As the spotlight of the nation continued to shine on Baton Rouge, Mayor-President Kip Holden's handling of his city's trying circumstances has often been under fire.

A recent LA Times report delved into Holden's personality and perspective, and how it has shone through in the past weeks.

In the immediate aftermath of Alton Sterling's death, Holden's notable absence was called into question.

Holden defended his choice to keep his distance, saying work he was handling in Washington was important and time sensitive. He also remarked that police were investigating a death threat against him.

Many called for Holden's resignation at Sterling protests, and there were threats of picketing his home, although those protests never developed.

At a prayer service for Sterling a week after his death, Holden commented "it has been hell."

"They wanna say the mayor should be here, the mayor should be there, do you think I'm gonna stand up where there are people with venom spilling out of their mouths?" Holden said after the prayer service. "... My parents gave me this thing called common sense, and I'm gonna use it."

The Advocate columnist Lanny Keller was quoted in the LA Times report, saying Holden had a propensity to be incredibly sensitive in the wake of criticism, but his take on Holden's potential legacy was much softer.

“History will regard him as a great mayor,” Keller said. “He’s more successful than he is popular. There just hasn’t been enough time and space to see that.”

Click here for the full LA Times report.