Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / April 22, 2004, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
mmm mmmm .: T* ] 2A NEWSAPt CiiarlotU $oslt Thursday, April 22, 2004 Debate focuses on racial and gender goals Continued from page 1A “That is the least risk from legal chal- Lochman 1 e n g e s . Overall, the vehicle expands the pool of small businesses, which many will be minority- and women- owned.” amounts to the former Minority and Women Business Development pro gram. The potential for legal challenge is at the heart of the council debate. Charlotte’s MWBD was scotched in 2002 after the city was sued amid allega tions the program gave minorities an unfair advan- Council members can con sider four options: leave the year-old race- and gender- neutral program in place, attach specific goals through SBO and outreach programs; add race and gender pro grams on specific projects or replace SBO with what tage. Assistant City Attorney Cindy White said each option carry varying amounts of risk. Neutral programs are more likely to survive legal challenges than those that add specific race and gender goals. “Programs that are race- neutral are less subject to strict judicial standards,” she said. ‘With respect to the (U.S.) Constitution, options 1 and 2 are lower risk.” “The whole subject matter plays into a legal frame work,” Lassiter said. “The former program went too far according to the North Carolina Supreme Court. There are obviously mem bers of council who want to aggressively push the enve lope and others who don’t. But that’s OK because it’s something that should be discussed.” Added council member Don Lochman: “There’s a legal risk as well as financial ramifications. The city' is running a $6 million deficit we’re trying to close.” The city has programs in place to help small business es compete for public pro jects, including a loan pool and education seminars, but black business owners have complained the city hasn’t gone far enough. A survey published last year detailed that black-owned firms received fewer public con tracts under the race-neutral program than before its launch. A flashpoint for the con tractors’ complaints is the new arena under construc tion uptown. Contracts total ing $8.35 million have gone to small businesses on the project, but minority groups have earned only $1.37 mil lion. The total budgeted to small business is $50 mil lion. Lochman cautions that one year isn’t enough time to gauge SBO’s effectiveness. Courts would be more likely to OK specific remedies where a municipality can prove minorities and women aren’t benefiting from the current program. That takes time. “The more time you give it, the more credibility you have should you have a need down the road for something more strenuous,” he said. White agrees. “If it were apparent firom the numbere that the pro gram wasn’t making progress, you’d have a better chance of implementing a race-conscious program,” she said. “The longer you go on the time continuum, the stronger your legal position Ivory Coast rivals edge toward dialogue ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO/BEN CURTIS Bystanders gather around the corpse of Daouda babayato after it was dumped in the upmar ket Deux Plateau district of the Ivory Coast capital Abidjan earlier this month. Eyewitnesses claimed he was shot during a shootout between armed robbers and the police. Law and order in the world’s largest cocoa producer has deteriorated alongside the decline in hopes for peace. By Loucoumane Coulibaly REUTERS ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Ivory Coast edged toward a dialogue on Saturday after a mediator said President Laurent Gbagbo was ready to accept opposition demands. Opposition politicians in the world’s top cocoa grower, split in half by a civil war, gave a guarded response to the development. But they said they were working with the prime minister on a writ ten agreement to address their concerns. A peace process aimed at reuniting the country descended into crisis last month. Dozens of people were killed after security forces suppressed an attempted anti-Gbagbo march and opposition par ties began to boycott a power-sharing government. But after meeting Gbagbo on Friday, Niger’s President Tandja Mamadou said the Ivorian head of state had accepted “all the precondi tions” the opposition has set for restarting talks with him as a possible prelude to a return to government. Among the opposition’s demands were that Gbagbo recognize the right to hold protests and that state media should give equal access to all political groups. It also wants security guar antees for the population after last month’s killings. Mamadou, visiting both School district sponsors college fair Continued from page 1A “CMS now has