North Carolina Newspapers

1^- _ unniavuL oi.j ' TUP PIIlIfilflTTP ^* ihjli uniiiUiUi it (4/^v l *4 ? p - . • n B ^ f AR, MORE “IJianotte s b astest Growing Community Weekly” black consumers PRIPF 9V ■B H pmviv oy Martin Qtibiom MANAGER BILLY FOWLER _tFix/i Employee Linda Mackey Try His Pizzas! Fowler Wants To Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse? By Jeri Harvey Post Staff Writer Billy Fowler wants to make you an offer you can’t refuse. As manager of the newly opened Godfather Pizza res taurant at 1525 Ledwell Ave., just off Freedom Drive, he says if you’ll come in and try his pizza, he’ll see to it that you go away with a satisfied smile on your face. “We’ve got the best pizza in town,” Fow ler explained. “I’ve worked for two other pizza chains before joining Godfather and I think 1 know something about good pizza. If we can get people to try our they’ll never be satisfied with any other kind.” Fowler joined Godfather this year after answering an ad for managers. He said he left the company he was with because the Godfather is a young company and he sees more chance for advancement with them. _ Almost all of Fowler's work experience has been in pizza restaurants. He said, “I start ed working with pizza and just fell in love with it.” So far Fowler has been disappointed with business at the store which opened about four weeks ago. The Indepen dence store does a tremendous business and it was expected the new store would get off to a good start. He feels the poor showing may be partially at tributed to the poor reputation left behind by a former tenant of the location he occupies. However, he is working hard to let people know he operates a family oriented business, where the atmosphere is rest ful and pleasant and where a first-rate pizza can be obtain ed. Godfather Pizza originated in the mid-west and has ap proximately 67 stores in 12 states. The two stores in Char lotte are the first this side of the Mississippi River. The North Carolina franchise is owned by Jim_Harris. Specializing in thick crust pizza, the Godfather chain uses its own patented brands of seasoning and spices aiK^ ships all tomatoes in from California, according to Fow ler. They also use domestic mushrooms while most com panies use “cheaper imported brands.” The crust is made Slack Mayors Urgamzmg ii ever mere was a question about the necessity for black mayors organizing, it will be answered. The focus for the National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc’s third annual convention will actively deal with problems unique to black mayors. In the past five years, sou thern black mayors have col lectively approached munici pal development problems as the Southern Conference of Black Mayors. As the work of the organization gained impe tus and recognition, mayors representing small municipa lities in the north and west requested membership. With numerous requests on hand, iurummk Courtesy is too cheap for some people to be interested in the southern mayors changed the organization’s name and jurisdiction to include all of the nation's 161 black mayors. As the National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc., it be came obvious that within the mayors’ ranks, there were differences stemming from representing both rural and urban interests. As one small town mayor pointed out after receiving federal funding ap proval, “it appears that the very nature of the funding process pits urban and rural municipalities against each other because the funds are limited. This is unfortunate because the needs are the same - only the numbers differ. There should be enough (money) to go around." Perhaps, the mayor’s obser vations are valid. Unemploy ment in some predominantly black towns triples that of neighboring towns. These sta tistics - tend to transcend regional and population diffe rences. To stem the tide of escalating unemployment, substantial housing, industrial relocation and unstable tax bases, the mayors will be exploring and maximizing their numbers and expertise. The convention format and theme, "Rural and Urban Partnership In Management Development for Capacity Building" represents a first step in creating the stage for a meaningful exchange of ideas among mayors. from scratch on the premises and Fowler demonstrated his skill twirling the dough over his head on the tips of his fingers. “The product is the thing,” he told us. “We don’t rely on gimmicks or even on advertising a great deal. Most of our customers come to us by ‘word of mouth' recom mendation. We’re doing a half-price promotion right now and we’ll also give a free drink to customers who call their order ahead but mainly we depend on the quality of our product to build a good following.” Mike Volk, a visitor here from Chicago, was having his first Godfather pizza Tuesday, and said “I’ve been eating pizza since 1941 and I consider myself a connoisseur. This is as good as any I’ve had. It’s as good as ‘Home Run’ pizza, the most famous brand in Chica go. The only thing wrong is I can’t possibly eat a whole small one by myself, as I can with most others I buy. I love pizza and if I can find God father when I get back home you can be sure I’ll be a steady customer.” currently, rowier is word ing a 16 hour day and attend ing classes at Central Pied mont Community College in business management. He ex pects to graduate this fall and be able to spend a little more time with his family. He en joys playing and watching basketball and he and his wife plan to start construction of a new home verv soon. A native of King’s Mountain, Fowler