THURSDAY. JULY 4, 1991
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Black leaders plead
not guilty to charges
Poll of community
By RUDY ANDERSON
Chronicle Managing Editor
The four people facing charges
resulting from a four-year federal
investigation by the FBI and the
IRS into alleged political corruption
have all pleaded not guilty.
Political consultant, Rodney
Sumler; former Alderman and pres
ident of the Winston-Salem
NAACP, Patrick Hairston; and
community organizer. Rev. Lee
Faye Mack entered their pleas dur
ing an arraignment before U.S. Dis
trict Court Judge Frank Bullock, Jr,
Monday, July 1.
Alderman Larry Womble was
the first to plead not guilty two
weeks ago, just prior to leaving on a
vacation trip to Kenya, Africa.
No trial date has been set for
any of those facing charges.
If convicted, Sumler and the
others charged could spend what
would amount to the rest of their
lives in prison.
Sumler is charged in each
Please see page A11
conspiracy not real
By YVette A. Freeman
Chronide Staff Writer
A recent poll conducted by the
Winston-Salem Chronicle of more
than 100 recognized community
leaders in this city, revealed that
less than one percent of the respon
dents believe that the four African
American community leaders
indicted by the federal government
two weeks ago were the objects of a
government conspiracy. Fifty per
cent of those polled believed that
there was no conspiracy directed at
black leaders. But a very large per
centage of those polled were unde
cided about that issue and wanted to
wait for more information from the
s- ? '
forthcoming trial before making any
decisions.
The unscientific straw poll was
conducted a week after a 28- count
indictment was handed down by a
federal grand jury in Greensboro
against Alderman Larry Womble,
former Alderman Patrick Hairston,
political consultant Rodney Sumler
and the Rev. Lee Faye Mack.
The indictment stems from a
four-year investigation, called Oper
ation Mushroom Cloud, conducted
by the FBI and the IRS into alleged
political corruption. Charges from
the indictment range from racke
teering and money-laundering to fil
* Please see page A 1 1
Thomas picked to replace
Marshall on Supreme Court
Confirmation may be rough going
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine
(AP) ? President Bush said Mon
day he would nominate Clarence
Thomas, an African-American fed
eral appeals court judge, to the
Supreme Court as a replacement for
civil rights champion Justice Thur
good Marshall, who plans to retire
from the high court after serving
nearly a quarter of a century.
"He is the best person for this
position," the president said at a
news conference at his summer
home. Thomas is a conservative
former chairman of the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commis
sion and his nomination is likely to
trigger a fierce confirmation battle
in the Democratic controlled Sen
ate.
Thomas, 43, was overcome
with emotidn as he thanked Bush
for his appointment, and thanked
"my grandparents, my mother and
the nuns, all of whom were
Marshall
adamant that I grow up and make
something of myself."
"Only in America could this
have been possible," said the man
who was confirmed in 1990 as a
federal appeals judge in Washing
ton, D.C.
Bush bristled when it was sug
gested that he had appointed
Thomas because of his race.
"The fact that he is black ? a
minority ? has nothing to do with
Thomas
this. He is the best qualified."
Thomas, if confirmed by the ?
Senate, will join a court that has
become increasingly conservative,
especially in ruling against criminal
defendants and suspects.
Conservatives had a 6-3 work
ing majority on most issues in the .
just-concluded term, although the
docket did not include cases on
Please see page A6
Legislators present election plan
By RUDY ANDERSON
Chronide Managing Editor
The African-American contingent to the Forsyth
County legislative delegation has filed a bill in the state
legislature which wduld require a combination of dis
trict and at-large elections for school board members in
this county and virtually guarantee African-American
representation on that beard.
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board,
feeling the heat from those African-American legisla
tors, offered its own district election plan last week for
the first time since being sued by the local NAACP in
March over changing the current at-large system of
electing 9chool board members. But both the NAACP
and African- American representatives of the Forsyth
County legislative delegation rejected the school board's
proposal for a non-partisan plan with no primaries
where two members of the board would be elected
from one mostly African- American district The other
seven members of the board would be elected from one
mostly white district
The board's plan was adopted last week on a 6-2
vote during a closed session. One board member,
Thomas Vbss, was not present when the vote was taken.
Nancy Woo ten, Mary Wood, Nancy Griffith (the minor
ity affairs committee of the board) and Grace Efird, all
democrats, voted with moderate republicans, board
chair Garlene Grogan, and board vice chair Dr. Gerald
Hewitt in favor of the plan. Jane Goins, and Gloria
Whisenhunt, both republicans, cast the dissenting
votes. V
Woolen, who said she didn't like the plan she voted
in favor of* questioned the wisdom of going public with
Please see page A2
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