Fred Baden
Encyclopedia
Frederick Herman Baden, Sr., known as Fred Baden (May 4, 1934 – December 17, 2009), was a Democratic
mayor
of Pineville
, a small city across the Red River from Alexandria
in Rapides Parish, Louisiana
. Baden, who was of German
extraction, served in the executive position from 1970 until his defeat in 1998 by the Republican
Leo Deslatte.
, whose tenure corresponded with that of Baden in Pineville, also grew up on Lakeview Street about a block from the Baden household. "He was the mayor of Alexandria, but he spent more time in Pineville," said Baden, who recalled that while Snyder maintained an apartment in Alexandria, he spent more time at his mother's Pineville residence. At the age of eighteen, Baden became a volunteer firefighter
and worked as an auxiliary police officer. Baden also became a plumber
and attained the level of "Master Plumber" by the age of twenty-eight. He served on the Pineville City Council from 1966 until his election as mayor in the spring of 1970.
Baden was twice married. After his divorce
from the former Patsy Nugent (born August 5, 1932), he married his young secretary, the former Roxann Babb (born March 17, 1950). Patsy Baden later married Terrell D. Corley (born May 4, 1945).
Fred and Patsy Baden had four daughters, Sarah, Leah, Andrea (deceased), and Tracy, and three sons, Mark Wendell Baden (born September 17, 1953), a former deputy with the Rapides Parish Sheriff
's Department, Gary Wayne Baden (born October 22, 1955), a plumber, and Tony Phillip Baden (born March 23, 1960) of Boyce
. He had two sons by Roxann Baden, Frederick H. "Freddy" Baden, Jr. (born 1978), and Joshua Adam Baden (born 1979).
Baden's three sisters were Vivian B. Nugent and the late Linnie B. Murray and Louella Gatlin Bradford.
(1932–2010), who did not seek a second term but instead ran successfully in 1970 for councilman at-large, a position that he soon vacated in order to run for the Louisiana State Senate
. Smith was elected mayor in 1966, when he upset fellow Democrat P. Elmo Futrell, Jr.
, a Pineville real estate appraiser.
A Baptist
, Baden was particularly known for his opposition to the sale of alcohol
ic beverages in historically prohibitionist Pineville, the home of Louisiana College
. He once closed Buhlow Lake in Pineville to boat races because of alcohol consumption on the premises.
During Baden's tenure, Pineville constructed a municipal center that houses City Hall, the police department, municipal court, and a central fire station located behind the complex. Pineville also built additional fire stations, a recreation center, and expanded and improved its streets. Baden and the city council worked to develop an apartment complex for the elderly located on Louisiana Highway 28
East. He and the late U.S. Representative Gillis William Long
moved to purchase the former Pineville Post Office on Main Street for use as a senor citizens center. Baden, as mayor, often did free plumbing work for disadvantaged senior citizens.
Despite the improvements, the Pineville population remained relatively constant during his 28-year tenure as mayor—in the range of 12,000 to 13,000. Much of the area growth occurred outside the city limits.
Baden was an original member of the Rapides Area Planning Commission and served on the Salvation Army
Board, the Louisiana College Board of Development, and the Rapides Parish Solid Waste Committee. He was also active in the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce, the Rapides Senior Citizens Board, the Renaissance Board for Youth, and Louisiana Municipal Association, of which he served three terms as vice president. Baden received the Hometown Leadership Award which recognizes elected local officials for exemplary leadership. He was honored with the Distinguished Service Award by the Louisiana College trustees. The Louisiana National Guard
presented him with its "Commendation Award". In 2001, the Rapides Parish Police Jury [county commission in other states] appointed Baden to fill an unexpired term on the Esler Industrial Development Area Advisory Board. The appointment ended on January 8, 2006.
Baden worked with L. B. Henry
of Pineville, long-term police jury president, in upgrading the infrastructure and procuring sewerage service to the outlying Wardville and Lee Heights areas. Baden and Henry also came to terms for the establishment of an animal shelter for both Pineville and the parish. Like Baden, Henry was a plumber by trade.
Among the many city council members during the Baden years was the Louisiana College psychology professor George E. Hearn
, a Democrat, and Christian D. Cunningham, a Republican who defeated Hearn for reelection in 1990.
In the primary held on April 4, 1998, Baden led the four-candidate field with 1,805 votes (44 percent). Republican Leo Deslatte trailed with 1,243 ballots (31 percent). A second Democrat, Barbara B. Gypin, polled 35 votes (1 percent). The "No Party" candidate, Randall Bryan "Randy" Tannehill (born 1960), son of Fred Tannehill, a former Democratic member of the Louisiana State Board of Education, received 977 votes (24 percent). The last campaign was bitter. In the general election
on May 2, Deslatte prevailed with 2,304 votes (53 percent) to Baden's 2,062 (47 percent). In 1999, Randy Tannehill ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in the District 27 state House election, having been defeated by the Democrat Rick L. Farrar
.