still lives there with his wife, Mamie, and their two sons, Andy, age 5 and T.J., 16 months. An Election Analysis Experience Creates Front Runners . ** ★★ ★★ Low Voter Turnout Expected Final Look At The Contenders uj uvjric xi. moi uu 01 . Post Executive Editor With Charlotte’s primary just five days off (Sept. 27), it’s time for a final look at the contenders in these history making races. We say “histo ry-making” because the ma jority of the city’s registered voters were either too young or not yet bom during the last district election over 32 years ago. The Mayor The odds-on favorite among the four Democrat mayoral hopefuls is a bid to face the single Republican candidate, Ken Harris, in the November 8 general election is Jiitf Whit tington. , In addition to 18 years of experience on the City Coun cil, Whittington appears to be gaining support from blacks and the business community. Both groups had been less than enthusiastic with Whit tington because of his lack luster record where black in terests are concerned and his less-than-glowing business man’s image. Evidence of suDDort from one of these groups came Sunday when the Black Politi cal Caucus endorsed Whitting ton with the apparent concur rence of the Black Women's Caucus and the Black Ministe rial Fellowship Alliance. Undoubtedly, Whittington’s increasing support among these groups is at least partly reflected in the quality of his three opponents. Each of them, Jim Black, James R. Johnson and James P. Kape ronis, are seeking political office for the first time. Black, 29, is the public affairs direct or of Radio Station WGIV. His political experience has been limited to his station’s voter registration endeavors. John son is a 46-year old architect and a former Democratic pre cinct chairman. Kaperonis, 54, is a real estate dealer and has no known political experi ence. Furthermore, with re gard to key issues such as neighbor preservation, trans portation, airport expansion, city and industrial growth, and consolidation, neither of See Pre-Primary on page 12 . t ' (a. . '•*» LOVELY JOYCE WATT ...Has dynamite smile Miss Joyce Watt Is Beauty Of Week By Jeri Harvey Post Staff Writer Joyce Watt, the POST Beau ty of the Week, is a perfect example of the old saying, “good things come in small packages.” Standing barely five feet tall and weighing just around 100 lbs., Joyce has a dynamite smile and person ality that more than make up for her small stature. We discovered Joyce at Jim mie Grier's tailor shop, where she works part-time, assisting with alterations and dress making. She learned to sew in high school and has studied at Belmont Textile School. “I've liked sewing all my life,” she said. “It’s sort of a hobby. Helping out in the tailor shop is more pleasure for me than work.” Growing up in Mount Holly, Joyce attended Gastonia Highland High School and is a graduate of Livingstone Col lege. Before moving to Greensboro recently, she was a secretary at Belmont Textile and Piping. Right now she's busy getting her family settled in their new home and has no plans to work fulltime for a while. She’ll continue to help Jimmie out occasionally but most of her time will be devoted to husband, James, and their nine year old son, Kevin. Smiling with anticipation, she said, “I hope I'll find more time for reading and decou page and a few other things I enjoy.” For entertainment she and James play cards, poke no, go to movies and have friends over for informal get togethers. At first Joyce appeared un usually quiet and reserved for a Sagittarian, but after a short while her natural warmth and humor began to shine through and we thoroughly enjoyed our meeting with her. We’re happy to present her to you as our Beauty for this week and hope the city of Greensboro knows how lucky it is to have -such a lovely addition to its nonulntion '' Johnson Says Whittington h: • Patient Legislator Who Waits To See Which Way Wind Is Blowing” By Jeri Harvey Poet Staff Writer Jim Whittington has been called a “patient legislator who waits to see which way the wind is blowing before taking a position.” Jim Johnson, who will face Whittington and three other candidates for mayor in Tues day’s primary election, cited press bias for the projection of Whittington as a leader. “I have yet to see any examples of that leadership," Jahmon said in an exclusive interview with Post reporters Tuesday. In his first bid for public office, Johnson, an architect and owner of Johnson and Arsoicates Architects, calls for the Charlotte community to choose “a brand new kind of leadership,” saying "the city has the opportunity to get a whole new start on responsive government.” Johnson revealed his plans to assure communication be tween the community and go vernment if he is elected. “The mayor has the right by charter,” he explained, "to call together a special meet ing of department heads and other staff as often as he wishes, to confer with them concerning matters of city government. I intend to esta blish a mayor’s community ...Mayoral candidate forum which will meet in the •veninga I will ask the help of the Urban Institute in Chapel Hill to help structure this forum, the purpose of which will be for citizens and inte rest groups to gather and have dialogue with city offi cials. The mayor and council people would attend these fo rums as citizens and listen to * the concerns of the people. The entire thrust of the idea is education - hearing both sides of issues I would hope to be able to get support from the visual media so the public will know what is happening at these meetings ” High on