Omar Beasley has
the 7,500 signatures needed to allow him to run the race. More than 10,000 signed the petition, but
some were ineligible to vote. It’s been
a grueling battle to get to this point, but Beasley, coach for the Carolina
Elite Track Team, has made it to the track.
“Some people think
it was easier to go this route,” Beasley told me after giving me the word that
he had received enough votes to be placed on the ballot for the Board of County
Commissioners. “This has been a
difficult challenge.”
Beasley was
forced to run a petition drive due to the timing of his switch from being
classified an Independent to Democrat.
He was unable to run as a Democrat during the primary because he didn’t
change his classification in time. It
was the first of many roadblocks that exposed Beasley to the tough political
culture in Durham.
“It’s a dirty
game,” Beasley says. “You have to learn
how to work with people despite all of that.”
Beasley wouldn’t
give specifics about Durham’s dirty political culture. What is clear is that many didn’t want him to
run. He was asked to end his bid for the
office. The official word of him making
it to the race has significant bearing on the political endorsement of the five
survivors of the primary. The People’s
Alliance and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People endorsed only
four candidates in the primary. Will
both do the same in November? Will
either include Beasley among the four given each lost candidates in the
primary?
It’s conceivable
that the Durham Committee will endorse Michael Page, Brenda Howerton and Beasley.
There’s talk among members of the Durham Committee about not endorsing
Foster. It is believed that Foster has
swayed too far in support of the PA’s agenda, and the price could be replacing
Foster with Beasley.
Foster was seen passing out the PA slate
during the primary instead of the Durham Committee’s list of candidates. Foster received the Durham Committee
endorsement despite his stance against 751.
Many wonder about his position against 751 given how the development
could create jobs for blacks living in Durham.
His position against 751 is considered to be in conflict with his role
as President of Durham’s chapter of the NAACP. How does one take a position
against jobs when part of the agenda of the NACCP is finding work for those who
need it the most?
Foster’s strong
showing in the primary was the result of endorsements from both the Durham
Committee and PA. The recent grumbling
regarding Foster is reason to slow the roll on the push to place him on the
board to fill the seat left by Joe Bowser after he resigned.
The People’s Alliance is certain to endorse
Ellen Rechkow, Wendy Jacobs and Foster.
They may endorse a fourth person, and if that happens they are left with
Beasley. Given their attack on Page and
Howerton due to the 751 project, it is unlikely that they will shift in
supporting either. Beasley makes sense
as a fourth endorsement, but it comes at the risk of losing Foster if the
Durham Committee fails to endorse him.
What is clear is
the will of the people. The gathering of
7,500 signatures has to be respected by those holding political endorsements in
their hands. The difference between
Beasley and the other candidates is significant. Maybe that’s what Beasley meant when he
mentioned the dirt in Durham. The
scramble for those precious endorsements can be filled with compromise. It’s a tug of war that pits the fight for
jobs against our ecosystem. The two
bullies in the room keep fighting the candidates to determine which one will
end up with the lunch money.
“I want to thank
the 7,500 and the 2,845 who signed for giving me a chance,” Beasley says. That’s a lot of people who signed for him to
run. 10,345 people placed their name on a petition. Some weren’t registered to vote. Some names weren’t legible. Others had moved and couldn’t be found in the
system, but they all signed for Beasley to run.
Many people
worked to get Beasley on the track. “I
want to thank everyone who worked with me to make this happen,” Beasley
says. “It would not have happened if not
for them.”
There’s a
significant difference between what Beasley accomplished and what others
achieved to be placed on the track. They
decided to run. The people cheered
Beasley on and decided to allow him to run.
Beasley understands running. He’s
a track coach.
He’s on the
track now. Run Omar run.
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