, a Republican, to inspect Pineville's municipal books. Kyle's office criticized the Baden administration for violations ranging from the illegal donation of thirty-one vehicles to other governmental entities as well as special leave benefits for Baden's wife, Roxan, when she became an employee in her husband's office.
Thereafter, the office of then Louisiana Attorney General
Richard Ieyoub
, a Democrat, cleared Baden of any wrongdoing, but Dan Kyle claimed that Ieyoub had ignored critical evidence that would have found Baden guilty of malfeasance
in office. However, Ieyoub reported that a lengthy investigation concluded "there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution." Baden said at the time that he knew he would be cleared of the allegations. "I felt all along that I would be cleared of these allegations. . . I never did anything wrong. We never took anything from the city that we didn't earn."
Deslatte was unable to work with the city council and resigned as mayor after less than two years into his term. He said that the political pressure was too much to make the job worth keeping. The council then appointed an African American
council member, Clarence Ray Fields, Sr. (born November 7, 1955), as interim
mayor to succeed Deslatte. Fields, hence the first black mayor of Pineville, was then elected to a partial term in 2000, a full term in 2002 and reelected again in 2006. Baden announced that he would oppose Fields for the partial term in 2000 but subsequently withdrew from consideration, and George Hearn instead ran unsuccessfully for mayor that year.
When he left the office of mayor, Baden declared himself a true public servant: "What we get out of life is what we do for others. . . ."We made Pineville a city that everyone could be proud of. I would like to be remembered as a man that helped build the city that I loved. I would like to be remembered for all the accomplishments we made together as a dedicated team for the past twenty-eight years." He continued: "I never forgot that it was the people who put me there. They're the ones you listen to. They're the board of directors."
Former city council member Jack Wainwright said that Baden was known for his kindness to others and his excellent treatment of municipal employees: "I don't know of any employee that didn't like the mayor, because he was a good man." Robert F. Cespiva (born 1925), a former council member for sixteen years, said that Baden "had a big heart, especially for senior citizens. . . . He was color blind when it came to race."
Mayor Fields said that Baden's "prints are all over this city. He . . . cared about people and did everything he possibly could to help people. There's signs of it all over the city." Fields said that Pineville will honor Baden in "a great way" at some point in the future.
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...
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 Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
, a small city across the Red River from 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, 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...
. Baden, who was of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
extraction, served in the executive position from 1970 until his defeat in 1998 by the Republican
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...
Leo Deslatte.
Early years and family
Baden was the only son of four children born in Pineville to Herman P. Baden (1885–1959) and Maude H. Baden (1896–1973), who are interred at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Pineville. Baden was reared in a house located Lakeview Street in downtown Pineville. The late Alexandria Mayor John K. SnyderJohn K. Snyder
John Kenneth Snyder, Sr., sometimes known as Tillie Snyder , was a colorful, outspoken Democratic mayor of Alexandria, Louisiana, from 1973–1977 and again from 1982-1986....
, whose tenure corresponded with that of Baden in Pineville, also grew up on Lakeview Street about a block from the Baden household. "He was the mayor of Alexandria, but he spent more time in Pineville," said Baden, who recalled that while Snyder maintained an apartment in Alexandria, he spent more time at his mother's Pineville residence. At the age of eighteen, Baden became a volunteer firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
and worked as an auxiliary police officer. Baden also became a plumber
Plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
and attained the level of "Master Plumber" by the age of twenty-eight. He served on the Pineville City Council from 1966 until his election as mayor in the spring of 1970.
Baden was twice married. After his divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
from the former Patsy Nugent (born August 5, 1932), he married his young secretary, the former Roxann Babb (born March 17, 1950). Patsy Baden later married Terrell D. Corley (born May 4, 1945).
Fred and Patsy Baden had four daughters, Sarah, Leah, Andrea (deceased), and Tracy, and three sons, Mark Wendell Baden (born September 17, 1953), a former deputy with the Rapides Parish Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
's Department, Gary Wayne Baden (born October 22, 1955), a plumber, and Tony Phillip Baden (born March 23, 1960) of Boyce
Boyce, Louisiana
Boyce is a town in northern Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,190 at the 2000 census. The community is nearly 75 percent African American.-History:...
. He had two sons by Roxann Baden, Frederick H. "Freddy" Baden, Jr. (born 1978), and Joshua Adam Baden (born 1979).
Baden's three sisters were Vivian B. Nugent and the late Linnie B. Murray and Louella Gatlin Bradford.
Mayoral service
As a councilman, Baden often clashed with Mayor Floyd W. Smith, Jr.Floyd Smith (Louisiana politician)
Floyd William Smith, Jr. , was a businessman from Winnfield, Louisiana, who served as the Democratic mayor of Pineville in Rapides Parish from 1966-1970. He was a maternal second cousin of former U.S. Representative Speedy O...
(1932–2010), who did not seek a second term but instead ran successfully in 1970 for councilman at-large, a position that he soon vacated in order to run for the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
. Smith was elected mayor in 1966, when he upset fellow Democrat P. Elmo Futrell, Jr.
P. Elmo Futrell, Jr.
Perry Elmo Futrell, Jr. , was a real estate appraiser who served from 1962-1966 as the Democratic mayor of the small city of Pineville, located east of the Red River across from Alexandria in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana.Futrell was born in Pollock in Grant Parish north of Pineville to Perry...
, a Pineville real estate appraiser.
A Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, Baden was particularly known for his opposition to the sale of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
ic beverages in historically prohibitionist Pineville, the home of Louisiana College
Louisiana College
Louisiana College is a private institution of higher education located in Pineville, Louisiana, affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention, serving a student body of approximately 1,300 students. The college operates on a semester system, with two shorter summer terms...
. He once closed Buhlow Lake in Pineville to boat races because of alcohol consumption on the premises.
During Baden's tenure, Pineville constructed a municipal center that houses City Hall, the police department, municipal court, and a central fire station located behind the complex. Pineville also built additional fire stations, a recreation center, and expanded and improved its streets. Baden and the city council worked to develop an apartment complex for the elderly located on Louisiana Highway 28
Louisiana Highway 28
Louisiana Highway 28 is a state highway in Louisiana. It spans and runs from west to east. From the west beginning in Leesville to Alexandria LA 28 is almost completed as a 4 lane divided highway with a 65 miles per hour speed limit. The highway has a bottle neck and is two lane through an area...
East. He and the late U.S. Representative Gillis William Long
Gillis William Long
Gillis William Long was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Louisiana and member of the Long family. Long served seven non-consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives but placed third in two campaigns for the Democratic gubernatorial nominations in 1963 and 1971...
moved to purchase the former Pineville Post Office on Main Street for use as a senor citizens center. Baden, as mayor, often did free plumbing work for disadvantaged senior citizens.
Despite the improvements, the Pineville population remained relatively constant during his 28-year tenure as mayor—in the range of 12,000 to 13,000. Much of the area growth occurred outside the city limits.
Baden was an original member of the Rapides Area Planning Commission and served on the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
Board, the Louisiana College Board of Development, and the Rapides Parish Solid Waste Committee. He was also active in the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce, the Rapides Senior Citizens Board, the Renaissance Board for Youth, and Louisiana Municipal Association, of which he served three terms as vice president. Baden received the Hometown Leadership Award which recognizes elected local officials for exemplary leadership. He was honored with the Distinguished Service Award by the Louisiana College trustees. The Louisiana National Guard
Louisiana National Guard
The Louisiana National Guard consists of the:*Louisiana Army National Guard** includes the U.S. 256th Infantry Brigade*Louisiana Air National Guard-External links:*** compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History...
presented him with its "Commendation Award". In 2001, the Rapides Parish Police Jury [county commission in other states] appointed Baden to fill an unexpired term on the Esler Industrial Development Area Advisory Board. The appointment ended on January 8, 2006.
Baden worked with L. B. Henry
L. B. Henry
Louie Brannon Henry, known as L. B. Henry , was a figure in Louisiana parish government between 1956 and 1992. A businessman in Pineville, Henry served on the Rapides Parish Police Jury from, first, 1956–1960, and, again, from 1968-1992...
of Pineville, long-term police jury president, in upgrading the infrastructure and procuring sewerage service to the outlying Wardville and Lee Heights areas. Baden and Henry also came to terms for the establishment of an animal shelter for both Pineville and the parish. Like Baden, Henry was a plumber by trade.
Among the many city council members during the Baden years was the Louisiana College psychology professor George E. Hearn
George E. Hearn
George Earl Hearn was from 1965-2000 a professor of psychology at Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana, and a former two-term member of the Pineville City Council under then Mayor Fred H. Baden.-Background:Hearn was born to Thomas Watson Hearn, Sr...
