THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 8, 1995 TAG: 9501070118
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Mayor William E. Ward declared last week that ``. . . the increase in Republican power over the past three or four years has meant a diminution of black political power'' in Chesapeake.
If one of Professor Ward's college students submitted a paper with that statement as its thesis, he would, no doubt, insist that some corroborating evidence be presented to back it up. He should have held himself to the same standards.
The mayor would have trouble building a case that the new Republican majority has disenfranchised Chesapeake's minority citizens.
Yes, the Hospital Authority had two African-American members prior to the latest round of appointments and one after. But the loss of one minority seat certainly does not support the mayor's sweeping generalization, especially in consideration of the appointment of blacks to several other boards and commissions.
We might also quibble with the mayor's reference to ``the past three or four years.'' While Republican influence on the council has certainly increased during that time, it has been only since June that that party has had control over appointments to positions of authority. Up until then, that power was securely in the hands of the mayor's own party. If there has been a diminution of black political power in Chesapeake ``over the past three or four years,'' Republicans are not responsible for it.
If minorities feel left out in the cold as a result of the power shift in City Hall, it may be because they have historically aligned themselves with the party that's no longer in charge. Councilman W. Joe Newman put it this way: ``. . . they have played the political party game on the side of Democrats, and now they are out of the loop.''
Fair enough. Republicans have earned the right to enjoy the same authority that Democrats enjoyed when they were in the majority. Anyone who is unhappy with this has only to work to put the Democrats back into power in the next municipal election.
But we trust that Mr. Newman and other Republicans realize that having the city's minorities ``out of the loop'' when it comes to public policy is not a good thing, whatever the reason for it.
As the party in power, the Republicans now bear responsibility for finding ways to bring minority citizens back into the loop, to appoint them to positions of authority, to make them feel a part of their city again.
If they manage to do that, the mayor's words last week can be dismissed as so much partisan prattle. If they fail, those same words could be considered prophetic. by CNB