Charlotte Business League Will Present Roy Ayers In Spirit Square Concert Entertdn^nt/P^IB Census Bureau Asks Blacks To Be Counted »»-•_t n. _ Graphic Presentation Of Election Results ' _Editorial* Pf«A , * ; • • • ^ i • * Price: 50 Cent* Gantt Looks Ahead By HbA White Pod Staff Writer Although he's on the verge of stepping down as mayor, Harvey Gantt says he isn’t through with the political arena. Gantt, Charlotte’s first black ™*yor, lost a does election to Sue Myrick last week in what many observers labeled an upset, A week after the election, Gantt aays ha has been able to reflect back, with a sense of reality that wasn’t possible at first. "You never expect to lose, but al ways be prepaired to loee is my motto,” he said. "It was a shock to me as it was very disappointing but that'tfthe nature of politics.” Gantt reflected upon the cam paign as a strange occurance po litically: 0 popular incumbent who is unexpectedly beaten. But he refiisedtto point out one single factor as tAwhy he failed to win. ”1 doiit fa tend to look back at why I loet a race,” he informed. "You think it ovar for a few days then you njove on." V ' . • ■ Like it or not, Gantt said, race is isuiV-vJSu-ii adihiiilefc' . Harvey Gantt a fact of political life. He got nearly all the black vote and 36 percent of white support, but it wasn't enough to overcome My ricks support among whites. Ron Leeper, who just missed out on the fourth city council seat, as sorted that the election turned along racial lines. "Race was a factor, there's no getting around that," Gantt stat ed. "It's tough to win in a city that's 75 percent white, but we knew that going in." 8ome observers charge that Gantt's campaign suffered from its own success, that the candidate and his supporters felt the election was wrapped up when he an nounced a reelection bid. MyriA, on the other hand, built support as the campaign progressed by attacking Gantt on traffic congestion, leadership and his character. By election day, the momentum was clearly on tho challenger's side. Gantt agreed to an extent about complacency, but he insists that his campaign was run on the is sues, not personal attacks. "There wasn't the fire or enthu siasm of other campaigns," he re counted. "It may be providence, maybe the third time wasn't in tended. Clearly this wasn't in the See Gantt On Page 2A JLeeper To SH_% Political Gears I RonLeeper tag the city’s business, Leeper in formed thkthe will turn his atten tion toward fda (family. ’ fj' , “I'm going to apend more time with' my jwife and Idda (Rhonda, Id and Abba, 13) who have grown up pith me in politics," he said. "I probably have neglected them in bfatag a public official." Even after his lose, Leeper said he indirectly heard about mayor olect Sue Myrick's invitation to Join an advisory panel she plans to implement. Leeper said he nev er‘talked to Myrick about the posi tion and would rather do some things that aren't related to poli tics. • "Mrs. Jaynes ni— not talked to stated. "I h ne i■ i that to flfcf largo campaign, Leeper said, was a good idea although he gaWup a safe seat to try to run in a (laid of oight. After serving District 8 since 1977, Leeper felt Charlotte Observer), 9 out of 10 people knew who I wee, Leeper surmised. ’Given the name rec ognition end my experience, I should've come in second. After off, it comes Bnce." Although he got soma white sup port, Leeper didn't get enough to win election. He suggested that white voters look st more than la bels when they go to the polls. ’It's always been tough for blacks to win citywide and I don't see it getting any saaiar. Progress can only, be attained when everybody' moves at ths same time,’ he said. ’If you're pushing one way and the other fellow ia pulling the other way, you're not going to gat much dona. But sometimes you just have to push by yoursslf to change things." During the campaign, Leeper denounced the practice of single ■hot voting in a four-seat race. To, single shot, supporters vote for one candidate only, in hopes of padding his total while keeping the opposition's down. Leeper suggests that while sin gle-shot slections may not bs the best way to elect blacks to dtywide offices, some other method may be needed to win. ’It's time to go to the drawing board,’ he said. ’Thai* are other methods for blacks to win at city wide elections, and they should bs explored. We have to analyse every option to determine what is best to get the people wa want" Black voters, though, shouldn't ; take the election re suite as a backlash against black candi dates, Leeper asserts. Blacks should try to work even herder within the system to effect change. The best candidate doesn't al ways win,’ hs said. "My concern ie that weYs moving to a paint whore people are leee likely to vote. We sought to take tome rieka. Toe many people ill the fAmmunitv rrtnnmrf /gif M il. _____. . _ INSIDE THIS WEEK system. If we participated to our fall potential, we could have a tre mendous impact on every elec tion." Loan Flan KAlaEIGH (AP) ~ U.S.Educa tion Secretary William Bennett's proposal to end federal loans to schools with high student loan de fault rates would have a chilling effect on students who attend black colleges in North Carolina, officials say. "I would describe the secretary’s policies as Neanderthal,” Robert L. Albright, president of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, told the News and Observer of Ra leigh. "It's designed to punish in stitutions, and ... it would proba bly does us.” In Raleigh, offidals at Shaw University and St. Augustine's College said Bennett's threats showed a lack of compassion for students from low-income fami lies who rely on federal aid. Bennett said Wednesday that the government would have to spend $1.6 billion this year, nearly half the federal Guaranteed Student Loan budget, to