Is Charlotte really ready for a black mayor, and is Atlanta ready for a white one? While much of the nation is focused on the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, there are some significant mayoral races happening in the country that have gone under the national news radar. One is taking place in our fair city.
Sure, Virginia and New Jersey are important; both states went to Obama in last year’s presidential election and now seem to be headed in the other direction. I don’t get the big deal, however, since both states have been known to have conflicting votes in presidential and governor’s races in the past. If the rest of the country wants to measure Obama’s “power” in those terms, then so be it. What I do find interesting are the mayoral races in Atlanta and here in Charlotte, two Southern cities with cultural capital in this country.
These races are fascinating because both have the possibility of upending the status quo. Atlanta is facing the prospect of not having a black mayor for the first time since 1972, while Charlotte is facing the prospect of having a black mayor for the first time since 1987 — when then-Mayor Harvey Gantt finished the last of his two two-year terms. Gantt is the only black mayor in the history of the Queen City.
In Atlanta, City Councilwoman Mary Norwood is seeking the mayor’s office but must get past some tough competition from City Council President Lisa Borders and State Sen. Kasim Reed. In Charlotte, At-large Councilman and Charlotte native Anthony Foxx is trying to break the streak of non-black mayors, competing against Republican John Lassiter.
In Atlanta, many feel that Borders and Reed are splitting the black vote and fighting against a growing tide of resentment from urban whites who live within the city limits and wield major economic power.
Atlanta has been thought of as a progressive Southern city and a black “Mecca” of sorts because of a constant influx of wealthy black professionals who are politically active, social butterflies and members of traditional black organizations. Coupled with being the hometown of several civil rights icons and prestigious black colleges, the explosion of a black music scene in the 1990s, and the rise of media mogul Tyler Perry, Atlanta is often referred to as a “black” city that welcomes everyone, including a large gay population.
And then there’s Charlotte. The second-largest banking capital in the country, Charlotte has a constant influx of young, urban professionals — many of whom are black — who are becoming movers and shakers in the city. Foxx is very much like other dynamic black mayors, specifically Cory Booker of Newark, N.J., and Adrian Fenty of Washington, D.C. Like Fenty, Foxx decided to return to his hometown to make a difference on a level of government that many argue has the greatest direct impact on the lives of citizens. Charlotte’s perception as a progressive city and explosive growth over the last decade has put the city on many “best places to live” lists.
There is public relations and reality. The reality of the situation is that although both cities are discussed as progressive, there is a strong conservative presence that does matter and impacts both cities, especially in the area of race.
Many people keep saying that the election of President Obama, the nation’s first black president, is a symbol of America’s racial progress. That’s a crock. Obama is the president who has required the largest security detail from the earliest point of a presidential campaign ever because of numerous racially charged death threats. The election of President Obama was not just about his perceived greatness, but was also a flat-out rejection of Bush and his politics over the last eight years. Many people who voted for Bush in TWO prior elections claimed that they did not see what was coming. I don’t know how because one of former President Bush’s great qualities was that he did exactly what he said he would do. Unlike many politicians, he kept his word. Having said that, President Obama’s election has not quelled racial tensions and, in fact, has helped to intensify them.
In these mayoral races, where race is a factor, it will be interesting to see how many voters rebel against President Obama, who has been having a time chipping away at the disaster he inherited, by voting for a white woman in Atlanta and continuing to vote for white men in Charlotte. Let me be clear: I think Lassiter and Foxx are both strong candidates, so it will be a tough mayoral race regardless of race. Atlanta mayoral candidates Borders, Reed and Norwood are also viable candidates.
To pretend that race doesn’t matter is disingenuous. Regardless of who wins, the fallout will be interesting to watch. What does it mean for a city like Atlanta to be run by a white woman? What does it mean for Charlotte if indeed we do get a black mayor? Does it mean change for the city or more of the same, which is what many continue to argue about President Obama?
Is Charlotte ready for a black mayor? Is Atlanta ready for a white one? I think it remains to be seen. Charlotte wasn’t really ready for the CIAA and still likes to pretend that Johnson C. Smith University doesn’t exist. The growing polarization and tension between all races in Atlanta and the growing class war would suggest otherwise. Whether we like it or not, race is a factor in these elections. May the best candidates win.
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2009.
