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The Voice Of The Black Community"
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Volun>* 13* Numbcr 3 _THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, June 18, 1987 Price: 50 Cents
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Is(Charlotte Post ' ___
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Blacks Ask What's Coining Down Next?
' > _ White County Commissioners Vote To End Minority Affairs
uy datyne Strong .
Poet Managing Editor
Following closely behind the
Mecklenburg County commis
sioners decision to locate the
city's Waste Transfer Station in
a black, neighborhood, was the
commissioners' recent 6-1 deci
sion to abolish the Minority Af
fairs Office and members of the
black community feel these ac
tions are sending a message de
noting the commissoners' insen
sitivity to minority citizens.
"They are sending a signal to
the entire black commuQity
which sgys, 'You have no voice or
representation,"* believes Eu
gend Marsh.
On Monday, the commission
ers reaffirmed their majority
vote to eliminate the Minority's
Affairs Office. Hie only vote in
support of the office was upheld by
Commissioner Bob Walton, the
only black and only democrat.
Members of Charlotte's black
community have expressed that
the move to abolish the Minority
Affairs Office, supported by the
«Uf, white Republican commis
sioners, is grounded in racism
and/or a political move against
Bob Walton. Chairman Carla
DuPuy and other commissioners
ft- Tf ' * •'
had urged Walton to resign from
the County Commission earlier
in the year because Walton had
been convicted of a misdemean
or. Walton refused.
DuPuy has said that "racism"
was not an issue in the decision
not to fund $68,750 to the Minority
Affairs office.
However, Marsh, a former vice
chairman of the Minority Affairs
Board believes otherwise. "It is a
move to dilute the black commu
nity and separate the people who
have the interest of the black com
munity at heart."
The Minority Affairs Office
operated essentially as a referral
office to aid blacks and other mi
norities living in Mecklenburg
County. "Before the office was set
up," explains Marsh, "people did
not know where to go to get assis
tance for a variety of concerns.
Through the Minority Affairs of
fice, they were pointed in the right
direction, given the avenues they
should take."
Kerin it Waddell, director of
the Minority Affairs Office, was
particularly adept at bringing
different minority organiza
tions together to combine their ef
forts to benefit all.
Now that the office has been
closed," says Marsh, "people
have been put at an disadvan
tage."
The reason the commission
ers gave for doing away with
Minority Affairs was that the of
fice was duplicating services of
other county supported communi
ty services, particularly the Com-,
munity Relations Committee
(CRC), and they also claimed
there is a sufficient amount of
services in place to aid minori
ties.
At the meeting of the commis
sioners last week, when the first
decision to cut the Minority Af
fairs Office was made, DuPuy al
lowed one white, member of the
Board of Minority Affairs, Dick
Hauck, to speak on behalf of the •
office. DuPuy also threatened a
black citizen, Cedric Jones, with
removal from the meeting be
cause he was speaking out
against the cut.
Since the commissioners, ex
cluding Walton, felt the Minority
Affairs Office was duplicating
CRC services, in connection with
abolishing Minority Affairs, the
Commissioners decided to give a
$20,000 contingency to CRC for
that office's attempt to carry on
the work of Minority Affairs.
Bob Walton
Jack Bullard, director of CRC,
is white. Kermit Weddell, the di
rector of the defunct Minority Af
fairs Office, is black.
At a meeting Monday night,
following the commissioners'
confirming its decision on the
Minority Affairs Office, Sarah
Stevenson, Coordinator of the
Dispute Settlement Program of
Community Relations Commit
tee, met with Sherry Suttles, an
Assistant County Manager,
Waddell, Sarah Coleman, a
board member of the Minor
ity Affairs Office, Ciieryl Sutton
and Paul Kaplan, members of
the Minority Affairs Advisory
Committee.
Suttles reported to the meeting
what had happened earlier at the
commissioners' final meeting
on Minority Affairs, reiterating
that Rev. Harold Diggs told the
commissioners the abolishment
of the minority Affairs Office,
"would be percieved as a racist
move by the black community."
