VIRGINIA BEACH
Leaders in the black community are convinced the city’s voting system is keeping their candidates from winning a seat on City Council.
In a city where about 20 percent of 433,000 residents are black, only two have been elected in its 35-year history – John L. Perry in the 1980s and Louisa Strayhorn (1994- 98).
“We don’t look any different than cities across the nation did in the 1950s,” said Beach NAACP President Georgia Allen, who came in second for an at-large seat on Nov. 4. “Virginia Beach should be embarrassed.”
The Beach has the third-largest black population among cities in Virginia, trailing Richmond and Norfolk. In fact, were they to form their own municipality, the Beach’s estimated 87,134 black residents would create the 10th largest city in the state, settling between Roanoke and Suffolk.
Except for Virginia Beach, the state’s 10 biggest cities all have at least two black council members.
Allen and others blame the Beach’s system, where seven council seats represent districts, three others – and the mayor – are at-large . The catch is, every seat is filled by citywide voting.
“It’s a crazy system,” said Andrew Jackson, one of the two black candidates who lost in the Kempsville district race nearly two weeks ago . “It’s really confusing.”
The city’s NAACP chapter backed Jackson on Nov. 4. The Rev. Joe Flores, another black candidate, also ran in Kempsville, where incumbent Harry Diezel was re-elected.
“Andrew Jackson would be the sitting city councilman in Kempsville right now” if Flores hadn’t run, said Carl Wright, president of the Virginia Beach African-American Political Action Council. “He split the vote right down the middle in the black community.”
Jackson received 38,762 votes and Flores 34,168, for a combined 72,930 – 3,616 more than Diezel garnered.
Flores said he doesn’t believe people automatically vote along racial lines. It wasn’t his candidacy, he said, but the citywide voting that was at fault.
“It’s an antiquated, biased system of election,” Flores said. “Most cities that are progressive understand that.”
Many cities with large minority populations, including Richmond and Norfolk, have moved to ward, or district, systems, where residents of the ward pick their own representative.
Norfolk, with about a 44 percent percent black population, went to the system in the early 1990s, after an eight-year fight that reached the U.S. Supreme Court . Today, three of Norfolk’s eight council members are black in a city with five wards and two “super wards,” or at-large seats.
Norfolk Councilman Paul Riddick was first seated in 1992, part of the wave of African Americans elected after the suit. “Right now, minority to Virginia Beach means Filipino,” said Riddick, referring to the lone minority presence on the Beach’s council, at-large Councilman Ron Villanueva.
The NAACP’s Georgia Allen received 34 percent of the vote to incumbent Rosemary Wilson’s 43 percent for an at-large seat sought by five candidates. Allen doesn’t want a ward system but supports a different solution: If four seats are open and 10 people run, the top four vote-getters win. “Virginia Beach does not have an equal playing field,” Allen said.
She points to Chesapeake, where nearly 66,000 of almost 217,000 residents – 31 percent – are black. On that city’s at-large council, four of nine members are black.
Other Virginia cities with a similar percentage of black citizens as the Beach have black representation. Alexandria, with a 22 percent black population, has two black council members. Roanoke, 27 percent black, has three black council members.
Strayhorn, who lost her bid for re-election in 1998, believes she would have been returned under a ward system. “I could have worked my district instead of the whole city,” she said.
“It’s not just that minorities have a hard time getting elected, it’s anyone who’s not rich,” said Strayhorn, pointing to the $603,000 raised by Mayor-elect Will Sessoms.
The Beach’s Centerville councilman, Bob Dyer, also supports a shift to “true” districts – only voters within the district vote for that seat. He argues economics. “You wouldn’t have to raise buckets to run,” Dyer said. “A district system would allow people to go door to door and really build a bond with the community.”
Diezel, who won in Kempsville, said a ward system wouldn’t benefit the black community because there aren’t strong geographic concentrations of black voters in the Beach. Plus, he said: “You begin to have ward politics versus global politics. It looks like the biggest bully wins.”
Delceno Miles, president of the Beach’s Minority Business Council, believes Diezel’s popularity, not race, decided the Kempsville outcome.
“If you represent one aspect of the community, and you want the whole community to represent you, that may be unrealistic,” said Miles, a former School Board member. “You have to appeal to a cross-section – business, economic and social.”
W. Randy Wright, a Norfolk councilman who was part of the push for wards, suspects any change won’t come from within the city council.
“The relief is going to have to come from the African-American community,” said Wright, who is white. “They’re going to have to go through the legal process, like we did.”
Strayhorn alluded to asking the Justice Department to study the issue. “It’s not in their best interests to change it,” Strayhorn said of council members. “I have a feeling we’re going to have to mount a campaign.”
John Warren, (757) 222-5114, john.warren@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Good History
Thank God...I was starting to feel like I was the only one who saw what was still happening in VB..
Williams gets the majority of his business from CVB and other City projects...
