Smitherman: chair of NAACP elections not a member

Chris Smitherman, a former Cincinnati city council member who is challenging Edith Thrower for the presidency of the NAACP’s local chapter, said the man responsible for running the disputed election last month isn’t even a member of the NAACP.

Smitherman said his team was notified Thursday that the Rev. A. Victor Brown, current chairman of the election supervisory committee, is not a member of the human right’s group. It was Brown who oversaw the election in November, and took home 24 disputed ballots that had been challenged.

Brown said he took the ballots home for “safe keeping.”

Thrower has refused to produce a list of NAACP members, Smitherman said.

When asked by a reporter Friday if she has been notified that Brown is not a member of the NAACP, Thrower said: “I have not, and that’s all I have to say. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Smitherman defeated Thrower 134-120 at the Nov. 28 election. But there were 24 ballots that were challenged and therefore not counted.

On Dec. 7, Brown declared Thrower the winner, saying the current president won 16 of the disputed ballots, Smitherman one, and another candidate two. Five the ballots were thrown out.

That resulted in Thrower winning the election by one vote, 136-135.

Officials from the national office could not be reached Friday afternoon. Smitherman said Brown’s status with the organization will play a major role in his court challenge to the election result.

“That’s a major piece of it,” Smitherman said. “Mr. Brown’s status is not a reflection on anybody but the current administration. There’s been no explanation of his status by the current president.”