Suttles also reported that Marsh
spoke before the commissioners
citing the good job Minority Af
fairs has done in the last two
years. But he pointed out, based
on the commissioners' decision,
Be sure to hold the Community
Relations Committee accountable
and makes sure it goes after the
money from the state legisla
tors."
Kormit Waddell
$21,000 to go to the office before the
office was abolished.
On Monday,Cunningham and
Richardson both urged the com
missioners to keep the Minority
Affairs Office, claiming the
elimination of the office will be
"perceived as punishment of
Walton."
Then, giving her response to
See Minority Affairs page 4A
Mecklenburg County's black
state legislators, Senator Jim
Richardson, Rep. Pete Cunning
ham, and Rep. Howard Barnhill,
had been awarding Minority Af
fairs with monies from a Pork
Barrell fund for the last two
years. This year, they had slated
By Jalyne Stnig
Post Managing Editor
About sixty supporters iiled the
City Council Charabit to hear
Councilman Ron Leepef thake the
official announcement that he will
run at large in this year's local
elections.
The announcement was heartily
applauded by those present, many
of whom were black political, com
munity and business leaders in
Charlotte.
Before making the statement,
Leeper recounted his experience in
political office as the City Council
representative of District 3.
"During our term on council we
have worked for many issues that
we believe have substantially im
proved the quality of life for all our
citizens," he stated.
Earlier Lee per had stated he de
cided to rjun at large because the
time was right for him. "The choic
es I had were fairly limited," he
claimed. "Either run at large, or
not run. Five terms is more than
enough time to serve in one office.
"I now believe I have the re
sponsibility to allow others the op
portunity that has been afTorded
me," he offered.
Leeper said the only potential
»
candidate he knows of now who
will run for the District 3 seat is
Ella Scarborough. "She has ex
pressed an interest in running for
a number of years," he related.
However, he believes there will be
a number of individuals running
and he declined to endorse any
one person.
"I don t think it's my responsibil
ity to hand pick a replacement. I
will not assume the responsibility
of anhointing someone to replace
me. I believe the citizens of District
three will do a good job at that.
They have done a good job in the
past," Lee per stated.
The issues Leeper is campaign
ing on for his at-large candidacy
are: ways of improving the city's
transit and transportation systems;
to find ways in which to broaden
sources of revenue; to look for op
portunities for public private ven
tures that have a clear public pur
pose; to make sure the public poli
cy of "balanced growth" is main
tained and implemented; and to
stimulate development in all areas
of the city.
He also revealed he will repre
sent integrity in government.
That is not exactly an issue but
people are concerned about it as
much as any issue," Leeper ex
plained. "People want to have a
good feeling about their govern
ment."
To the group of supporters in
the chamber, the candidate con
cluded, I thank you for your past
support. I ask for your prayers
and future support."
Recard Reveals He Will Run !
Paul Recard, businessman
and resident of the Colony Acres
community, announced that he
will run for the Charlotte District
3 City Council
seat this fall.
Recard
made his in
tention to run
known, follow
ing City Coun
cilman Ron
Leeper's an
nouncement
thnt he will not
run for the Dis
trict sent but
will run for KficarU
City Council at-large.
Involved in politics for a num
ber of years, Recard most recent
ly ran for political office in 1986,
when he challenged Louise Bren
nan in District 55 for the House of
Representatives.
Recard is self-employed; the
owner of Pauls Painting Compa
ny, a sub-contracting business.
He is the chairman of Precinct 77.
a member of the Black Political
Caucus, the Tuesday Morning
Breakfast Club, SCLC, and the
NAACP.
"I'm qualified to run,” states
Recard, who believes there will be
a "big race" for District 3 this
year.
The only other known prospec
tive candidate for the seat is Ella
Scarborough.
Record says Councilman Leep>
er hns served the District well
throughout the five years he has
represented it and he intends to
support Leeper in his bid for the
at-large seat.
