Bobby Simpson (Louisiana politician)
Encyclopedia
Bobby Ray Simpson is an educator who served as the Republican
Mayor
-President, a combined municipal-parish office of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
, from 2001-2004. Earlier, he was the mayor
of the small city of Baker
east of Baton Rouge
in
East Baton Rouge Parish, having served from 1992-2000.
In 2001, Simpson succeeded the retiring Tom Ed McHugh
as Mayor-President by defeating Melvin "Kip" Holden
, an African American
Democrat
in the 2000 general election
. Holden then unseated Simpson in 2004 and was easily reelected in the nonpartisan blanket primary in 2008. Simpson did not seek a comeback; instead Holden was opposed by two other Republican candidates, Metro council member Wayne Carter and the former Louisiana legislative auditor and Louisiana State University
professor
Dan Kyle
.
A native of East Baton Rouge Parish, Simpson graduated from Baker High School in 1971 and holds bothbachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from LSU in Baton Rouge. He is a nonpracticing Certified Public Accountant
. Simpson and his wife, the former Allison Windham (born 1954), have four children. They still reside in Baker and are affiliated with the non-denominational Christian
church, the Bethany World Prayer Center. He is a golf
er and a runner.
Simpson was elected mayor of Baker in 1992 over the Democrat Frank C. Blackburn. In the primary, he led with 1,997 (32.4 percent) to 1,147 (31.1 percent). Two other Democratic candidates held the remaining nearly 37 percent of the vote. In the general election, Simpson defeated Blackburn, 2,100 (54.4 percent) to 1,762 (45.6 percent). In 1996, Simpson defeated a fellow Republican, Lamon L. Moody, Jr., 2,022 (82.6 percent) to 425 (17.4 percent). Simpson was unopposed for a third term as mayor in March 2000, but he served less than a year thereafter upon winning election as East Baton Rouge Mayor-President. In the seeking the greater position, Simpson claimed that he had saved the city of Baker millions through careful budgeting and financial management.
Six candidates, four Republicans and two Democrats, contested the October 2000 primary for Mayor-President. Democrat Holden led with 34,780 (31.2 percent), and Simpson trailed with 27,928 (25.1 percent). Republican Rolfe H. McCollister finished third with 21,850 votes (19.6 percent). Three other candidates held the remaining 24 percent. One of those unsuccessful candidates was Fred Columbus Dent, Jr. (1937–2010), a former Green Beret and the son of the late Louisiana Register of State Lands Lucille May Grace
. He drew 6 percent of the vote. Simpson then defeated Holden in the November 7 general with 93,952 (56.9 percent) to 71,087 (43.1 percent). Simpson outpolled Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush
in East Baton Rouge Parish, who received 89,128 votes (52.7 percent).
Mayor Simpson was elected in 2002 as president of the Louisiana Municipal Association, having succeeded Ned Randolph
of Alexandria
in Rapides Parish
. He was also president of the Louisiana Conference of Mayors. Early in 2004, he unveiled a 10-year plan endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors with the goal of ending chronic homelessness
in Baton Rouge. Simpson endorsed the Samaritan Initiative, an effort to tap into community-wide resources to move the homeless from the streets and temporary shelters into houses.
Faced with crime problems, Simpson was active in the organization of a task force to catch suspected serial killer Derrick Todd Lee
. Caught after ten months as a fugitive in Atlanta
, Georgia
, in 2003, Lee waived extradition
and was returned to Baton Rouge. The case caused Baton Rouge police to re-examine cases previously excluded because there were no DNA
connections.
By the time he sought reelection as Mayor-President, Simpson's political fortunes had plummeted. In addition to Holden, five other opponents filed for the office. Holden led in the primary with 39,470 (35.1 percent) to Simpson’s 38,206 (33.9 percent). In the general election, Holden unseated Simpson, 94,802 (53.9 pecent) to 81,142 (46.1 percent). Simpson trailed the second President Bush in his reelection bid by 18,801 ballots in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Simpson began his career as a teacher and dean of students at the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired in Baton Rouge. On November 30, 2009, he returned to that institution as the interim director, pending a national search for a permanent director. Simpson is certified as a school principal, supervisor of student teachers, and instructor of the blind and partially sighted. Prior to his latest appointment, Simpson had been chief operations officer at JTS Realty Services. Simpson was hired at JTS by developer Tommy Spinosa.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
-President, a combined municipal-parish office of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, from 2001-2004. Earlier, he was the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the small city of Baker
Baker, Louisiana
Baker is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,793 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Baker is located at...
east of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
in
East Baton Rouge Parish, having served from 1992-2000.
In 2001, Simpson succeeded the retiring Tom Ed McHugh
Tom Ed McHugh
Thomas Edward McHugh, known as Tom Ed McHugh , has since 2001 been the executive director of the Louisiana Municipal Association. McHugh is a former Mayor-President, a combined municipal-parish position, of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. A resident of Zachary in East Baton Rouge Parish, McHugh...
as Mayor-President by defeating Melvin "Kip" Holden
Kip Holden
Melvin L. "Kip" Holden is the Democratic Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The parish includes the state capitol of Baton Rouge and smaller suburban cities like Baker, Central City and Zachary. He was elected the city's mayor on November 3, 2004. He unseated the Republican...
, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in the 2000 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. Holden then unseated Simpson in 2004 and was easily reelected in the nonpartisan blanket primary in 2008. Simpson did not seek a comeback; instead Holden was opposed by two other Republican candidates, Metro council member Wayne Carter and the former Louisiana legislative auditor and Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Dan Kyle
Dan Kyle
Daniel Guin Kyle, known as Dan Kyle , is a businessman from Baton Rouge Louisiana, who served as his state's legislative auditor from 1989–2003, when he stepped down to run unsuccessfully for insurance commissioner. An active Republican, Kyle uncovered many instances of misappropriations in state...
.
A native of East Baton Rouge Parish, Simpson graduated from Baker High School in 1971 and holds bothbachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from LSU in Baton Rouge. He is a nonpracticing Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
. Simpson and his wife, the former Allison Windham (born 1954), have four children. They still reside in Baker and are affiliated with the non-denominational Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church, the Bethany World Prayer Center. He is a golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er and a runner.
Simpson was elected mayor of Baker in 1992 over the Democrat Frank C. Blackburn. In the primary, he led with 1,997 (32.4 percent) to 1,147 (31.1 percent). Two other Democratic candidates held the remaining nearly 37 percent of the vote. In the general election, Simpson defeated Blackburn, 2,100 (54.4 percent) to 1,762 (45.6 percent). In 1996, Simpson defeated a fellow Republican, Lamon L. Moody, Jr., 2,022 (82.6 percent) to 425 (17.4 percent). Simpson was unopposed for a third term as mayor in March 2000, but he served less than a year thereafter upon winning election as East Baton Rouge Mayor-President. In the seeking the greater position, Simpson claimed that he had saved the city of Baker millions through careful budgeting and financial management.
Six candidates, four Republicans and two Democrats, contested the October 2000 primary for Mayor-President. Democrat Holden led with 34,780 (31.2 percent), and Simpson trailed with 27,928 (25.1 percent). Republican Rolfe H. McCollister finished third with 21,850 votes (19.6 percent). Three other candidates held the remaining 24 percent. One of those unsuccessful candidates was Fred Columbus Dent, Jr. (1937–2010), a former Green Beret and the son of the late Louisiana Register of State Lands Lucille May Grace
Lucille May Grace
Lucille May Grace, a.k.a. Mrs. Fred Columbus Dent, Sr., , was the first woman to attain statewide elected office in Louisiana. A Democrat, "Miss Grace," as she preferred to be called, became Register of the State Land Office in 1931 on appointment of Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr...
. He drew 6 percent of the vote. Simpson then defeated Holden in the November 7 general with 93,952 (56.9 percent) to 71,087 (43.1 percent). Simpson outpolled Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in East Baton Rouge Parish, who received 89,128 votes (52.7 percent).
Mayor Simpson was elected in 2002 as president of the Louisiana Municipal Association, having succeeded Ned Randolph
Ned Randolph
Edward Gordon "Ned" Randolph, Jr. , is a veteran Democratic politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria in central Louisiana from 1986 to 2006. Randolph was also a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 1976 and the Louisiana State Senate from 1976 to 1984...
of Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
in Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...
. He was also president of the Louisiana Conference of Mayors. Early in 2004, he unveiled a 10-year plan endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors with the goal of ending chronic homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
in Baton Rouge. Simpson endorsed the Samaritan Initiative, an effort to tap into community-wide resources to move the homeless from the streets and temporary shelters into houses.
Faced with crime problems, Simpson was active in the organization of a task force to catch suspected serial killer Derrick Todd Lee
Derrick Todd Lee
Derrick Todd Lee is a convicted serial killer, nicknamed the Baton Rouge Serial Killer....
. Caught after ten months as a fugitive in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, in 2003, Lee waived extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
and was returned to Baton Rouge. The case caused Baton Rouge police to re-examine cases previously excluded because there were no DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
connections.
By the time he sought reelection as Mayor-President, Simpson's political fortunes had plummeted. In addition to Holden, five other opponents filed for the office. Holden led in the primary with 39,470 (35.1 percent) to Simpson’s 38,206 (33.9 percent). In the general election, Holden unseated Simpson, 94,802 (53.9 pecent) to 81,142 (46.1 percent). Simpson trailed the second President Bush in his reelection bid by 18,801 ballots in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Simpson began his career as a teacher and dean of students at the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired in Baton Rouge. On November 30, 2009, he returned to that institution as the interim director, pending a national search for a permanent director. Simpson is certified as a school principal, supervisor of student teachers, and instructor of the blind and partially sighted. Prior to his latest appointment, Simpson had been chief operations officer at JTS Realty Services. Simpson was hired at JTS by developer Tommy Spinosa.