What I can't figure out is why...VB black population has dropped 68% since 2000..I looked at census info by race..And P-3 stats on VBgov
They have shut down establishments and then purchase the property after the value drops..17th street the block in Federal court now.(Its hard to get accurate info from VBPD back door Eminent Domain ect)Burton Station attempts the Park on VB Blvd Whit Seesoms wants to develop....Doing more research...But not pretty so far ...
I'm not even a minority and this disturbs me. Its almost beyond believe...What I didn't understand is why NAACP was doing nothing...It makes sense now.....SAD
A little history
Va. Beach became a city as a means for the powers that were, to circumvent the failure of "Massive Resistance". In 45 yrs, it's almost amusing how little attitudes have changed, overall. Granted, there have been some small steps toward diversity in positions of power & influence within the city but not as much as 1 would imagine. These were the same powers which refused to build a public high school for Blacks, in Princess Anne County, (now the Beach), during segregation. Black parents had to raise money for the high school. The feds matched the funds. The school was Union-Kempsville. It later became a junior high. People of a certain age, remembering these type things, could easily construe something fishy going on in elections & such, at the Beach. They know the history of the city. To some, if change can't be seen, it hasn't occurred.
NAACP Worst
The NAACP is worse than the KKK. They are famous for selling out..Exploiting there own so a few can profit......Evil
Racist Organizations
It's clear in this day and age that the NAACP should be ranked right in there with the KKK. Both are racist organizations that have no place in today's society, each defines it's purpose based on race (or for those that do not understand...color of one's skin).
I voted for those that had the same ideals that I believe in. It's as simple as that.
NAACP
Georgia Allen you should get Bruce Williams to make you some fliers...But boot him off NAACP first....
Nothing about the VBPD and the treatment of blacks... maybe because he gets so much business from CVB....I'd like to see proof that they bid on minority events...Guess they found a way to pick and choose without the scrutiny....What a Joke..
Even if they come they won't come back after a VB police encounter..And since the police investigate themselves who do you complain to..The NAACP is in the citys pocket....LOL...You guys are being played..
Gee wizz Leo! Georgia Allen
Gee wizz Leo! Georgia Allen lost the at-large race because she didn't present her case as well as Rosemary Wilson did and it is also difficult to unseat an incumbent. I don't believe race had anything to do with it. Pastor Flores and Mr. Jackson were also running against an incumbent. Pastor Flores states "The issue definitely involves race but is far broader than just race." Well sir, what else is there? The NAACP is the organization that has brought up the subject and to this writer, this group assumes that at-large council seats are racist. Does that mean that the Governors, Atty General, and Mayoral races are the same as well since they are elected by popular vote state wide and city wide respectively?
Ideas trump race every time
There are many reasons why there are no more persons of color among the Council members in Virginia Beach. (Sadly, some of the people who post to this site make it clear that racism is alive and well in Hampton Roads.) But I believe if this recent presidential election tells us anything, it is that ideas are bigger than race. To be sure, some people voted for Obama because he is biracial. But the diversity of the people who voted for him--people of all races, income levels, professional standing, etc.--tells us that he won because his words appealed to us for reasons far beyond and unrelated to race. It's cool and telling of America's rich tapestry of colors that a man whose skin color isn't all white won the presidency. But that was not enough reason to vote for him.
If people of color in Virginia Beach want greater representation, they must make race a neutral part of their campaign and be willing and ready to stand on their record and their potential for positive change rather than on the color of their skin.
Virginia's Beach black leaders discuss
Virginia Beach needs to get on the same page as the rest of the country. I think that people should be elected based on their qualifications not the color of their skin. Unfortunately, I am in the minority in that thought process as a resident of Viginia Beach. People keep saying that elected officials represent the entire city. Take your heads out the sand people and realize that is not true. It has less to do with color and more to do with your economic status. It is difficult to understand someones plight when you have never walked in their shoes. That is why we need people on VA Beach city council that can relate to everyone from the wealthy to the single parents struggling to pay rent, buy food, childcare etc. There are enough people representing the wealthy business people already.
I also have an issue with Carl Wright's comment. Pastor Flores may have won if Andrew Jackson had not run. People that voted for Mr. Jackson probably never heard him speak. He is very verbose but what he says has no substance. His pat answer to almost every question was "I am for all people and we need to study that". We need someone on council that can make a decision based on fact
“Andrew Jackson would be
“Andrew Jackson would be the sitting city councilman in Kempsville right now” if Flores hadn’t run, said Carl Wright, president of the Virginia Beach African-American Political Action Council. “He split the vote right down the middle in the black community.”
I would consider Carl Wright to be an obvious spokeman for this cause. By reading this one could not infer anything other than he assumes black people would have only voted for the black candidate and would have won if there had not been two. The problem here is that he admits to racial bias within the black community while at the same time he admits one of them could have won. This blatant racism by the black community must cease.
