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What is this?
Still not out of the woods
Published Sunday, November 1, 2009
This last election is about as dirty and underhanded as politics gets on a local level.
Of course the hardcore fighting occured on the subterranean level, never to reach the front page of your newspaper. Remember, journalists can report only that which they can confirm. If folks won’t talk, it’s hard to force an honest public conversation. (The dittos in either club do nothing more than confirm the ego of the individual running the microphone at that particular time).
Facts are this $12.5 million bond issue was badly needed for a variety of reasons. Not many people agreed with all the propositions, and rightly so.
But the overall idea of this bond issue rested on giving something to everyone in the city. That happened.
Interestingly, the folks who need the bond issue the most — those in East Selma and those in the bottom — were encouraged to vote against the measure.
The ADC endorsed its slate of candidates for the school board, then urged voters, primarily African-American voters, to vote against the bond issue through its sample ballot passed through the community.
Now one could say the ADC might be losing its grip on the folks casting ballots because the bond issue passed by a wide margin.
Others could say this is the Bennie Ruth Crenshaw-Johnnie Leashore- Henry Hicks method of keeping up the loyal opposition against Mayor George Evans, who defeated their leader James Perkins Sr.
By the way, if this was a referendum on Evans’ leadership as mayor, he received an overwhelming vote of confidence.
If you’ll remember, Perkins did not receive such a vote. The bond issue failed miserably under his leadership. Many of the items in this issue were the same as Perkins’ issue with the exception of cameras for high-risk crime areas and a movie theater (which won’t occur at the Mall after all because negotiations fell through).
The only place for Crenshaw-Leashore -Hicks to come back is through the school board vote. That’s a strong possiblity because people don’t vote as heavy in runoff elections after their candidates lose.
To let this triumvirate succeed would hurt the city as a whole.
Leesha Faulkner is editor of The Selma Times-Journal. Call her at 410-1730 or e-mail leesha.faulkner@selmatimesjournal.com
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Comments
Posted by leo71 (anonymous) on November 3, 2009 at 11:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
A surprisingly scathing article from Ms.Faulkner,but scathingly true.
Posted by alabamaWOW (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 12:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am not sure why the bond issue passed this time. When I voted, Mr. Evans and Mr. Perkins were not on my mind. The race of the candidates was also not on my mind; however, it is very obvious it was on the minds of the majority of the voters.
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