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Council approves official flag design for East Baton Rouge Parish
Summary
The Metropolitan Council approved an official flag design for East Baton Rouge Parish developed by Public Works employee Mark LeBlanc; LeBlanc said the design references the parish’s French and British history and the Mississippi River and donated the first 5x8 flag to the parish.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Metropolitan Council on June 25 voted to approve a design for an official parish flag developed by Mark LeBlanc, a parish public-works employee and long‑time flag designer.
Councilman Mote introduced the item and called LeBlanc to explain the symbolism. LeBlanc said the red field refers to the “red stick” (the origin of the name Baton Rouge) and the Mississippi River, and that the shield on the flag echoes imagery on the existing city flag representing the three ruling nations that held the territory (France, Spain and Great Britain). LeBlanc said he consulted with flag experts and the North American Vexillological Association during the design process and that two other Louisiana parishes already have official flags.
LeBlanc told the council he had purchased a 5‑by‑8‑foot version of the flag and would donate it as the first parish flag. Mayor President Sid Edwards and several council members praised LeBlanc’s service to the parish; no council member registered opposition during debate and the motion to adopt the design carried.
Why it matters: adopting a single parish flag gives a common emblem for the parish government to display alongside municipal, state and national flags, and the design intentionally references regional history and the Mississippi River.