pathways,” Porter said of the importance of information for middle school students at the fair. “This gives them an opportunity to understand what classes they need to take.” The National Association for College Admission Counseling is sponsoring the fair, one of 26 held in U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Miami and New York. Next Stop: Uptown Chariotte! Please join CATS for an informative & interactive workshop for the South Corridor Light Rail Project Lptown Stations April 29, 2004 at 6:00 pm Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center 600 East 4th Street, Charlotte Room 267 (2nd Floor) Topics will include; station designs, bridge designs, public art and much more! £H4mor7r amta rmMmr m For more information: call (704) 336-RIDE or visit www.ridetransit.org. “There is a document com posed of a precise timetable for meeting our conditions.” ^ Ivory Coast’s civil war grew out of an attempted coup against Gbagbo in September 2002. Thousands of people were killed and around a million were forced from their homes. The war was declared over last July after all sides agreed to a peace plan bro kered by France, the former colonial power. But the peace process has stalled, with many political reforms yet to be implemented and combat ants still to disann. The rebels say they fought for immigrants and people from the poorer Muslim north against discrimination by tribes from the Christian and animist south. Gbagbo’s supporters regard them as simple criminals trying to seize power and wealth ille gally. Carolina Medical Associates ANNOUNCING THE OPENING OF OUR NEW LOCATION OPENING APRIL 1st 7108 Pineville-Matthews Road, Suite 102 Charlotte, NC 28226 (Previou.s Meridian Medical Clinic Location) For appointments, call (704)542-2191 Avinash D. Shah. M.D. • Maher S. A^a, M.D. Jeanea Hundley. M.D. • Su.san Echterling, M.D. Mercy South Hospital Carolina I Place Mali 1 Route 51 • Pineville-Matthews Road. CAfltMiHA MEtMCAL ASSOCIATES A private practice providing professional and personalized healthcare, CM A has served the Charlotte metro area for over 20 years. CMA’s group of highly trained physicians provide inpatient and outpatient care in internal medicine, primary care, hematology and oncology 2115 E. 7th St., Suite 102 7108 Pineville-Matthews Rd. Charlotte, NC 28204 Mondays, Fridays 8am-5pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until 8:()0pm For Appointments, Call (704)372-3127 Suite 102 Charlotte, NC 28226 Monday - Friday 8am-5pm {Previous Meridian Medical Clinic Location) For appointments. Call (704)542-2191 sides of the political divide as head of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, made his statement at a news conference with Gbagbo but the Ivorian pres ident himself did not refer to the opposition demands. “We take note of what President Gbagbo has stat ed,” said Alphonse Djedje Mady, the spokesman for the opposition alliance, which includes both political par ties and the rebel forces who control the northern half of the country. ‘We will meet the prime minister (Seydou Diarra) this afternoon to finalize what we have begun. Since lYiesday we have been work ing with the prime minister on the crisis,” he said. An advisement center staffed by school counselors will assist families on how to make the best use of available resources and how to develop a plan for attending college. Porter said the fair will help parents imder- stand how to pay for college and give them a better grasp on the college search process and what kids need in high school. The fair is free and open to the public, how ever, parking is $5. Make 8:05 on Tuesday night feel like 8:05 on Saturday morning. Q PLAY } Your Saturday morning routine is watching , cartoons in bed with the kids. But you missed it because you we’re out of town on business. Thanks to Time Warner Cabie’s Digitai Video Recorder (DVR) you can stiii do it — on Tuesday night. Or any time. QII PAUSE ) ("44 REW ) Digitai Cabie and DVR aiiows you to record and watch your favorite shows when you want. Plus start, stop, rewind and fast-forward shows at the touch of a button. (>► F. FWD ) Isn’t it time you went digital? Get a DVR for as little as $6.95 a month when you subscribe to Time Warner Digital Cable! TIME WARNER V. CABLE Call 704-973-5390 today! www.twcarolina.com Now anythings possible u Digital Cable includes Standard Cable service, one digital converter & remote and Navigator+. Monthly rate for Digital Cabie IS S55.51, plus applicable taxes and fees. Monthly DVR rate of S6.95 is in addition to Digital Cable rate. Some services not available in all areas. Other restrictions may apply; please call for details.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 22, 2004, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75