BATON ROUGE — Mayor-President-elect Sid Edwards named the first two members of his transition team during an appearance at the Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge Parish on Tuesday.

Edwards named Republican state Sen. Rick Edmonds to chair his transition team. Edmonds, who represents Baton Rouge, also named Darrell Glasper, a former member of the Baton Rouge Metro Council, to co-chair the team.

"We have leveled the playing field, coach," Glasper said. 

Glasper announced Metro City Councilman Darryl Hurst, a Democrat, as the chairman of Edwards' Community Team. This is a new position aimed at strengthening ties between the city-parish and various communities, Glasper said.

"If we fix North Baton Rouge we fix our entire city, we fix crime, we fix household median income, we fix education and it is done through three things employment, education and entrepreneurship," Hurst said at the event.

Edwards spoke to the chamber at Café Américain on Jefferson Highway about his preparations for policies after his inauguration and first days in office.

Edwards says the number one thing he's looking for when hiring his new staff is passion and compassion for Baton Rouge, which he says both new members of his transition team have in common.

"I'm trying to break the chains of division we are trying to bring everybody together," Edwards said.

Edwards, a Republican, said Glasper and Edmonds are just the beginning of his ideal Baton Rouge.

"It's going to grow, there's not a set number by tonight but it will be built over the next month prior to inauguration," Edwards said.

The head football coach at Istrouma High School, Edwards was elected in a run-off election on Saturday, winning 54% of the vote over incumbent Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome.

Edwards will be sworn in on Jan. 2.