Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

The honeymoon for Monroe mayor Friday Ellis is over, as the realities of life as a city mayor have long settled. The mayor promised “big things” for Monroe, as he said that it was time for Monroe to stop being a “Tale of Two Cities”. Now well into his second year as mayor, not much in the Charles Dickens’ novel hasn’t changed for many city residents, particularly those who live on the south end of town. There are those who are dissatisfied with the mayor’s performance in office, and he has heard it from some of those who take the opportunity to voice their concerns during the audience participation period after council agenda matters are settled. Some city residents are satisfied with the mayor’s job performance, particularly those who live on the northside of town or, depending on where one is driving, on the “other side” of the tracks. In the words of Shania Twain’s hit song, when she compares a guy to being a Brad Pitt, she sings, “that don’t impress me much," to which one Monroe resident’s sentiments mirror Twain’s song. Southside resident Sandra Blanche is not impressed by Ellis’ job performance, and she says that if there were a recall going on to remove him, the recall would have her support. If that didn’t work, in an interview with Blanche, she would ask concerned residents not to support Ellis in a reelection bid. In defense of her concerns, Blanche said that she personally had not seen any contributions to the Black community of (south)Monroe.

“Casanova” Friday Ellis, as she called the mayor, because of “his charm” that fooled many of the city’s residents in the way that he has gotten things done that benefit the residents on the "Forsythe" side of town, leaving south side residents to wonder, what about us?. She points to city developmental projects occurring in the downtown/riverfront area, where it seems that the beneficiaries will not be people of color. Blanche said that when she sees where one side or group is overlooked, those citizens will feel ostracized, which is not the way to make "two cities one”. The area where Blanche lives(a housing development) is overgrown with grass that should have been cut and kept cut. Blanche, with frustration, said that if where she lived was on the other side of town, those who are responsible for maintaining the grass would have heard from the mayor. The southside, she says, needs some kind of economic projects to help change the area. Beautification projects are good for aesthetics, but jobs are the motivating factor for sound change. Blanche says that she is not alone in her concerns, nor is the mayor not aware of what needs to be done on the south side. There are those who helped elect Mayor Ellis into the position that he currently holds, and there are those who share Sandra Blanche’s concerns, and as of now, they appear to be saying to Mayor Ellis, “that don’t impress me much”. There is a lot of work to be done, and the clock is ticking.