Racialist Behavior by AWB

I decided to post the complete article from yesterday newspaper in it's entirety. I wouldn't wont folks to think I called anyone a racist.

Obstacles persist for local minority candidates
But color has less influence on vote as ballots see more diversity
By Benjamin Lanka
The Journal Gazette


Even as Sen. Barack Obama tries to blaze trails by becoming the nation’s first black president, minority candidates still face hurdles in winning elections at the local level.

Many political candidates, officials and experts said the issue of race is becoming less of a factor in local elections, but it will continue to hold influence for some time.

Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics, said race undoubtedly affects local politics, as it does everywhere. The reason is simple, he said.

“There are still some racists out there,” he said.

In Fort Wayne government, one of 11 elected officials is a minority. In Allen County government, not including the court systems, one of 17 elected officials is not white. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Allen County is 80 percent white, while minorities make up about 26 percent of the Fort Wayne population.

Women in Fort Wayne and Allen County have held many elected positions. They currently hold the offices of city clerk, county auditor, county assessor, county prosecutor, one of the three county commissioners, two of the 10 Allen Superior and Circuit Court judges and three of the seven county council members.

This year’s Fort Wayne city elections include several minority candidates, and at least one will win. Councilman Glynn Hines, D-6th, will face Joe Smith, a Republican minister, to represent southeast Fort Wayne in the only race to pit two blacks from opposite parties. This is an area home to many minorities.

Denise Porter-Ross, Eddie Arrington, Melvin Billingsley and Tom Essex, all Democrats, are seeking to become the first minority – all are black – to win a citywide elected office as they run for one of three at-large city council seats. Essex is the former Wayne Township trustee.

Hines said he doesn’t believe running as a minority in Fort Wayne is a problem, pointing to the success of Rick Stevenson in last year’s race for the Wayne Township trustee. Stevenson, who is black, unseated two-term incumbent Matt Schomburg in a result that was a surprise to many Republicans.

Stevenson said his family has local roots dating back to 1915, giving him more recognition within minority circles and throughout Wayne Township.

“I could just about name every black individual in Fort Wayne,” he said.

Mike Cunegin, a Republican, served as president of the Allen County Council before losing a race for county commissioner and then leaving to take a job with the state.

Race did not play a factor in losing the Republican primary to current Commissioner Nelson Peters, Cunegin said. He said the main color in that race was green – Peters was able to outspend him.

Party choice

Both major political parties claim to be the party of choice for minorities. Kevin Knuth, chairman of the Allen County Democratic Party, announced during his state of the party speech this year that the party will form a black caucus, along with caucuses for other minority groups.

Knuth said starting the caucus is a way to drive interest in politics for minorities as well as develop minority candidates. This will not only help minority candidates, it also will help the party increase its appeal, he said.

“I think the party as a whole has taken the black vote for granted and that’s a mistake,” he said.

Hines said the caucus is an excellent idea, although he believes many black Democrats have been meeting informally for years. He said one of the best ways to get minority candidates is to first get minorities working on campaigns for people of all colors. That way they get involved with the political process.

He also didn’t believe the candidacy of Obama for president would help local candidates, but said it will work in reverse. If local minorities participate in elections and win, he said, that will energize the entire minority community to get out and support national candidates.

Steve Shine, Allen County Republican chairman, said the local party has been able to reverse the national perception that minorities flock to the Democratic Party.

“Our record with members of the multicultural community is stellar,” he said.

Shine pointed out that Herb Hernandez was the first Hispanic – and minority – elected to countywide office. Shine also cited Cunegin’s accomplishments.

Two blacks, Ivan Hood and Wilbert “Duke” Brown, are running for mayor of Fort Wayne as Republicans. While Hood and Brown aren’t seen by many as candidates with legitimate chances of winning, Shine said they are given every opportunity within the party to succeed.

“They have to run their own campaigns,” he said.

Winning big

Minority candidates in Fort Wayne and Allen County have had success winning races confined to small areas of the community. For example, the 6th District City Council seat has historically been held by a minority.

In fact, some seats favor minority candidates. Shine said his party tried to attract a minority to replace Cunegin on the ticket for the 1st County Council district, which represents southeast Allen County. A Republican caucus nominated James Ball, a white business owner from New Haven. Ball then lost to Maye Johnson, a black Democrat, in the fall election.

Winning across a broader population has been more difficult for minorities. In fact, officials could point only to Hernandez as a minority who won a countywide race. He was elected to an at-large County Council seat in 2000. Hernandez, however, only made it to the fall ballot through an appointment by Shine after the death of Jack McComb.

Hernandez did not seek re-election to his seat in 2004, instead running a fairly low-key race for commissioner against Cunegin and Peters. He finished third.

Council candidate Essex handily lost a race for Fort Wayne mayor in 1995 against incumbent Paul Helmke.

Downs, a self-proclaimed optimist, said he believes minorities can win elections, but that it will take specific qualities for them to win city or countywide. For example, a minority candidate would have to have some initial name recognition to start. Candidates would also need the ability to raise significant money, Downs said, and they would likely have to hope their opponent does not run a perfect campaign.

Cunegin said one of the reasons he lost his election for commissioner was because his campaign did not adequately target absentee voters.

Knuth said a concerted effort to bring out Democratic voters last year helped spur both Stevenson and Johnson to victory. He said a similar effort on a larger scale could propel a minority to win a citywide seat.

Shine said he would hope race doesn’t play a factor in elections anymore.

“I hope they would judge someone on their merits rather than on the color of their skin,” he said.

Burdened with victory

While campaigning last year, Stevenson said he heard references to shortcomings of previous black trustees in Wayne Township. While it was not expressly stated, he said the message was clear that their past mistakes should be lumped on Stevenson because he is also black.

Most people would consider it ludicrous to associate a white politician’s failings with another white politician, just because of their race, Downs said. Still, he said, some people use this line of thinking with minority candidates.

“This is something that we have seen for decades,” he said. “It took the right African American to break into baseball, and he knew that.”

That is one of the reasons Hines said he strives to achieve the highest level of performance in government.

“You gotta be able to show them by example that you can do it,” he said.

This not only quiets critics, he said but also inspires younger minorities to seek these positions.

Stevenson said he believes sometimes that he is carrying much of the black community on his shoulders. That is why he makes sure to do everything he can to be a great example, he said.

“I don’t want to let those people down,” he said, “who have now developed hope.”

blanka@jg.net


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Elected minorities

Black

Statewide

In 2001, there were 86 black elected officials in Indiana state, county or local government, out of 11,636 total elected officials.

Nationwide

In 2001, there were 9,101 black elected officials across the country. In 1970, there were 1,469.

Hispanic

Statewide

In 2001, there were 10 Hispanic elected officials in Indiana state, county or local government; that number increased to 13 in 2005.

Nationwide

In 2005, there were 4,853 Hispanic elected officials across the country. In 1984, there were 3,063.

Source: Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Both datasets can be accessed through the U.S. Census Bureau.