By Doni Glover, www.bmorenews.com
(BALTIMORE – November 22, 2009) – I was invited this morning to WBAL TV-11 (NBC) this morning to discuss the case of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. To say the least, it was a terribly uncomfortable conversation. To talk about a person’s future is not my favorite thing to do. However, as a political analyst, it comes with the job.
Hence, as WBAL’s Lisa Robinson proceeded with her line of questioning, the focus was on what will likely happen if the mayor emerges victoriously from the current trial and the perjury trial scheduled for the early part of next year.
“Can she be re-elected?”, asked Robinson.
My response: The mayor is a Christian and therefore knows that we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” So, the answer is a definite yes. However, there will have to be some critical changes.
For one, the mayor will have to redefine herself. The operative term is “damage control.” And in order to do that, in my best estimation, is going back to the things which got her elected in the first place, i.e. re-hiring Anthony McCarthy.
An incredibly brilliant spokesperson, I personally believe that McCarthy has enough of an understanding of what the people need to hear and also a great knowledge of how to translate Mayor Dixon’s message of hope.
Currently, an unflattering picture of the mayor has been painted.
With that, there appears to be two camps – as noted in prior columns: one is die-hard supporters; the other is full of critics – unbound by racial innuendos and the victim mentality.
Hence, Mayor Dixon would have to make an effort to reconnect with the citizenry, beginning with the black community.
Robinson also alluded to Mayor-for-Life Marion Barry in the District of Columbia.
With first-hand knowledge of Barry, I can attest that he is accessible, he is aware of the needs of the people – beginning in Ward 8 in Southeast DC, and he is still known as a champion for their causes. He got people jobs, he made new black millionaires, and is the lone political power that helped build a Prince George’s County – the richest black jurisdiction in the nation.
Mayor Dixon, in my opinion, has not scratched the surface in that realm. Yes, black contractors have gotten richer, but very little can be said of new, emerging black business owners. From black funeral directors to beauty salons to barber shops, the mayor must let black business owners know that she has their back and that she is, in fact, in touch with their plight. FYI, these three industries are the last bastion of black economic prowess in the black community and are all under attack in some way, shape or form.
From conglomerates to powerful Korean-owned monopolies, black business owners have more than their share of challenges.
Even more, one glance at the Inner Harbor and I cannot readily identify one black-owned business in this a majority black city. Further, there is the case of Tyrone Taborn and the loss of his $10 million Black Engineer of the Year Awards convention that has been shifted to DC over $20,000 for display space. For some, that was an incredibly low blow that is without ample reason. How pathetic and disgraceful can we get?
Marion Barry would not have such. He makes it his business to keep the doors of these businesses open.
Speculation uptown is that more emphasis is placed by Mayor Dixon on the majority community. Again, to her credit, many supporters find the city being run with the precision of a Swiss clock.
Doni Morton Glover, the founder and publisher of www.bmorenews.com, has been a journalist for the past 15 years. He is a writer, photographer, and a political analyst for WBAL TV 11. Additionally, he is a local radio personality and host of “Empower Hour” on Radio One’s WOLB 1010 AM. The show is now in its 10th year and is the longest-running customized program on the station.