, a Democrat, and Christian D. Cunningham, a Republican who defeated Hearn for reelection in 1990.
Election campaigns
In 1974, Baden made prohibition a key issue when he won his second term by a large margin over Rapides Parish School Board member Gary K. Hays (1938–1981). Baden continued to be reelected with few obstacles in 1978, 1982, 1986, and 1990. His last victory was in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on March 26, 1994, when he polled 2,449 votes (69 percent) to 1,075 (30 percent) for Republican Chris Cunningham, with 31 votes (1 percent) for Democrat Nick Patten.In the primary held on April 4, 1998, Baden led the four-candidate field with 1,805 votes (44 percent). Republican Leo Deslatte trailed with 1,243 ballots (31 percent). A second Democrat, Barbara B. Gypin, polled 35 votes (1 percent). The "No Party" candidate, Randall Bryan "Randy" Tannehill (born 1960), son of Fred Tannehill, a former Democratic member of the Louisiana State Board of Education, received 977 votes (24 percent). The last campaign was bitter. In the 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...
on May 2, Deslatte prevailed with 2,304 votes (53 percent) to Baden's 2,062 (47 percent). In 1999, Randy Tannehill ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in the District 27 state House election, having been defeated by the Democrat Rick L. Farrar
Rick L. Farrar
Rick Lamar Farrar, known as Rick L. Farrar , is an attorney in Pineville, Louisiana, who served as the Democratic state representative from District 27 in Rapides Parish from 1992–1996 and again from 2000-2008....
.
Financial audit
Mayor Deslatte invited the Louisiana legislative auditor, Dan KyleDan 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 Republican, to inspect Pineville's municipal books. Kyle's office criticized the Baden administration for violations ranging from the illegal donation of thirty-one vehicles to other governmental entities as well as special leave benefits for Baden's wife, Roxan, when she became an employee in her husband's office.
Thereafter, the office of then Louisiana Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Richard Ieyoub
Richard Ieyoub
Richard Phillip Ieyoub, Sr. , is a Baton Rouge lawyer and a Democratic politician who was the attorney general of Louisiana from 1992 to 2004. Ieyoub was the Calcasieu Parish district attorney in Lake Charles from 1984 to 1992, and is presently with the Baton Rouge firm Couhig Partners...
, a Democrat, cleared Baden of any wrongdoing, but Dan Kyle claimed that Ieyoub had ignored critical evidence that would have found Baden guilty of malfeasance
Malfeasance
The expressions misfeasance and nonfeasance, and occasionally malfeasance, are used in English law with reference to the discharge of public obligations existing by common law, custom or statute.-Definition and relevant rules of law:...
in office. However, Ieyoub reported that a lengthy investigation concluded "there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution." Baden said at the time that he knew he would be cleared of the allegations. "I felt all along that I would be cleared of these allegations. . . I never did anything wrong. We never took anything from the city that we didn't earn."
Deslatte was unable to work with the city council and resigned as mayor after less than two years into his term. He said that the political pressure was too much to make the job worth keeping. The council then appointed 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...
council member, Clarence Ray Fields, Sr. (born November 7, 1955), as interim
Interim
Interim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...
mayor to succeed Deslatte. Fields, hence the first black mayor of Pineville, was then elected to a partial term in 2000, a full term in 2002 and reelected again in 2006. Baden announced that he would oppose Fields for the partial term in 2000 but subsequently withdrew from consideration, and George Hearn instead ran unsuccessfully for mayor that year.
Baden's legacy
Baden died at the age of seventy-five, several days after having been admitted to Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria. He was on life support as a result of a fall at his home. Services were held on December 19, 2009, at the First Baptist Church of Pineville, located across the street from Pineville City Hall. Interment was at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.When he left the office of mayor, Baden declared himself a true public servant: "What we get out of life is what we do for others. . . ."We made Pineville a city that everyone could be proud of. I would like to be remembered as a man that helped build the city that I loved. I would like to be remembered for all the accomplishments we made together as a dedicated team for the past twenty-eight years." He continued: "I never forgot that it was the people who put me there. They're the ones you listen to. They're the board of directors."
Former city council member Jack Wainwright said that Baden was known for his kindness to others and his excellent treatment of municipal employees: "I don't know of any employee that didn't like the mayor, because he was a good man." Robert F. Cespiva (born 1925), a former council member for sixteen years, said that Baden "had a big heart, especially for senior citizens. . . . He was color blind when it came to race."
Mayor Fields said that Baden's "prints are all over this city. He . . . cared about people and did everything he possibly could to help people. There's signs of it all over the city." Fields said that Pineville will honor Baden in "a great way" at some point in the future.