Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 5, 1993 TAG: 9301050213
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
TERRY ALLIES RALLY
Black state legislators rushed to the defense of Attorney General Mary Sue Terry on Monday, expressing dismay and embarrassment over Gov. Douglas Wilder's threat not to support her for governor.Several questioned Wilder's suggestion that without his support, Terry's bid for black votes and chances of becoming the state's first woman governor are "dead."
Wilder made the comments last week after a Richmond judge overruled his effort to fire Terry as lawyer for the state employees' pension fund. Wilder's anger stemmed from Terry's public criticism last fall of the directors of the $14.5 billion Virginia Retirement System.
The governor also said black senators and delegates have failed to address issues of special concern to their constituents.
Four black lawmakers contacted over the weekend and on Monday said they intend to back Terry, a Democrat, regardless of Wilder's actions. They said Terry, concerned about the potential fallout of her battle with the governor, has been in steady contact with them during recent weeks.
"It seems to me the governor's disagreement with Mary Sue Terry is his own, not necessarily that of the black community at large," said Del. Jerrauld Jones, D-Norfolk.
"I think it's unfortunate that there seems to be some feeling, at least on the part of the governor, that his fight is the black community's fight," Jones said. "I don't think any of that is going to affect the black support for Mary Sue Terry."
State Sen. L. Louise Lucas, D-Norfolk, said she was "saddened" by Wilder's comments. "I don't know of anything I can say to change his mind because once he's on the warpath, you've got to let him run his course," she said. "I'm hoping he'll come around."
One black lawmaker, who asked not to be identified, called the governor's statements "reprehensible."
Wilder and Terry ran as successful ticket mates in 1985 and '89. Wilder's term expires next January and the state constitution bars him from seeking re-election. Terry, a two-term attorney general, is the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic gubernatorial nomination - possibly without competition.
Tensions between the two Democrats began simmering this past fall, when Terry criticized directors of the retirement system for being overly secretive and subject to few state controls. They boiled over in December, when Terry sued Wilder to block her ouster as the pension fund's lawyer. A judge ruled Wilder does not have the authority to fire Terry as counsel to a state agency. Wilder is considering an appeal.
A bristling Wilder said last week that his prior pledges to support the Democratic nominee are "inoperative" and that his stance toward Terry is "on evaluation on a day-to-day basis." He suggested that black voters may "take a hike" rather than vote for Terry. He added that Democrats "might just have to lose an election so that people will take [black voters] seriously."
Several Democratic leaders were incredulous at Wilder's suggestion that he could control the black vote, a traditional source of strength to Democratic candidates.
"The governor's presumption is unfair to black folks," said Ken Geroe, chairman of the 2nd District Democratic Committee in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. "He assumes that blacks are a monolithic group and that because one person signals displeasure with a candidate, that person can shut off support like a water tap."
But Del. Kenneth Melvin, D-Portsmouth, said a concerted Wilder effort could deprive Terry of as much as 30 percent of the black vote a Democratic candidate could normally expect. "We have a strong tradition in the Democratic Party and I would hate to see it upset by political infighting," he said.
Charles E. Jones, director of the Institute for Study of Minority Issues at Old Dominion University, said Wilder is "using the black vote to fight his personal battles instead of engaging in debate over policies" that affect the black community. "We need to get away from these personalized battles or no one benefits," he added.
Several Democrats noted that Terry helped Wilder become the nation's first elected black governor in 1989 by choosing to seek a second term as attorney general instead of challenging him for the Democratic nomination.
Some said they expect Wilder to be in Terry's corner by the fall, noting that Wilder has a long history of withholding support for Democratic candidates - including President-elect Bill Clinton - until the last moment.
"The governor always has these snits but, when it comes down to the time for him to act, he always comes through," Geroe said.
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POLITICS NOTE: LEDE