Changes

The League of American Bicyclists, notes Sadow, gives Louisiana "good marks when it comes to laws and policies that support bicycling safety. … But while the legal environment promotes safe biking, the state fails to follow through in other ways. Louisiana ranks below average on evaluation and planning and on education and encouragement, and its infrastructure and funding efforts don’t impress the League. Some of the lowest scoring comes in spending, both in use of federal transportation money to create safer biking and willingness to integrate cycling into designing and building."<ref name=sadow>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_69c29f26-8053-11e8-909c-8bb1cac58d21.html|title=Amoroso's death highlights need for needs better bike safety enforcement in Louisiana|author=Jeffrey Dennis Sadow|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=July 7, 2018|accessdate=July 9, 2018}}</ref> Sadow said too that while "money matters ... altering attitudes best addresses this problem. Simple, inexpensive behavioral change can prevent senseless, needless tragedies like that which befell Amoroso."<ref name=sadow/>

The League of American Bicyclists, notes Sadow, gives Louisiana "good marks when it comes to laws and policies that support bicycling safety. … But while the legal environment promotes safe biking, the state fails to follow through in other ways. Louisiana ranks below average on evaluation and planning and on education and encouragement, and its infrastructure and funding efforts don’t impress the League. Some of the lowest scoring comes in spending, both in use of federal transportation money to create safer biking and willingness to integrate cycling into designing and building."<ref name=sadow>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/jeff_sadow/article_69c29f26-8053-11e8-909c-8bb1cac58d21.html|title=Amoroso's death highlights need for needs better bike safety enforcement in Louisiana|author=Jeffrey Dennis Sadow|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=July 7, 2018|accessdate=July 9, 2018}}</ref> Sadow said too that while "money matters ... altering attitudes best addresses this problem. Simple, inexpensive behavioral change can prevent senseless, needless tragedies like that which befell Amoroso."<ref name=sadow/>

Coincidentally, John David Nelson (born c. 1951), a member of the city council in [[Lubbock]], Texas, from 1997 to 2002, and the Republican nominee for a county court judgeship in the November 6 general election, was killed in a bicycle accident on July 18 on the Lubbock-Hockley County line while he was training for a race in [[Midland]], Texas, scheduled for August 25.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/20180718/public-servant-lost-nelson-family-city-leaders-mourn-long-time-attorney-judge-candidate-killed-in-crash|title="Public servant lost: Nelson family, city leaders mourn long-time attorney, judge candidate killed in crash"|author=Erica Pauda and Matt Dotray|publisher=''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|date=July 18, 2018|accessdate=July 19, 2018}}</ref>

Coincidentally, John David Nelson (born c. 1951), a member of the city council in [[Lubbock]], Texas, from 1997 to 2002, and the Republican nominee for a county court judgeship in the November 6 general election, was killed in a bicycle accident on July 18 on the Lubbock-Hockley County line while he was training for a race in [[Midland]], Texas, scheduled for August 25.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/20180718/public-servant-lost-nelson-family-city-leaders-mourn-long-time-attorney-judge-candidate-killed-in-crash|title=Public servant lost: Nelson family, city leaders mourn long-time attorney, judge candidate killed in crash|author=Erica Pauda and Matt Dotray|publisher=''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|date=July 18, 2018|accessdate=July 19, 2018}}</ref>

==His wife succeeds him==

==His wife succeeds him==

Though it is customary in Baton Rouge to offer the council seat to the widow or widower of a deceased member, four of the five [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] members of the council voiced opposition to Denise Amoroso succeeding her husband in the position. The four favor leaving the seat empty until the special election can be held in March 2019. The council often divides, 7-5, in favor of the Republicans; a vacancy would produced 6-6 split until the seat is filled by election. Parish president Sharon Weston Broome, a Democrat, however, has endorsed Denise Amoroso as the interim successor to her husband, and the Republican majority is expected to appoint Mrs. Amoroso in mid-July. If the Metro Council cannot muster a majority to fill the seat, Democratic [[Governor]] [[John Bel Edwards]] will select the appointee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_2b5cdf8e-8487-11e8-9069-377ebeb9bcdb.html|author=Andrea Gallo|title=Anger, outrage as Baton Rouge Democrats oppose Amoroso's widow -- or anyone -- taking open seat|date=July 10, 2018|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|accessdate=July 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_c930da0a-8561-11e8-9a90-5b10dc74d788.html|title=Political miscalculation: Why Baton Rouge Democrats' stance on Amoroso's seat backfired|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Andrea Gallo|date=July 11, 2018|accessdate=July 12, 2018}}</ref>

Though it is customary in Baton Rouge to offer the council seat to the widow or widower of a deceased member, four of the five [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] members of the council voiced opposition to Denise Amoroso succeeding her husband in the position. The four favor leaving the seat empty until the special election can be held in March 2019. The council often divides, 7-5, in favor of the Republicans; a vacancy would produced 6-6 split until the seat is filled by election. Parish president Sharon Weston Broome, a Democrat, however, has endorsed Denise Amoroso as the interim successor to her husband, and the Republican majority is expected to appoint Mrs. Amoroso in mid-July. If the Metro Council cannot muster a majority to fill the seat, Democratic [[Governor]] [[John Bel Edwards]] will select the appointee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_2b5cdf8e-8487-11e8-9069-377ebeb9bcdb.html|author=Andrea Gallo|title=Anger, outrage as Baton Rouge Democrats oppose Amoroso's widow -- or anyone -- taking open seat|date=July 10, 2018|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|accessdate=July 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_c930da0a-8561-11e8-9a90-5b10dc74d788.html|title=Political miscalculation: Why Baton Rouge Democrats' stance on Amoroso's seat backfired|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Andrea Gallo|date=July 11, 2018|accessdate=July 12, 2018}}</ref>

Nevertheless, despite the opposition, the Metro Council appointed Mrs. Amoroso to fill out her husband's term on the body.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_6d12305e-8b7c-11e8-9fbe-c7f8b4485889.html|title="Denise Amoroso takes late husband's Baton Rouge council seat amid contentious debate"|author=Andrea Gallo|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=July 19, 2018|accessdate=July 20, 2018}}</ref>  

Nevertheless, despite the opposition, the Metro Council appointed Mrs. Amoroso to fill out her husband's term on the body.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_6d12305e-8b7c-11e8-9fbe-c7f8b4485889.html|title=Denise Amoroso takes late husband's Baton Rouge council seat amid contentious debate|author=Andrea Gallo|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=July 19, 2018|accessdate=July 20, 2018}}</ref>