Less than a month after Stephen Clay was elected president of the City County Council, his fellow Democrats – a recently disjointed group — displayed an act of solidarity by voting in favor of having him removed from his post. Monday’s vote was the first of two votes necessary to oust Clay from the head of the council. The second vote will take place on Feb. 19.
Clay had the support of four other Democrats and the majority of Republicans during the Jan. 8 council vote that placed him at the helm of the council. However, two of those same Democrats voted against him this week because they say he blind-sighted them by agreeing to give Republicans key positions of key committees. In other words, the highly intelligent and strategic Clay played them – just like he was played by intelligent and strategic Republicans — all in the quest to be president.
Monroe Gray and LaKeisha Jackson were two of the four Democrats to support Clay earlier this month, however neither was present at Monday’s meeting. I did some digging and it appears Gray’s daughter is ill, so understandably, it makes sense for him to tend to his family first. However, I question Jackson’s absence. Perhaps it was an easy way for her to avoid committing to one side or another. If that is the case, she can’t run forever, nor can she continue to miss council meetings, so she, like everyone else will have to address this issue head-on. Doing so – regardless of how she votes – is expected of anyone elected to serve. You show up and you do the work.
It will be interesting to see how the February vote will turn out because whether Clay stays or is ousted is up to the council. However, despite the outcome of next month’s vote, the council will still have a credibility issue.
Caucuses have to be united and strong. Such division should not permeate through what is supposed to be a solid bond. What should have occurred before any of this mess began was a series of come to Jesus moments amongst the Democratic Caucus. Perhaps these type of meetings did occur behind closed doors, but if so, they obviously weren’t effective. Even if Clay is denounced from his throne, the council – Democrats in particular – will have to determine next steps for their caucus. All the issues and drama that has been playing out this year alone are like a very bad open wound. Placing a Band-Aid over it will only mask the sore as opposed to treating it. I have some suggestions on how Democrats can have a stronger caucus with Clay at the helm or with someone else serving as leader, however, I will save that for another column because I want to discuss how a group of Indianapolis pastors have now stated that they “cannot support the (Recorder’s) apparent direction.”
I received a letter from Rev. David Greene of Purpose of Life Ministries and Dr. Wayne Moore of Olivet Missionary Baptist Church. Greene and Moore are presidents of the Concerned Clergy and the Baptist Ministers Alliance respectively. In short, they have an issue with my stance on the measures Clay took to become president of the council. And because I expressed my opinion on the opinion pages of the Recorder, they are now saying that they cannot support the Recorder.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a classic example of what attempts to silence the media looks like. What is incredibly sad is that these pastors have not sent this letter to any other media outlet – even though all the other local mainstream media entities have covered Clay’s alleged sexual misconduct and the City County Council debacle far more consistently than the Recorder. As a matter of fact, some of the other media outlets have launched their own independent investigations, yet Greene and Moore have chosen to take aim at the Recorder.
What is also sad and truly unfortunate is that these pastors and the groups they represent are African Americans, yet they are adamant about not supporting the oldest and most trusted Black newspaper in the state.
Everyone who reads my column knows that I have always been very direct with my opinions. Followers of this column also know that the Recorder and Indiana Black Expo have had a tense relationship in recent years – largely because I provided commentary on the organization that its leadership, including the board of directors, didn’t like. However, even though IBE ended its decades-long relationship with the Recorder, this newspaper continues to cover its major events and inform the community of Expo and Circle City Classic-related initiatives. My opinion of the organization has never interfered with the Recorder’s journalistic integrity. And in all fairness, despite a sometimes tense relationship between the Recorder and Expo, IBE has supported some of the Recorder and Indiana Minority Business Magazine’s initiatives and events.
That is what professional adults do…they agree to disagree and they move on.
Here’s another example.
Years ago when Andre Carson was running to complete his grandmother’s congressional term, there were other people who were also running for the seat. One of those people was Carolene Mays. At that time, I strongly believed that Carolene was better suited for that position as she had more community and political experience. Because I respected Carson, I told him very clearly why I thought Mays was a better candidate. Carson didn’t huff and puff or get angry with me. And when he was elected to complete his grandmother’s term and his own subsequent terms, he never held a grudge against me because of my support of his opponent.
Since being elected Carson has been a wonderful steward in the community and while he has followed in his grandmother’s footsteps, he has also successfully created his own path and he is doing exceptionally well locally and in DC. I adamantly believe he is one of the strong members of the Congressional Black Caucus and he is poised for greatness. I am incredibly proud of him.
Despite differences of opinion, the Recorder has also maintained its journalistic integrity with Clay by covering the allegations against him in an impartial way, even after he refused to respond to our requests for comment.
Because I operate out of a place truth and authenticity, I can look IBE leaders, Andre Carson or anyone else I may have had a difference of opinion with in the eye and maintain my dignity and sense of self. Every day people have a difference of opinions, but that doesn’t mean we want the other to fail. It is disappointing that pastors associated with the Concerned Clergy and Baptist Ministers Alliance, people who are charged with leading others in a God-like manner, are willing to operate with such a vindictive spirit. I can only pray that God impresses upon their spirits the right way to handle situations of this nature, as bullying and intimidation are not the way of the higher power that I serve.
I have reached out to Green and Moore for a potential meeting. I will keep Recorder readers updated on any discussions we may have in the future. In the meantime, it is imperative that you, the public, continue to support free speech and an independent newspaper that in the words of the late, great Amos Brown, is “Just Tellin’ It,” the way it is, not some fictional interpretation of reality.
