Edwards' office says St. George vote will come in October, if petition survives his review

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The office of Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday an effort to establish a new city of St. George won’t go before voters in the southeastern portion of East Baton Rouge Parish any time before October — and only then if the petition to create the new municipality is in line with state law.

Edwards’ decision dashed hopes for quick approval of a new city. Proponents had hoped the issue would have gone before voters in May, and that low voter turnout would have aided the chance of approval. The governor had until the end of the day Monday to set a May 4 election date.

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Broome had said setting the election in May would have left too little time for public discussion ahead of the vote.

St. George organizers submitted 17,102 signatures for verification in October to East Baton Rouge Registrar of Voters Steve Raborn, who announced Feb. 25 that 14,585 signatures had been accepted and certified by his office. Before supporters could ask the governor to set an election date, the effort needed 12,951 valid signatures — a quarter of the number of voters within the proposed boundaries of St. George at the time the petition drive began.

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Edwards has said he wouldn’t call the election until his office had received a copy of the certified petition from parish Registrar Steve Raborn so that it could be reviewed by his staff.

The governor also complained the attorney general’s office hadn’t provided the same legal aid that it had done during previous incorporation efforts. Attorney General Jeff Landry said “any competent lawyer” in Edwards’ office could review the petition in 90 minutes.

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