serving in the U.S. Small Business Administration he returned hoping to find a way to help. He said too many young people leave the city for opportunities elsewhere, an "unfair proposition" for children.

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7:00 pm - Four candidates who want to lead East Baton Rouge Parish for the next four years square off Thursday night in Baton Rouge High School's auditorium.

The meeting had been set for Sept. 11 at Baton Rouge Community College, but Hurricane Francine struck Louisiana that day and the event was postponed. With BRCC not available Thursday, the debate was moved to BRHS, which next year marks 100 years in its building on Government Street.

The candidates selected for the forum polled highest in questioning conducted by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, which hosted the debate with WBRZ. The television station is carrying the debate live.

Incumbent Sharon Weston Broome is sharing the stage with challengers Ted James, Sid Edwards and Steve Myers. Three candidates who did not receive support from at least 3 percent of respondents during a summer poll were not invited to participate, though at least one was in the audience.

Broome was at 29 percent in the poll, while Edwards and James were each at 23 percent.

Below the threshold were Ryan "Badd Biddness" Carter, Nathaniel Hearn and William "Champagne" Roundtree. Tambra "Tammy" Cook dropped out after it was too late to be removed from the ballot.