By Major W. Cox
These are the best of times and the worst of times for race relations in America. Opinion and political polls suggest that the most popular man in the country is Colin Powell, a retired U.S. Army General and millionaire author. At the same time, arguably the most infamous man in America may be O.J. Simpson, a man who used athletic ability, non-racial celebrity and good looks to catapult himself into a millionaire status. Both of these individuals manifest lives well beyond the stereotype of Black men in America today.
In Montgomery, Alabama the best of times for race politics is yet to come. In fact, racial politics in Montgomery descended to a new low in this past election. Running unopposed in the election, Mayor Emory Folmar targeted and worked to defeat selected white incumbent members on the council. He targeted the white council members who voted in opposition to the mayor (with black council members) on some occasions for defeat.
The mayor says he never campaigned harder than he did this election to get his "Montgomery Team" elected. It is indeed unfortunate that Mayor Folmar did not seize this opportunity to build a truly representative "Montgomery Team," as he called the five candidates he openly supported in the race. What is even more saddening, is that the "Montgomery Team" won. Four won outright and one made the runoff.
Emory Folmar can hardly be blamed for wanting to have the majority of the city council on his side of the issues. All successful politicians must work toward maintaining a majority. What is so disgraceful about the Mayor’s "Montgomery Team" is that its members are all white.
Montgomery is a city with a population consisting of nearly as many black citizens as white ones. It is apparent from the lack opposition in the election, that Mayor Folmar enjoys great support among the non-white population. Mayor Folmar, secure in his bid for re-election, running without an opponent, missed an opportunity to lead the city in a new direction, out of the arena of racial politics.
The circumstances of this election afforded the mayor an excellent opportunity to identify and support candidates of his choice for the council. The mayor did identify his choice of the candidates for five of the council seats. Why did Mayor Folmar only identify and support candidates in these five of nine city council districts? The simple answer is race. Race defines politics in Montgomery and the mayor is obsessed with race.
An October 15, 1995 Montgomery Advertiser editorial, "Beyond Race," discusses how divisive racial politics hurt Montgomery. The editorial notes that Demographer Donald W. Bogie, director of the Center for Demographic and Cultural Research at Auburn University at Montgomery, predicts that the racial make-up of Montgomery may be majority black in as little as 15 years. Faced with this reality, it would seem that white Montgomerians would be developing a bi-racial political paradigm instead of continuing with the current "us and them" structure.
Granted, there is an East-side\West-side mentality existing in Montgomery which defines the city by race. This territorial perception of the city is wrong. The lines dividing East Montgomery from West Montgomery are political boundaries, created and maintained to accommodate electoral politics. This is not Montgomery’s racial reality in 1995.
Montgomery’s citizens are not as racially divided as the city’s politics suggest. Numerous individuals and organizations are working effectively at overcoming racial barriers and building bi-racial civic, social, and religious institutions. The Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Montgomery, One Montgomery and countless other private organizations and institutions are working to become more racially inclusive. The challenge before Montgomerians today is to eliminate race-structured politics.
Montgomery is home to a wealth of wise, gifted, intelligent and talented men and women. Why aren’t more of these individuals willing to come forward as candidates for political office. With the number of colleges and universities located in Montgomery, one would think both the level of appreciation and willingness to take part in the political process would be higher.
Voter participation was low. Only two women stood for election out of 28 candidates running for 9 council seats. Only thirty percent of Montgomery voters cast votes in this election. It would be interesting to see election results had the other seventy percent voted or had there been more women candidates. Mayor Folmar is correct, Montgomery needs new faces on city council. The only problem with his new "Montgomery Team" is that it looks like the same bunch of "good old white boys" that held office during the worst of times.
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Originally Published: 25 October 1995, Montgomery Advertiser
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