With the November election rapidly
approaching, there’s no time to waste in preparing a strategy to assure success. Both local and national teams are busy
formulating a plan of attack. Local
candidates will reap the benefit of high turnout. This is an important time for anyone
interested in politics.
The looming election should be a
matter of crave concern for the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black
People. While its political committee
should be preparing for an all out fall blitz, the group is forced to contend
with the implications of Philip Cousin, the group’s chair, stepping down to
return as a member of the Durham Board of County Commissioners.
Cousin emerged from the crowd
of those who almost made it and those who wish they had come closer. Cousin was chosen due to his ability to hit
the ground running. His past stay on the
board was enough to sway those who remain to give him the nod versus Fred
Foster, who they will run against in the fall.
Cousin and the board are a good
fit. The bad news is the domino effect
it has on the leadership of the DCABP. His emergence on the Board of County Commissioners
may force the DCABP to select a new chair.
“It has created an issue about
leadership,” says Chuck Watts, vice-chair of DCABP’s political committee. “It
is unfortunate because it occurs just as he was about to establish himself as
the new leader.”
It’s not clear what will become
of Cousin's role with the DCABP. Cousin's desires a leave of absence while others contend he should step down due to his
position on the Board of County Commissioners. Some don’t see it as a conflict
of interest.
“I applaud Rev. Cousin ability
to let the Committee work,” says Darius Little, a member of DCABP. “His being
appointed to the Board of Commissioners has not changed his style of
leadership.”
A group within the DCABP lobbied
for Lavonia Allison to return. If
Cousin is forced to step down, Randal Rodgers is set to assume the role as
chair. Those supporting Allison’s return
point to the upcoming election and the need for credible, proven leadership
headed into one of the most important elections we have ever seen.
“She had her turn,” Watts says. “All
agreed with her decision to move on.
Some thought that she should have moved on sooner. I can’t imagine that there are many who
believe that she should take the lead again.”
Most agree Allison lacks the
votes to reemerge as leader of the DCABP. “She exited in a fashion by which she’d
still have her hands on some things, which was predictable,” Little says. As far as a comeback however, I don’t see the
votes for such an occurrence.”
“The work of The Committee seems to be rolling along
positively,” Little continues. “Our
Standing Committees are out on the ground running as never before. The Health
Committee, led by Dr. Terry Morris, for example has formed coalitions and is
hosting a Community Health Fair, which will include free screenings, free dental
extractions/fillings, free mammograms, HIV checks, Sickle Cell Counseling, Free
Barber Cuts. The Political Committee had an excellent fundraising year and has
worked hard to incorporate previously alienated elements of the Black Community
back into the fray of things.”
It’s
not clear what will happen to Cousin's role with the DCABP. According to the group’s constitution, no
elected official is allowed to serve as the DCABP chair. It is a serious conflict of interest that many
refuse to dismiss. The squabble over who
runs the DCABP may be a serious detraction from the matter at hand – winning the
fall election.
Sometimes national politics is held in the hand
of local politics. Hopefully all that
power will not be wasted on a question of who will lead the way.
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