Single Member Districts
I am saddened by the uninformed responses by many sincerely concerned citizens who unconsciously or subconsciously espouse a bias, discriminatory or at worst a racist ideology regarding minorities and specifically fairly elected representation. As a person with a African-American mother, Philipino, Puerto Rican and Indian biological father and as one who was interracially adopted by a Caucasian family; I recall many conversations between my adopted father and myself where his limited orientation and understanding of African-Americans and other American born minorities was dominated by his own cultural history, isolation and in some cases ignorance. However, I also remember his determination to be a man of fairness, integrity, love and righteousness which in the end shaped his conclusions. Enlightenment can do miracles for a mind. There are a number of single member (wards) districts in the country where predominately African-American populations have elected Caucasians representatives. The issue definitely involves race but is far broader than just race. What’s more revealing about Virginia Beach is how this subject always reveals the eagerness people have to make race our reaso
Tired of race
There will never be a completely colorblind society. People need to get over it. People (especially black people) are placing too much emphasis on race. Symbolism is heavily overrated. Does it matter who gets what position as long as they take care of the people?
Hey, I thought VA Beach
Hey, I thought VA Beach incorporated in 1963, which would make the city 45 years old, not 35.
Did they take a break from incorporation since I've been on the left coast?
Incubents Win
Mr Riddick should just worry about Norfolk and all their problems and keep his nose out of VB and his racist remarks with him. What is all the huff and puff about when an incumbent runs against more than one opponent 95% of the time the incumbent wins. With the at-large-seats there is more than one on city council and once again the incumbent won. In the mayors race for election, if this election had of been in May the incumbent would have more than likely won with 'less' than 50% of the votes as that happened in the 2 previous mayor races as the incumbent got 48%. People were elected by the people for the people they the electors thought was the best person for the seat and nothing else. If Hillary Clinton had of been the Dem candidate would the blacks have turned out in the large numbers as they did or would they have done what they have done in the past and NOT VOTE in the large numbers as they have done in the past?
I don't understand
I just don’t understand what the black leaders of Virginia Beach are complaining about now. It sounds to me that they’re saying to vote for someone because of the color of their skin, isn’t this reverse of what every minority in this country has been fighting for?
At large is not fair
If at-large is fair, why is it NOT in use as a system for the Senate, Congress, VA statewide elections or even the presidential elections? That is the whole point of the conservative argument: local control. If I live in Green Run, why should I have a say who is elected in Bayside? Better yet, if I live in Norfolk, what should stop me from voting for VB mayor? Even having the top number for the at large seats sounds more fair to me. It would be much easier for VB to revise the way city council members are elected than pay millions for a lawsuit that has been lost by Norfolk and will be lost in VB.
I have to ditto Ed on this
I have to ditto Ed on this one. This scenearo also is on par with the police department promotion tests in the cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. If you can't pass the test or win an election in this case, then lower the standards or change the rules to make so that certain groups will win based on gender and race rather than their own merits. When council moved the elections to November it increased voter interest as well as turnout for everyone regardless of race. No one said a word in the past mayorial races in Virginia Beach where 2 candidates faced off with Madame Meyera. Neither candidate got a majority to unseat her. Yet votes from both challengers combined would have beat her.
I see nothing wrong with the current system. City council at-large seats represents all of us. If the candidates have merit and have enough people to back them, then the best candidate will win regardless of race or gender. A young senator named Barack Obama comes to mind.
This is nothing more than sour grapes.
People are going to run the word Charge into the ground
Just because it worked for Obama does not mean it will work for everyone else. People should be voting because they see something in that person running for an office and not because of the color of their skin. Because a person of another skin color are not elected does not mean that it was due to race.
But of course!
Of course it's time for a change, we have to rearrange the entire system to assure that black candidates can focus their efforts on courting those they know will vote for them-why bother trying to show others why you are the better candidate, just appeal to those who will vote for you because you're not white and you can win a seat on city council!
Of course, the old argument is "if a black can't win, it must be the racist voters who can't see past the color of their own skin!"
Seems to me we already have Miss Black America, Black Entertainment Television and organizations dedicated to the advancement of blacks, why not a black-only city council? Why not a black-only mayor? It's funny how some in our community demand equality, but then want the rules changed to assure they have such a limited scope of constituents to appeal to so they can exclude those who would otherwise vote for someone else. Equality doesn't mean making it easier for you to win and racism isn't the reason you lost-get over it. If a black man can win a commanding victory for the highest office in the land, the fault does not lie with the election process.
re: Mikea
Uh...Obama lost in Virginia Beach.
A change is necessary, but to what? We could go to a ward system, cumulative voting, or some other alternative.
The first thing is that the African-American community leadership needs to sit down and try to agree on a new plan among themselves. We can move forward from there.
Where are Va Beach's Riddicks?
We need Paul Riddicks to fix the beach's communities and schools so I'm all for a ward system devoted just for blacks. If we do this then one day maybe the country may even vote for a black president.