Johnson s list of priorities is housing "I find it See JOHNSON on Page 6 Only 25,000 Will Vote In Tuesday’s Primary? By Hoyle H. Martin Sr. Post Executive Editor Only 25,000 Charlotteans are expected to vote in Tuesday’s primary election, according to Bill Culp, executive secretary of the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. Culp said, “The kind of responses we’re getting from talking tocandidates, political workers and people in general would indicate a low voter turnout 0/ not more than 25 percent. However, the lack of Charlotte 3 Appeal Set For October 5 Soecial To The Eost - (CCNS) -- The appeal of the Charlotte 3 defendants, con victed in 1972 of the burning in 1968 of the I,azy B Riding Stable, is set to be heard October 5 by the Fourth Cir cuit Court of Appeal in Rich mond, Virginia, according to chief defense attorney for the defendants, James Ferguson of Charlotte. Two of the three defendants have been out on bail since June of 1976. Dr. James Grant. Jr. and T.J Reddy. The third defendant, Charles Parker, was paroled earlier in the same year. The appeal before the Four th Circuit Court is based on the failure of the prosecution to disclose evidence vital to the defense during the trial Many consider the three civil rights workers victims of a frame-up by the authorities, most gra phically exposed by Charlotte Observer reporters who dis covered U.S. Justice Depart ment pay offs to the only witnesses who testified in the trial affain&t thpm On December 28, 1976, Grant and Reddy were order ed back to jail by U S District Judge Woodrow Wilson Jones, after Judge James McMillan, who had in June approved their release pending appeal, disqualified himself from the case after pressure from the State. Their imprisonment was thwarted when defense attorneys immediately ap pealed Jones- decision to Jud ge J. Braxton Craven of the Fourth Circuit, and thousands of letters, telegrams and tele phone calls were made to Craven from across the coun try on behalf of the three Craven heard the appeal on December 31. 1976, over ruled Jones and ordered that Grant and Reddy remain free until their appeal was decided. Earlier this summer Judge craven died of a heart attack Recently a committee submit ted to President Carter five candidates from which to choose his replacement: US District Court Judge James B McMillan; Kenneth Pye, Chancelor at Duke Univer sity; J. Dickson Phillips, for mer UNC Law School Dean; Civil Rights Attorney Julius Chambers of Charlotte; and William Van Alstyne, Duke University law professor. It is possible the new ap pointee may be made before the October 5 hearing, but any three of the remaining 8 mem bers of the Circuit Court can hear the appeal a Republican primary in the mayor’s, council at-large and District 1,2, 4 and 5 races plus the approximately 7,000 unaf fiiiated voters (not registered With the Republican or Demo crat parties) account in part for the low expected voter turnout.” He added, "people apparently haven't caught fire about the issues ” Weather conditions too may affect the turnout Culp noted Consider the overall expect ed low voter turnout and the historical voting patterns of blacks, Culp estimated that "not more than 18 to 20 per cent of the black electorate would cast votes in the prima- _ ry." Many political observers have already noted that such a low voting precent by blacks could have- “serious' conse quences for black district can didates no matter what per centage of whites vote." On Tuesday, election day, voters will find four individu als, including one black, seek ing the Democrat nomination for mayor. Eight Democrats, including one woman and one black, will be seeking the four places on the November 8 ballot for council at-large seats. Finally, 26 Democrats will be seeking seven district nominations and seven Repu blicans will be seeking three nominations. They include four black males, one black female and five white fe males In addition, of the 45 primary candidates, 21 are under 40 years of age and six are under 30. Culp said the polling places "Ill upcil llUlil U.tlU Cl.III. until 7:30 p m "to accommo date the voters at the city’s 78 voting locations ” All voting machine ballots will have the Democrat pri mary candidates for mayor and council at-large. How ever, district primary candi dates will appear only on the ballots in the district where the candidate is running. Among the prominent poli tical and personality figures appearing on the primary bal lot are: 18-year city council veteran Jim Whittington (D), seeking a mayoral bid; incum bent council persons Betty Chafin (D) and Harvey Gantt (D)and five terms (1965-1975) City Councilman Milton Short (D), each hoping for one of four Democratic Party gene ral election council at-large berths Among the district candidates are Mrs Willie Smith (D.D-l), a third term member of the state Demo cratic Executive Committee; Ron Iyeeper (D.D-3), an acti vist voter education and regis tration worker; Mrs. Lillian McGrath (R.D-3), a member of the state Reptd^iican Exe cutive Committed Mrs. Lau ra Freeh (D.D-4), a partfcre sident of the local chaptenef the American Civil LibeMH Union; Joe Ross (D.D-2); o* of the designers and promw ers of the district representa tion plan; L. Herb Nuebauer (D,D-5>, ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for mayor in 1973, now a Democrat; Ktmm Jolly (D), D-*), a member of the Char lotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission; and George Sel don (R.D-3), a former cMllr man of the Mayor’s Urban Renewal and Community Im provement Committee.