Already, Recard has noted is
sues that need to be addressed in
the west Charlotte District 3 area
He cited concerns about public
transportation for the Nations
Ford Rd. communities, and the
need to monitor commercial
building in the district.
He will file for the seat July 3.1
"1 hope the people who supported
me in my run for in the primar
ies last year will again lend their
support,” concluded Recard
stepping stone Housing Moves Residents Out Of Projects
KS1# miffl
_HHB
Far many of the resident* of
Piedmont Courts, Fairvlew
Homes, Dalton Village and other
project sites, there has been no
other home. Statistics show that
once a family move* into public
ggg
Lifestyle* IB
Church News 7B
Entertainment 1C
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Classified 8D
housing, s trend of permanency
moves in as well.
"Originally, subsidized hous
ing was intended for families
who remain outside the labor
force for socially acceptable rea
sons: the handicapped, the fe
male-headed family with small
children at home, thoee faced with
temporary emergencies and thoee
involuntarily without means to
provide housing for their fami
lies." Henceforth, what was ini
tially intended to be a temporary
situation has not achieved its
(foal. . V -4 ••••'. v...'.
If anything, policy ehangae af
fecting public housing, became
more laxed over the years and
created an atmosphere that
seemed to discourage, rather than
encourage evacuation.
For example, limits on tha
amount of money a family could
earn and remain in public hous
ing ware removed during the 60'a
in order to encourage a mora ade
quate economical mix in public
housing and to reduce the likeli
hood that member* of a family
would quit working to remain in
public housing.
The policy was effective. As a
matter of fact it was so effective
that even families who were fi
nancially able to afford rent in
the private sector chose subsidized
living over home ownership. In
Charlotte approximately, one in
every ten families living in sub
sidised two and three-bedroom
unite were earning enough to pay
the equivalent of fair market
rents in the private sector. This
was a problem. ■ \
Addraaaing tha problem, the.
Charlotte Houaing Authority da-1
valopad a program called Step* ;
ping Stone Houaing. Prom the
Houaing Authority'e raaaarch,
826 familiee who wore either al
raady living in public houaing or
who had applied to live in public
hourfng ware eaaily able to afford
rente] payment# in exceea of $260
par month. viT
Itia thoaa 826 fhmiUaa that Step
ping Stone Houaing waa dedgned
to help. What the Charlotte Hous
ing Authority has proposed is
'assisted housing as a stepping
stone to better housing." Next
year, three public housing pro
jects are scheduled to be built: two
in the Hickory Grove area and
one at the intersection of Newell
Hickory Grove Road and Robin
son Church. Families moving
into these newly constructed pro
jects will be doing so, realising
that, within five years, they will
be moving into the private sector.
TTtrough Stepping Stone Hout*
lag, families will pay $260 per
month for • two-bedroom apart
ment and $300 par Month for a
three-bedroom apartment. Un
like regular public housing, par
ticipants in Stopping Stone Hous
ing will not necessarily have to
b* concerned with Tent increases
that normally accompanist sal
ary increases nor will they have
the luxury at having their rant re
duced because their salary has
decreased But these families as
part of the program will have to
Bettye Harris
make monthly contributions to
an escrow account. The first year
monthly contributions to the es
crow account will begin at $15
and increase by $15 each year so
that by the end of five years, the
families participating in Step
ping Stone Housing will have ac
cumulated $2,700.
While money is important to
placing the family on a sound fi
nancial footing, the Charlotte
Housing Authority has included
other stipulations in Stepping
Stone Housing to ensure that the
family will be able to make it on
their own. Participants in the
Stepping Stone Housing program
will be provided with extensive
counseling and services to insure
that they are prepared for the tran
sition to private sector housing.
"The head of houee would be ex
pected to enter into a contract1 or
plan, which would include assis
tance ranging from employment
counseling and training to in
sure both the stability of employ
ment and increasing family in
come to handle minor home re
pair skills. Counselors with ths
program will constantly work
with the families to insurs that
they are prepared for the transi
tion and will be successful."
Bettye Harris, community
Saa Stepping Ola Plage 4A