Black City Leaders - A Rising Trend?
 

In the April 25, 2002 issue of The Other Paper, there was an article noting that Columbus, Ohio had a high number of black leaders for a predominately white town (711,000 people with a 24.5% Black population). A listing of the Black leadership:

Mayor: Michael B. Coleman
Safety Director (?) Can't remember the name, will post later
Police Chief: James Jackson
Fire Chief: Ned Perris, Jr. (?)
City Attorney: Janet Jackson (who just got re-elected and even if she lost, would have been replaced by another black, Kim Browne)
School Board President: Stephanie Hightower
Superintendant of Schools: Gene Harris
Note: the only significant white city official is City Council President Matt Habash. However, three of the seven City Council members are black, one of which I personally went to school with.

Also noteworthy, Ohio will soon have a black female lieutenant governor; Democrat Charleta Tavares or Republican Jeanette Bradley.

Granted, in cities like Atlanta, Detroit, or Cleveland this may be nothing new, but then they have a higher percentage of Black citizens. Do you think cities like Columbus can be considered "colorblind" when a high number of Black leaders are in office and is disproportionate to the percentage of Black citizens represented

Lemme hear from ya.

in Detroit, MI

Mayor: Kwame Kilpatrick (A Phi A)
First Lady: Carlita Kilpatrick (DST)
City Cheif of Staff: Christine Beatty (DST)
Soon to be Lt. Gov.: Alma Wheeler Smith (DST)--currenlty a State
Senator
City Council member: Barbara Rose Collins (DST)
City Council member: Brenda M. Scott (AKA)

Most of the city's leadership is black, just wanted to put it out there, that they're also Greeks!

Is Kwame Kilpatrick related to Carolyn Kilpatrick? And Barbara-Rose Collins is back on the City Council?????!!!!!

Yup, he's her son. And yup, well, let me check that (BRC). Are you from the D?

Nope, I just know a lot of people there.

The thing is, while Detroit's leadership is black, the majority of the city's population is black (80%?). Columbus has about a 25% black population but the predominant leadership here is black. In other words, black leaders are running a predominately white city. The Other Paper, btw, did do a comparison of nearby cities and their leadership by race and their black percentage population. Included were Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Oh, it seems that Delta is representing in your town on the leadership front. Keep up the good work!!

I don't think that they are necessarily color blind. However, I do believe in such cities, the Black politicians are able to put forth a positive, intelligent, and trustworthy image that allows them to break color barriers. They are seen as credible. I don't think that it is possible to be color-blind...people may just be thinking that this is the best person for the job and he/she happens to be an African-American. Race may be considered as a plus when someone is already competant.

I currently reside in Pittsburgh, but I am a native New Yorker. Pittsburgh is segregated physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Racism is imbedded in the city. Black politicians are often not skillful politicians. But the politician also does not have a strong community calling them to task, either. The Black population seems to go along with the status quo. Pittsburgh is an unusual U.S. city...and the reason is rarely noted...it doesn't have a strongly educated class of Black folk so you don't see the kind of political and intellectual shifts that one might see in Columbus. Some recent occurances have included the appointment of Rodney Bryant (known for his economic development related leadership in Atlanta) as head of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance. Additionally, the Pittsburgh Public Schools has an African-American superintendent national note, Dr. John Thompson.

There are Blacks on Pittsburgh's city council...but for the most part, they lack the negotiation skills needed to make a mark. Also, there are young Black professional groups springing up. You also have people who are in highly respected positions at the universities, and national non-profit groups. The corporate presence hasn't been strong. What I think is needed to bring along the transformation that you are seeing in municipalities like Columbus, Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Hampton Roads, and Richmond is a partnership or alliance formed with whites and other constituencies. Blacks in Pittsburgh must become power brokers...which means that we have to possess the intellectual capital that would enable us to go to those in power and negotiate for our piece of the proverbial pie.

Its starting to happen...but things are moving at a snail's pace. I'm not here for the long haul...but hope to make some changes over the short period that I'm here.

Seattle Washington had a black mayor in the early-mid 90's, and they have a black population of about 10%

Blunting edges
 

I remember this guy's name, it was Norm Rice. I think, however, that Rice had a relatively moderate image and Seattle was, at that time, a moderate to liberal city.

Disclaimer: The following is my opinion. For the most part, black politicians who win races in non-black communities are either running in Democratic-leaning areas or they blunt some of their racial edges. An Al Sharpton-style campaign isn't going to play in suburbia.

Here in OC, (still) one of the most conservative metros in the U.S., the elected county assessor is black, but with a county-wide AfAm population of less than 2 percent, he can't run a racialized campaign.

Something we as voters should be conscious of is black politicians who behave badly and use being black as a means to justify or shield themselves from the repercussions. Lord help me if I mention this name....Former Mayor Marion Barry. :rolleyes: :eek: :eek: :eek: