OPINION
The Chronicle
tlNlST H. fltt
hunt Pitt
T. Kf vim Mfiim
K*r Stum
Pu bl isher/C <?- Founder
Business Manager
Managing Editor
Production Supervisor
AjmIommM *
File Photo
City Council Member Nelson Malloy addresses a resident's
concern at a recent community celebration . Malloy and his
colleagues Joycelyn Johnson and Vivian Burke are among
the incumbents seeking re-election.
Incumbents make
the grade... barely
A year ago, the fate of
?Winston-Salem was foggy.
Our tobacco roots were no
longer deep enough to sustain
us and our manufacturing and
textile base had tied to green
er pastures where labof is
cheap and regulations are lax.
But then came Dell. While
our city - with its burgeoning
research park - was already
making inroads in the world
of, technology, Dell was a
thick layer of icing on the
cake. Dell - ranked the most
admired company in the
nation by Fortune - has the
potential to be this city's next
RJR or Hanes. Our children
will aspire to work there, and
local people will take great
pride in making PCs just as
they did making cigarettes
and T-shirts.
For their gumption and
J' ability to look into the future,
incumbents on the City Coun
cil deserve another term, at
least the ones who voted for
the incentives that helped lure
Dell (Council Member Vernon
Robinson voted against them).
With Mayor Allen Joines at
the helm, our current council
seems to work like a well
oiled machine. The meetings
are orderly and their decisions
} are reasonable for the most
J part. There have been times in
recent memory where this has
not been the case. It was dur
ing those times, that voters
would have~been justified in
clearing the entire council and
starting anew. But now -
when things are going pretty
well - is not the time for the
City Council to change dra
matically. (,>
Incumbents cannot rest or
rejoice, though. There is still
much work to be done, espe
cially in terms of economic
development artd revitaliza
tion in minority communities.
No incumbent or even the
popular mayor can survive
another term if there is not a
change for the better in some
of our most blighted areas.
Downtown has had its
moment in the sun. Private
developers are now taking the
lead hi creating the downtown
of tomorrow. The city's focus
should be elsewhere.
The reason why so many
incumbents are facing chal
lengers is because the state of
minority communities is so
deplorable. People are look
ing around and saying, "Is this
the best that the City Council
can do?"
The black members of the
council should also be more
vocal and wield their power
more effectively. With the lit
tle that has been done in terms
of new initiatives in their
wards, the black council
members often appear to be
no more than puppets or seat
fillers. The only black mem
ber who makes a fuss regular
ly is conservative Robinson.
The others should follow
Robinson's lead every once in
a while and raise a little hell if
it will lead to results.
There will be at least one
new member of the City
Council when members are
sworn in at the end of the
year. Council Member Fred
Terry has decided not to run
again. The voters in Terry's
Southeast Ward must choose
between three candidates:
Terry's wife, Evelyn; Antonio
Jerniaine Baxter; atid Jimmy
Boyd! All three are concerned
members of the ward who
have'its best interest at heart.
But Baxter's youth will add a
facet to the council that does
not etfist currently. He was the
first to announce his inten
tions to run for the seat, and
he possesses the intelligence
and fire to represent the ward
well.
Corrections
The story in last week's paper about the
PFLAG awards banquet had the wrong
names for two of the award winners -
the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of
Winston-Salem and Aon Services Corp.
Letter to the Editor
Great service
To the hditur:
On April 11, I requeued a
year's subscription of The Chron
i c I e
because
friends had
spoken so
highly of
your news
paper
M y
reason for
writing to
you is to
express my
apprecia
tion to
Paulette
lewis (Imftj,
Andrea M?su
these employees, Faulette Lewis
and Andrea Moses, for so courte
ously and professionally prepar
ing my subscription, which I am
receiving. 1 am looking forward
to some very special reading.
In closing, please pass on my
appreciation to the two young
ladies! They are most certainly
assets to your newspaper busi
ness.
Sincerely,
Delores H. Robb
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Incumbents and challengers
Ernie Pitt
This &
That
In my column last week I
tried to heighten the interest in
the upcoming primary election
for seats on the City Council.
Wow! Did I strike a nerve. I got
more phone calls and e-mails
about that column than any I've
ever written .
One person called me an
"Uncle Tom." I'll let y'all try to
figure out who that was.
Another person said I
endorsed Vivian Burke and that
wasn't fair. Well, hear this and
hear it loud: I endorse Vivian
Burke for a seat on the City
Council. I do that in spite of
what may have transpired some
years ago. We have to learn to
forgive and forget.
What I find really interest
ing, though, is the fact that most
voters want new leadership but
don't feel that comfortable with
those who are running. I guess
the known in this case is better
than the unknown for a lot of
voters.
But I believe that every seat
up for grabs should be chal
lenged. That's the American
way. There are no dynasties in
politics - or, rather, there
shouldn't be. And no one owns
a seat on the City Council.
Whether you've been there
three decades or three days, the
seat does not belong to you, and
no one should be afraid to chal
lenge anyone on the council
during an election.
Unfortunately, we in the
African-American community
take everything personally. If I
don't support so and so, I must
have something personal
against him or her. And, con
trarily, if I support someone, I
must have some personal reason
for doing so. Hogwash! We
must enlarge the pool from
which our candidates are drawn.
