It's time to stop calling Sid Edwards "Coach."

No matter how much he embraces the moniker, the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President has left the sidelines behind. Now he's on the field — but it's not a Friday night gridiron tilt, it's full on knockdown drag-out politics.

And parish voters on Saturday delivered the longtime high school coach a major political loss. They rejected all three of his tax rededication proposals, which he had branded Thrive EBR. Thrive was the product of months of negotiations and stumbles. It was Edwards' first major policy initiative. It was an attempt to capitalize on all the goodwill he generated during his upbeat and refreshing campaign. The changes were vital, Edwards said, to continue providing services now that new city of St. George is established

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