Changes

From 1953 to 1956, Christian, allied with the [[Earl Long|anti-Long]] faction of Louisiana Democratic politics,<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Nn72O7GtghoC&pg=PA281&lpg=PA281&dq=C.+H.+%22Sammy%22+Downs&source=bl&ots=3VVIioIPtp&sig=6V3sq_sFUKPwa7zqkpP8WhBWZkU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KJXMUdQezK3KAbmzgJgC&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=C.%20H.%20%22Sammy%22%20Downs&f=false|author=Michael Kurtz and [[Morgan D. Peoples]]|title=Earl K. Long: The Saga of Uncle Earl in Louisiana Politics|date=1990 ISBN 0-8071-1577-0|publisher=[[Louisiana State University]] Press|accessdate=June 28, 2013}}</ref> served part-time on the Baton Rouge City-Parish Council, a combined municipal/parish operation, a hybrid of a city council member and a county commissioner, originally launched in East Baton Rouge Parish on January 1, 1949.<ref name=ebroff/><ref>The East Baton Rouge Parish listing of metro council members does not give the numbers of the districts. There is only a list of all who served during each four-year term of office.</ref> On August 22, 1956, Christian was elected Mayor-President and served from January 1, 1957, to December 31, 1964. In office, he introduced a major medical insurance policy for city-parish employees, created a system of job classification and salary schedules for the employees, and introduced a $21 million sewer expansion project.<ref name=lahist/> He succeeded Mrs. Jesse L. Webb, Jr., who had served only a few remaining months of her husband's term as mayor-president.<ref name=ebroff/>

From 1953 to 1956, Christian, allied with the [[Earl Long|anti-Long]] faction of Louisiana Democratic politics,<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Nn72O7GtghoC&pg=PA281&lpg=PA281&dq=C.+H.+%22Sammy%22+Downs&source=bl&ots=3VVIioIPtp&sig=6V3sq_sFUKPwa7zqkpP8WhBWZkU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KJXMUdQezK3KAbmzgJgC&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=C.%20H.%20%22Sammy%22%20Downs&f=false|author=Michael Kurtz and [[Morgan D. Peoples]]|title=Earl K. Long: The Saga of Uncle Earl in Louisiana Politics|date=1990 ISBN 0-8071-1577-0|publisher=[[Louisiana State University]] Press|accessdate=June 28, 2013}}</ref> served part-time on the Baton Rouge City-Parish Council, a combined municipal/parish operation, a hybrid of a city council member and a county commissioner, originally launched in East Baton Rouge Parish on January 1, 1949.<ref name=ebroff/><ref>The East Baton Rouge Parish listing of metro council members does not give the numbers of the districts. There is only a list of all who served during each four-year term of office.</ref> On August 22, 1956, Christian was elected Mayor-President and served from January 1, 1957, to December 31, 1964. In office, he introduced a major medical insurance policy for city-parish employees, created a system of job classification and salary schedules for the employees, and introduced a $21 million sewer expansion project.<ref name=lahist/> He succeeded Mrs. Jesse L. Webb, Jr., who had served only a few remaining months of her husband's term as mayor-president.<ref name=ebroff/>

In October 1959, Christian, citing traffic and safety concerns, moved trick-or-treating from Saturday, October 31 ([[Halloween]]), to Friday, October 30, in order to accommodate the 1959 LSU Tigers [[football]] team game.<ref name="halloween">{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/62491322.html|author=Chante Dionne Warren|title=Halloween changes a scary proposition for mayors|date=September 29, 2009; no longer on-line|publisher=''The Baton Rouge  Advocate''|accessdate=December 23, 2010}}</ref> During the game, LSU's Billy Cannon returned a punt against the Ole Miss Rebels from the [[University of Mississippi]], resulting in an 89-yard [[touchdown]] that helped to keep LSU undefeated and secured Cannon the [[Heisman Trophy]], making him the only Tiger to have won the trophy thus far.<ref name="halloween"/>

In October 1959, Christian, citing traffic and safety concerns, moved trick-or-treating from Saturday, October 31 ([[Halloween]]), to Friday, October 30, in order to accommodate the 1959 LSU Tigers [[football]] team game.<ref name="halloween">{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/62491322.html|author=Chante Dionne Warren|title=Halloween changes a scary proposition for mayors|date=September 29, 2009|publisher=''The Baton Rouge  Advocate''|accessdate=December 23, 2010; no longer on-line}}</ref> During the game, LSU's Billy Cannon returned a punt against the Ole Miss Rebels from the [[University of Mississippi]], resulting in an 89-yard [[touchdown]] that helped to keep LSU undefeated and secured Cannon the [[Heisman Trophy]], making him the only Tiger to have won the trophy thus far.<ref name="halloween"/>

On August 29, 1964, Christian was defeated for re-nomination by his fellow [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] [[Woodrow Wilson Dumas]],<ref name=lahist/> a member of the parish council since 1953, who had served his first term on the body alongside Christian. Dumas served four terms as mayor-president, with service ending in his 1980 defeat by the Democrat James Patrick Screen, Jr. (1943-1994).<ref name=ebroff/>

On August 29, 1964, Christian was defeated for re-nomination by his fellow [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] [[Woodrow Wilson Dumas]],<ref name=lahist/> a member of the parish council since 1953, who had served his first term on the body alongside Christian. Dumas served four terms as mayor-president, with service ending in his 1980 defeat by the Democrat James Patrick Screen, Jr. (1943-1994).<ref name=ebroff/>