NAACP President And County Prosecuter Duke It Out Over County Reform Ballot Issue That State Rep. Calls Gerrymandering And Anti-Black
Cleveland NAACP President George Forbes
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason
Ohio State Representative Barbara Boyd
Posted Saturday, October 17, 2009
(National and Cleveland, Ohio Area News)
By Kathy Wray Coleman
Editor of the Determiner Weekly and the
Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog and
Media Network
The President of the Cleveland Chapter NAACP said at a recent forum on the controversial county reform measure on the November ballot dubbed Issue 6 that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, a crafter of the proposal, allegedly said that he cannot help the fact that the Black community will not benefit from Issue 6, a charge Mason denies.
“When I asked what are you are going to do for Black people and the 50 thousand Black children in Cleveland's schools he [Mason] said I cannot do anything about that,” said Forbes. “Ed Crawford said Black folks have to understand that there are more of us than them,” he added in referencing a member of the group that helped Mason derive Issue 6.
Mason was congenial in his response though he took Forbes to task saying the former Cleveland City Council President and long time president of the local NAACP was being disingenuous.
“He doesn't recall stating that, but Mr. Mason believes that all children of all races will benefit as a result of the financial savings and job creation for the new charter form of government,” said Maria Russo, a spokesperson for the county prosecutor.
Sponsored by the Black Women's Political Action Committee, which is led by Ohio State Rep. Barbara Boyd, D-9, the forum was held at Cleveland State University and drew nearly an all Black audience. Others on the panel include Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones and Political Strategist Arnold Pinkney. Moderated by Harry Boomer, a reporter for local television channels 19 and 43, the group discussed Issue 6, which was crafted by Mason and an all White group of Democrats and Issue 5, a competing ballot proposal that asks voters to permit a 15-member committee to study county reform and make revision recommendations to voters in 2010.
Issue 6 would eliminate 9 of the 11 non-judicial elected county offices, including the commissioners and county sheriff, and replace them with an elected 11 member council and elected county executive, though Mason's position and that of the treasurer would be spared, and remain elected offices. All of those offices are currently held by Democrats, only two of whom are Black. Cuyahoga County is roughly 30 percent Black.
The panel members repeatedly reminded the audience that Issue 6 is not good for the Black community prompting The Determiner Weekly to question whether Mason is viewed as anti-Black.
“You have to ask him that question,” said Jones, a Harvard trained lawyer whose job as commissioner would be eliminated if voters pass issue 6. But Pinkney, also a Democrat, defended Mason, saying that he has been fair to Black people.
“I don't believe that Bill Mason is anti-Black,” said Pinkney. “He endorsed and supported a lot of Blacks including Barack Obama.”
Boyd was not as nice saying the 11 county districts set up for the election of the 11-member county council if the measure passes were gerrymandered to the detriment of the Black community because only one of the 11 seats is guaranteed to be won by a Black. Other than Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, D-25, who is the only prominent Black public official supporting Issue 6, Boyd says Blacks were absent from the table when Issue 6 was initially presented.
“They gerrymandered the districts and Nina Turner was the only Black consulted,” said Boyd. “That tells us that they did not want inclusion but wanted exclusion.”
Turner would not comment on Boyd's remarks or Issue 6 in general.
Mason claims that combining the 9 offices under an 11 member council and council executive will save money on salaries of the public officials where the 11 council members will earn less than current office holders and government waste by those officials in whom they hire and how they operate will present savings too, though opponents say otherwise.
The controversial county reform proposals come at a time when county government is in disarray pursuant to a federal corruption probe of county officials including Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, on leave as chairman of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, and county auditor Frank Russo, though neither has been charged and both have publicly denied any wrong doing. At issue is the alleged trading of county contracts for home improvements, money and other favors.
