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Politics & The Nation
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SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2010 Ala. Democrats seek new star after Artur Davis’s defeat It has left the Democratic ma-
Top-tier state jobs remain out of reach for struggling party
by Wil Haygood
birmingham, ala. — At one time, Democrats here talked about Artur Davis in the same kind of buoyant and hopeful lan- guage they used to describe Ba- rack Obama. A black four-term congressman with crossover ap- peal, he seemed on a quick path to the governor’s high-back chair in the old Montgomery statehouse. Even those who were skeptical that he could win, given the state’s racial narrative, took another look when Davis shot ahead by double digits in the polls. Then came last Tuesday, and Davis’s surprising, humiliating, double- digit defeat. It was yet another dispiriting
performance by an Alabama Democrat. For years, Democrats in this state have been forced to view their existence as if inside a hall of mirrors. They see them- selves all around — Democrats control the state legislature — but the actual reflection is cast by Re- publicans, who hold most of the top-tier elected jobs such as gov- ernor and attorney general. Democrats have struggled to
find a statewide star. The last Democratic governor, Don Siegel- man, was recently released from prison on appeal of his conviction for giving an appointment to a supporter. Davis was supposed to be the one to turn things around. “The Democratic Party began to decline here in 1986,” said Nat- alie Davis, a professor of political science at Birmingham-Southern College. “By and large they’re a party that has not found a voice. Their decline is a withering proc- ess. There is a sense that the Dem- ocratic Party is not where voters want to be here.”
chinery hustling to make itself relevant. “Alabama, on its face, is still
very conservative,” says Joe Turn- ham, chairman of the state Demo- cratic Party. “We’re in the heart of the Bible Belt. Sixty-eight percent of Alabama voters attend church at least once a week. Over 60 per- cent identify themselves as born- again Christians. A lot of Demo- cratic parties, with those num- bers, would have folded and gone away. We haven’t.” Turnham says racial antago- nisms are less a factor now than in the past — blacks vote over- whelmingly Democratic here and make up a quarter of the voting bloc. But there is another view. “The truth of the matter is that the Republican Party here has supplanted the old Dixiecrat wing of the Democratic Party,” says U.W. Clemon, who became the first black federal judge here when President Jimmy Carter nominated him in 1980. He stepped down last year. “Folks who would have been with [Gov.] George Wallace in 1963 are in the Republican Party now,” Clemon said. “And they just may take over the Alabama Sen- ate in November. Alabama is now more conservative than Missis- sippi.”
A segregationist past
Alabama is a state that wrote it- self into the history books for the most unflattering of reasons. Wal- lace championed segregation. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sat in a fetid Birmingham jail. Demonstrators were beaten when they attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery. Blacks will remind you that Obama received a paltry 10 to 14 percent of the vote here, according to estimates. The defeat of Davis — Harvard- educated, smooth orator — sum- moned those old racial worries again. “A part of it — not all of it — is
Fenty’s initiatives have touched all parts of city
fenty from A1
influence but not control. Records show, for example,
that predominantly black Ward 5 received more school construc- tion funds — $152million — than any other ward in fiscal 2008 and 2009.
According to the city’s most re-
cent data available, Wards 8 and 2 followed with $117million and $103 million, respectively, crush- ing the idea that when it comes to school construction, wards were favored by class and race. Ward 2 is mostly white, and it includes Georgetown as well as condo- soaked downtown, while Ward 8 is nearly all African American and has the city’s highest un- employment and poverty rates. Over the past few months, Fen-
ty has maintained a frenetic rib- bon-cutting pace throughout the city, but his detractors’ criticism has stuck partly because of his initial focus on recreation proj- ects in mostly white and affluent Ward 3, his push for gentrifica- tion in some neighborhoods de- spite resident opposition, and his swift response to the fires at the Georgetown Public Library and Eastern Market. His cuts in social programs — including closing service centers in Northeast and Southeast to help close a budget gap — also have fed accusations of favoritism. In a brief interview, Fenty ac- knowledged that he could do bet- ter to inform residents that his administration spends city funds without regard to race or class. And to communicate to voters that he backs projects in all four corners of the city, his reelection campaign literature is ward-spe- cific, listing the city-driven or city-funded projects in each com- munity. In part, it reads, “Leader- ship that gets things done for” [insert ward number].
Spending premiums
Ronald Walters, an expert in urban politics and professor emeritus at the University of Maryland at College Park, said that as the city’s population has changed, the mayor has pursued policies that place a premium on certain projects — dog parks and recreation centers — that reflect what more-recent residents want but may not be as important to residents of wards with high un- employment or lack of easy access to city services. “In D.C., you have gentrifica- tion, the return of the white popu- lation . . . to the point that it has become the effective electorate,” said Walters, who points to the city’s plan to invest in a $1.5 bil-
lion streetcar system as part of a massive gentrification effort. “Look at that kind of investment and the fact that Washington, D.C., has one of the highest pover- ty rates.”
