In John Bel Edwards, Louisiana finally has effective, full-time governor
Former Gov. Bobby Jindal's eight years of misrule set a low bar for leadership. It's no wonder his successor, John Bel Edwards, cleared that subterranean hurdle during his first, eventful year in office.
That Edwards would eclipse Jindal wasn't in doubt. As long as Edwards shows up for work, he'll outperform his predecessor, who behaved as if Baton Rouge was the last place he wanted to be. The surprise near the end of Edwards' first year in office is his resilient popularity as he cleans up Jindal's fiscal mess.
It is no understatement to suggest Jindal bequeathed Edwards the worst fiscal crisis in Louisiana history. "It is something I inherited," Edwards told me during an interview at the Governor's Office on Dec. 20. "It is my responsibility to fix it, but the people of Louisiana fully understand I didn't create the problem."
Edwards acknowledges the public might "not like my prescription, but I think the diagnosis is obvious to everybody." The diagnosis is a chronic, $2 billion budget shortfall, plugged with temporary taxes.
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