This year’s election is about Republican venality and viciousness – nationally and sadly, locally.
Nationally, fueled by the lies and half truths spewed on Fox News and the right wing radio machine, Republicans spent four years trying to make President Barack Obama a one-term president.
Then, days before Tuesday’s election, emulating the Washington Republicans, our “I’m not political” Mayor Greg Ballard finally showed his true colors.
Because City-County Council Democrats refused to ratify Ballard’s effort to raise property taxes and Ballard balked at Democrats’ plan to put more cops on our streets, Ballard turned tea party and retaliated – treating Council President Maggie Lewis and Democratic Marion County elected officials the way national Republicans have treated President Obama.
The mayor eviscerated the budget for county offices. The drastic budget cuts mean the virtual elimination of the functions of county coroner, clerk, treasurer and assessor. The mayor fiscally emasculated the sheriff, prosecutor and eliminated public defenders.
One problem. Indiana law specifically forbids mayors from vetoing the budgets and funding for constitutional county offices. But obeying the law isn’t something Mayor Ballard and Republicans like to do.
Appearing Monday on our WTLC-AM (1310) “Afternoons with Amos” broadcast, Lewis and Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry condemned Ballard’s action. Calling it vicious and illegal; retaliation against Democrats for daring to stand up to the mayor and his weak-minded minions.
Despite Ballard and the Republicans’ bullying, I know that African-American voters in Indiana’s largest city will DO THEIR JOB! We will vote in large numbers to re-elect President Obama and Congressman André Carson. And to elect John Gregg governor, Joe Donnelly U.S. senator and elect and re-elect the African-American legislators from our community.
Our African-American communities will DO THEIR JOB to push back against some of the so-called reforms of Indiana’s public schools which this week, with the release of the controversial revised “A-F” labeling of schools and districts, threatens to unravel and obfuscate real progress in our schools.
African-American voters in Indianapolis will DO THEIR JOB and elect Democrats to hold Marion County’s countywide offices. Especially in the wake of the mayor’s brazen partisan attack on the county’s constitutional officeholders.
Our African-American communities will DO THEIR JOB by strongly supporting candidates for office, who while being fiscally responsible, care about the 47 percent – along with the 53 percent.
Black voters won’t be the problem this election. The problem lies with white voters who could again be flim-flammed and bamboozled into supporting candidates who sound reasonable on the outside, but are as cold and dark hearted as Darth Vader on the inside.
For the most part, Republican candidates have coldly written off our African-American community.
The Republican candidates for Marion County treasurer and coroner flatly refused to be interviewed by Black media. As did half of the Republican candidates running in the eight Marion County legislative districts with Black populations above 10 percent.
This year’s election in Indiana is being decided where the majority of Hoosiers live; in counties with populations smaller than 50,000. For various reasons they’ve rejected the positive job President Obama has done fighting the worst economy since the Depression. And many have fallen for the surfeit of lies and misinformation fed by the right wing propaganda machine.
These same Hoosiers will cement a Republican majority in the Indiana Legislature who will embark on an agenda to push Indiana to be an American state worse than Mississippi.
But our community WILL DO THEIR JOB TUESDAY. We will vote in great numbers. We’ll win some small victories. But the challenge facing our community after Tuesday may be the greatest we’ve faced in 100 years.
Of course, when you vote, make sure you turn your ballot over and vote for school board. School board elections are being held in the November elections for the first time.
While the mainstream media chose to focus on IPS, on our “Afternoons with Amos” program, I chose to spend more time on the township school board races where the majority of Black students and residents reside.
My listeners and I learned lots from the township school candidates; especially their concern about the state’s eroding of public schools.
I believe the township board incumbents heard earfuls from our community about township school problems and the largest issue of disproportionate treatment of Black students.
A very critical issue is making sure African-Americans are elected to township school boards.
During interviews with Wayne Township candidates, a listener asked about Black representation on the board. Currently there isn’t, even though Wayne was the first district, during the desegregation era, to allow the residents of the IPS sending area to elect a Wayne board member. That individual served with distinction for many years, but he’s left the board.
Unfortunately, no Black candidate(s) stepped up this year to run in Wayne Township.
That mustn’t happen in 2014. In the townships and suburban districts, it’s imperative that Black parents, grandparents and residents step up and run for their area’s school boards.
This election, there’s several African-American candidates running for township school board deserving of your support and vote Tuesday.
They are: Lawrence Township – April Adjai; Washington Township – Wanda Spann-Roddy (incumbent); Pike Township – Ricky Hence (incumbent), Charlisa Richardson; Warren Township – Wendell Wallace, Tonya Tere Wallace, Jim Ledbetter.
For those Black candidates in township districts I didn’t mention, let me say this. While school board is a part time position, it is a full time commitment to the people and students of school districts. When one makes that commitment to run for school board, it’s imperative they make arrangements and/or peace with their employer to have the flexibility to be able to effectively campaign before one wins. And effectively serve if one wins.
Other candidates do that, so should school board candidates.
Make sure you vote. I’ll see ‘ya after the election!
You can email comments to Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