Over the years, residents have decried city spending as geo- graphically uneven. The previous mayor, Anthony A. Williams (D), was criticized for championing $700 million in taxpayer funds for Nationals Park. That expense overshadowed other major proj- ects, including affordable hous- ing efforts, during his administra- tion.
Another project, the Circulator bus — originally a downtown shuttle under Williams — will be a $16 million endeavor in fiscal 2011. The buses, which at $1 a ride are cheaper than taking a Met- robus, run only west of the Ana- costia River. Last year, Fenty de- cided to close two of seven service centers of the Income Mainte- nance Administration to save city coffers $1 million, leaving low- income and unemployed resi- dents in long lines to apply for government assistance. Mean- while, he backpedaled on plans to eliminate the Circulator’s $1 mil- lion Georgetown leg after neigh- borhood residents decried the idea. To save an additional $1.6 million, the administration also shut the Brentwood Depart- ment of Motor Vehicles service center in Ward 5. Although it was the least utilized of the city’s DMV centers, it was the only service center in Northeast, and resi- dents now crowd into the DMV center in Ward 7’s Penn Branch, where the line stretches down a sidewalk behind a strip mall. “We’re supplementing a down- town bus system and creating two different classes of bus systems,” said City Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), who add- ed that Fenty’s expenditures have been out of pace with the desires and needs of residents in diverse or predominantly black Wards 5, 7 and 8. “I think our priorities are mixed up.” The administration’s actions
have led black and white resi- dents to view Fenty’s actions dif- ferently. According to a Washing- ton Post poll in January, 62 per- cent of white residents said the mayor was doing a “good” or “ex- cellent” job at improving city ser- vices, while 45 percent of black residents agreed with that. Dur- ing his reelection campaign kick- off in April, Fenty defended his decisions, saying he was building on a foundation set by his pred- ecessor. Julius Ware, president and founder of the Ward 7 Business
velvet cake. Darien Satisfield, 48, a revenue examiner for the city, could see why Sparks appealed to blacks — especially after Davis voted against health care. “Sparks played on black peo-
ple’s emotions: You’ll have bingo!” Satisfield says it is not difficult to see why Democrats are having trouble in statewide campaigns. “The Democrats are basically from the inner cities. It is folks in the rural areas who run this state. Read that this way: White people run Alabama. There’s just more rural areas than urban areas.” He shakes his head over and over about Davis. “You can’t turn your back on your own. Those are your roots. You’re talking about a Harvard-educated person who just didn’t connect.”
Shoring up the left STEVE GATES FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Clockwise from left: Charles Foster, Mills Cosby and Lewis Chisholm talk about Alabama politics at Fife’s Restaurant in Birmingham. Foster and Chisholm supported Ron Sparks for governor over Davis.
the permanence of racism,” Cle- mon said. “One would have thought that blacks, who contrib- ute one-fourth of the voting-age populace, and a coalition with just a third of whites, would have produced a governing majority. Now, the president can’t discuss race, but that doesn’t mean it has disappeared.” Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, who defeated Davis, trav- eled the state delivering passion- ate speeches about the poor diets of schoolchildren, the need for jobs and the havoc wreaked by the oil spill. “I won’t let BP walk away from the citizens of Alabama,” he said. He supports a statewide lot- tery to pay for his promises. For the next few weeks, he will have the field to himself. The three Re- publican candidates — Robert Bentley, Bradley Byrne and Tim James— will have a runoff July 13.
What stayed on the minds of
many here in the aftermath of Da- vis’s loss was the beguiling cam- paign he ran. Black voters turned against him in favor of Sparks, un- able, it appears, to forgive him for his vote against Obama’s health- care bill. In an act of brazen chutz- pah, Davis declined invitations to speak to black political groups. “You can’t dis the black leadership in this state,” Davis said. The black political powerbrok- ers are still angry at him. “There were many things that
hurt Davis among black folk,” said Joe L. Reed, chairman of the Ala- bama Democratic Conference, a grass-roots organization of most- ly black members that welcomes black and white candidates to ap- pear before their forums. (King called him “Brother Reed” during the civil rights movement.) “He voted against health care,” Reed
fumed. “Then he said he wouldn’t come before black organizations — but he did go before white or- ganizations. People whose shoul- ders you stand on, well, don’t try to insult them. Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘He who is wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.’ ” State Sen. Henry “Hank” Sand-
ers (D), who is black, wondered what “in the world” Davis was up to by ignoring him and his col- leagues. “Not even whites would refuse to appear before us,” Sand- ers says. “He did everything to ap- peal to white voters.” Less than 48 hours after Davis had been defeated, he remained on the minds of many at Fife’s Restaurant, a homey eatery in Birmingham’s north side. The menu is southern cuisine: black- eyed peas, muffins, smothered liv- er and onions and, of course, red
All of which raises the ques- tion: Whither Alabama Demo- crats? “Whites are certainly moving to the right,” says Carol Zippert, one of the founders of the Alabama New South Coalition and a grass- roots organizer who lives in the Black Belt. “That’s why it’s so diffi- cult to get Democrats in top lead- ership positions across the state.” Zippert said Sparks has a shot
at it. “He has a chance of pulling in regular white folks. He has a down-home approach.” Turnham, the state Democratic
Party leader, said his party has a huge task ahead to remain viable. “You gotta be able to sing out of the hymnal,” he says about Demo- cratic politicians. “You gotta be able to talk Auburn and Alabama football. And you gotta know the start of turkey season.” The Alabama football season opens Sept. 4 (against San Jose State). Voters will decide between Re- publican and Democrat on Nov. 2. The fall turkey hunting season begins Nov. 20.