Voters will determine the issues November 3 by a majority vote for or against Issue 6 and a majority vote for or against Issue 5, which means that both could pass, a potential scenario that would likely result in the courts ultimately intervening and deciding the matter given the highly charged atmosphere around the proposals.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason
Ohio State Representative Barbara Boyd
Posted Saturday, October 17, 2009
(National and Cleveland, Ohio Area News)
By Kathy Wray Coleman
Editor of the Determiner Weekly and the
Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog and
Media Network
The President of the Cleveland Chapter NAACP said at a recent forum on the controversial county reform measure on the November ballot dubbed Issue 6 that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, a crafter of the proposal, allegedly said that he cannot help the fact that the Black community will not benefit from Issue 6, a charge Mason denies.
“When I asked what are you are going to do for Black people and the 50 thousand Black children in Cleveland's schools he [Mason] said I cannot do anything about that,” said Forbes. “Ed Crawford said Black folks have to understand that there are more of us than them,” he added in referencing a member of the group that helped Mason derive Issue 6.
Mason was congenial in his response though he took Forbes to task saying the former Cleveland City Council President and long time president of the local NAACP was being disingenuous.
“He doesn't recall stating that, but Mr. Mason believes that all children of all races will benefit as a result of the financial savings and job creation for the new charter form of government,” said Maria Russo, a spokesperson for the county prosecutor.
Sponsored by the Black Women's Political Action Committee, which is led by Ohio State Rep. Barbara Boyd, D-9, the forum was held at Cleveland State University and drew nearly an all Black audience. Others on the panel include Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones and Political Strategist Arnold Pinkney. Moderated by Harry Boomer, a reporter for local television channels 19 and 43, the group discussed Issue 6, which was crafted by Mason and an all White group of Democrats and Issue 5, a competing ballot proposal that asks voters to permit a 15-member committee to study county reform and make revision recommendations to voters in 2010.
Issue 6 would eliminate 9 of the 11 non-judicial elected county offices, including the commissioners and county sheriff, and replace them with an elected 11 member council and elected county executive, though Mason's position and that of the treasurer would be spared, and remain elected offices. All of those offices are currently held by Democrats, only two of whom are Black. Cuyahoga County is roughly 30 percent Black.
The panel members repeatedly reminded the audience that Issue 6 is not good for the Black community prompting The Determiner Weekly to question whether Mason is viewed as anti-Black.
“You have to ask him that question,” said Jones, a Harvard trained lawyer whose job as commissioner would be eliminated if voters pass issue 6. But Pinkney, also a Democrat, defended Mason, saying that he has been fair to Black people.
“I don't believe that Bill Mason is anti-Black,” said Pinkney. “He endorsed and supported a lot of Blacks including Barack Obama.”
Boyd was not as nice saying the 11 county districts set up for the election of the 11-member county council if the measure passes were gerrymandered to the detriment of the Black community because only one of the 11 seats is guaranteed to be won by a Black. Other than Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, D-25, who is the only prominent Black public official supporting Issue 6, Boyd says Blacks were absent from the table when Issue 6 was initially presented.
“They gerrymandered the districts and Nina Turner was the only Black consulted,” said Boyd. “That tells us that they did not want inclusion but wanted exclusion.”
Turner would not comment on Boyd's remarks or Issue 6 in general.
Mason claims that combining the 9 offices under an 11 member council and council executive will save money on salaries of the public officials where the 11 council members will earn less than current office holders and government waste by those officials in whom they hire and how they operate will present savings too, though opponents say otherwise.
The controversial county reform proposals come at a time when county government is in disarray pursuant to a federal corruption probe of county officials including Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, on leave as chairman of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, and county auditor Frank Russo, though neither has been charged and both have publicly denied any wrong doing. At issue is the alleged trading of county contracts for home improvements, money and other favors.
Voters will determine the issues November 3 by a majority vote for or against Issue 6 and a majority vote for or against Issue 5, which means that both could pass, a potential scenario that would likely result in the courts ultimately intervening and deciding the matter given the highly charged atmosphere around the proposals.
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