Because of all of this bull,
oftentimes people in our com
munity who are best qualified to
run won't because they know
there are likely to be conflicts
and loss of friendships and the
like. This city is cliquish and
people have a way of applying
pressure through the many
clubs and organizations that
people are affiliated with. How
ever, that does not bode well for
our community because we
can't really get our best and
brightest to put up with the
mess.
Realistically, 1 know that the
incumbents will probably pre
vail in the primary and beyond.
Why? Because not enough peo
ple know the challengers. Name
recognition is the name of the
game. And it is also the reason
that I am encouraging the chal
lengers to get out there and put
their platforms out and be seri
ous about trying to win in this
election. Unless the knowns do
something really raunchy, when
voters start punching that ballot
they are going to vote for the
knowns rather than the
unknowns.
Running for office is hard,
thankless work, but you have to
do it if you want to make a dif
ference.
I sincerely wish all of the
candidates good luck and God
speed. Our community deserves
to have the best representation
possible if we are to grow and
prosper like the other side of the
tracks. God bless you. Amen?
Amen!
Ernie Pitt is the publisher of
The Chronicle and president of
the N.C. Black Publishers Asso
ciation. E-mail him at
erpitt@wschronicle.com.
A call for national service
Dr. Ada
Fisher
Guest
Columnist
The national disaster caused
by Hurricane Katrina has
proven that we need more citi
zen volunteers for national
service between 18-30. Older
workers with critical talents in
public health, the Coast Guard,
as well as private groups such
as the Red Cross or Salvation
Army, need more to step for
ward to help. Right now this
nation is most vulnerable to a
terrorist attack, and we don't
have the troops we need for
domestic and international
operations.
Building homeland defense
requires direct military services
for the home front, public
health, infrastructure systems as
well as civil defense systems.
We must be able to defend our
nation, as the federal oaths of
offices require from enemies
domestic and foreign.
We need people as leaders
who understand that national
security isn't just about wars
and national security but pro
tecting the sanctity of our land
ancj welfare of her peoples.
It istime we got real and put
the people in place this will
take. Our young people need
more work skills as well as
experiences. Now is the time to
f^ask of them that they step for
ward to serve.
When we all are asked to
equitably sacrifice for those
values we espouse, we make it
so.
Options for service include
the military (with the induce
ment being higher pay), public
safety and first responders,
teaching as paid assistants
(which would relieve the bur
den on local education budg
ets), workers in hospitals and
nursing homes as orderlies or
aides. Volunteers in Service to
KRT Ptxxo by Drew lister
Volunteers distribute ice and water to residents in Gulfport,
Miss., on Sept. 2.
America, the Peace Corps or
private agencies with national
scopes.
Dr. Rhonda Fisher Kroll,
my oldest niece, who is also a
physician, lives in New
Orleans, La. When told of the
pending arrival of Hurricane
Katrina. she put her kids on a
plane and stayed behind to help.
Those like me with unique
skills should also volunteer and
sign up to serve, which I have.
This disaster can pull us
together and bring jobs back in
this country, with a compas
sionate conservative's national
paradigm shift. It is past time
that corporations appreciated
they can't operate autonomous
ly with no responsibility to this
nation's, national security. It
isn't about just making a buck;
we must put our people first, as
in We the People.
The solutions to disasters
have roots right here. A radio
listener said, "Let the cruise lin
ers come offshore to assist in
providing temporary housing
for people." Go for it and give
them a total tax write-off. Bot
tled water and food should be
shipped gratis with full tax
credits for this effort. Colleges
can expand their admissions for
those students with acceptance
letters and/or completed Feder
al Student Applications for Stu
dent Aid (FAFSA), which will
take thousands in and decrease
their parents' worry.
When jobs were outsourced,
too few looked at the possible
impacts from a national disaster
with the devastation on our
national needs as is now being
seen. Corporations need to step
to the plate and own up to their
part in our nation's defense and
security solutions. Start with
alternative energy using wind,
water and sun, as well as hydro
gen fuel cells. We cannot con
tinue gas guzzling. Farming can
be expanded to stimulate an
organic option for family farms
or medicinal herbs. N.C. State
and A&T should be on the fore
front of this.
Housing using a modular
concrete system developed
through Thorn Cross' team at
Oakwood International in Rich
land, N.C., can be adapted to
any living condition in the
world whether war threatens or
the environment blows part of
our homelands to smithereens.
Warren County's "Soul
City" sits somewhat vacant.
Greenevers, Fairmont and other
rural areas losing populations
can offer housing for the dis
placed.
besalination technology
from Duke or UNC's oceanolo
gy efforts is a must as the
amount of fresh water available
worldwide steadily decreases.
Sustainability efforts in recy
cling buildings, tines, rebuilding
and preserving' historic struc
tures offer limitless options for
tradesmen to find jobs in infra
structure repairs.
We are a great nation with
so much untapped promise. It is
time for each of us to step to the
plate to belp and demand the
same of our young as well as
ourselves as we mend this
nation and bind our wounds.
Dr. Ada M. Fisher is a
physician, licensed teacher for
secondary education in mathe
matics and science, previously
elected school board member,
and was a Republican candi
date for the US. Senate in 2002
and 12th US. Congressional
District in 2004. Contact her at
P.O. Box 777, Salisbury, NC
28145; telephone (704) 637
6134; DrAdaMFIsher.org.