haygoodw@washpost.com
JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST Mayor Adrian Fenty referees a race between council member Harry Thomas Jr. and kids at the renovated Edgewood Field Center in Ward 5.
and Professional Association, said the attacks on the mayor are undeserved. “That’s not fair,” Ware said. ‘What you have is peo- ple playing on the new ballfields and swimming in pools, but they are still saying, ‘I don’t like the mayor.’ They don’t feel like he’s one of us.” But Ware said he hopes voters will look at the mayor’s accom- plishments, even though he faults Fenty for failing to design a “branding and marketing cam- paign” that helps dispel some of the voters’ perceptions of him.
All not equal
In Ward 5, school construction spending has been overshadowed by the city’s decision to close six schools as part of a consolidation plan. Most of the money paid for the $62 million renovation of Phelps Architecture, Construc- tion and Engineering High School, which was closed in 2002 but reopened in 2008 as a model of a new vocational education. No schools were closed in Ward 3, and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee has said closings were based on several factors, includ- ing utilization and academic per- formance. But Jacqueline Manning, a
Ward 5 Advisory Neighborhood Commission member, said the city does not appear to have a plan for the ward, which added the vacant school buildings to its long list of abandoned industrial plants — a reminder of the lack of development that critics say has been delivered faster to other parts of the city. “You should leave one ward, go to another and it
should look the same,” said Man- ning, who added that each ward deserves similar access to ameni- ties, schools and other facilities. “We want a Social Safeway,” she
said, referring to the remodeled grocery store in Georgetown that stocks $500 bottles of wine. “Their needs are met totally faster than other wards,” she said — like wards “2 and 3.” In the category of recreation,
city records show that $166 mil- lion in capital funds has been spent or dedicated to projects throughout the city. Nearly $46 million went toward Ward 3 projects, with the long-awaited Wilson Aquatic Center receiving $28 million. Predominantly black Ward 7 followed closely with more than $40 million, including $33 million designated for the Deanwood Recreation Center. In contrast, Ward 2 has received the least amount: $4.7million. Thomas, chairman of the Com-
mittee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, said his staff has found instances of city funds moved from one project to an- other despite capital spending plans that were drawn before Fenty took office. For instance, council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) recently urged others on the council to reject Fenty’s ef- forts to move $2.5 million desig- nated for improvements to the Bald Eagle Recreation Center in Ward 8 to a playground in Chevy Chase in Northwest. Barry said he withdrew his objection after the administration offered to give Bald Eagle an additional $1 mil- lion in fiscal 2011. Library spending, on the other
Citywide project spending Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s administration has funded projects citywide in wards no longer clearly defined by racial and class divisions.
Total project spending by ward, in millions
Parks and recreation
Ward 8 Ward 7 Ward 6 Ward 5 Ward 4 Ward 3 Ward 2 Ward 1
*Does not include ongoing projects. SOURCE: D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation
hand, tilted to Ward 7, with four new branches opened or coming, at a cost of more than $50 mil- lion. Gray, who formerly repre- sented Ward 7, and other council members noted that plans for the libraries were underway before Fenty took office even though the mayor’s administration guided the funds. The $23 million Georgetown li-
brary, however, which burned in 2007 on the same day as Eastern Market, will be the city’s most ex- pensive when it is completed in October. When Fenty announced that he would pour millions into rebuilding it and Eastern Market, long-shuttered libraries were still
THE WASHINGTON POST
awaiting funding. The O Street Market in Shaw, also a landmark, remains a shell of itself after a roof fell in 2003, although there are plans for redevelopment. Ward 8 community activist Philip Pannell said that when the administration slashed some li- braries, it did not consider that the ward does not have the types of stores, like Staples, that other neighborhoods across the city have. “We can’t make copies on the weekend,” he said. “Parents can’t take their children to the li- brary to read. I don’t think North- west children would suffer [like Southeast children].”
stewartn@washpost.com
Schools*
Libraries TOTAL $103.9
$145 $143.6
$91.6 $165 $93.5 $135 $136.1 4 3 2 6 8 1 5 7
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