Dear editor,

Recently I heard that Jerria Martin is a candidate for mayor of Selma. If true, nothing in her recent Selma Times-Journal column comes remotely close to someone who can lead Selma.  And while I can appreciate the energy of a young person, in my opinion Martin does not possess the management and leadership skills to handle the job as mayor.

Graduating college is a monumental achievement. Nevertheless, graduating college does not make one a leader. The mayor of Los Angeles, Ca. is a graduate of Columbia University and a Rhoades Scholar. However, his education is not what got him elected. His past record as a political leader, experience involving local government, (city council president), and his community based coalitions were major factors in getting him elected.

I don’t know one good deed 21st Century has done for Selma. I do know the organization is run by outsiders who came to Selma and it appears that their only interest is to make money and to continue dividing this city.

The other candidate in the mayor’s race can’t keep a job. I read in The Birmingham News that after 1 month, he was fired from his last job working for Jefferson County. Since he left the mayor’s office in 2008, he has done absolutely nothing to help Selma progress.

Being mayor isn’t an easy job. So I pose this question to the candidates who are throwing their hat into the ring — why?

Why are you the person who can make this city great?

 

Gerald Chestnut Riberio 

CEO of the J.L. Chestnut, Jr. Foundation