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Friday, August 24, 2007

So why'd Smitherman change his mind?



When Cincinnati NAACP President Christopher Smitherman changed his mind at the last minute about running for Cincinnati City Council (read the Enquirer story), many wondered if a visit this week by a national NAACP big whig had anything to do with it.


You see, the national office has rules prohibiting a chapter leader running for elected office. They require that person to resign their NAACP role during the campaign to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.


But Smitherman initially said he would run anyway, defying the national office's rules (read the Enquirer story).


As the filing deadline approached this week, National NAACP Chief of Field Operations Nelson B. Rivers III paid a visit to Cincinnati.


The deadline came and went Thursday with Smitherman's name conspicuously absent from the list.


Smitherman said Thursday night he'd changed his mind because he decided that the NAACP was his priority and "It was very important for my (NAACP) camp that I stay."


So was the change-of-heart a coincidence? Or did he get a talking-to from the the NAACP powers-that-be?


The Enquirer asked Rivers during the chapter's general membership meeting Thursday night. Rivers said there was no talking-to because Smitherman had already decided not to run.


"There was nothing to discuss," Rivers said. "He said he wasn't running so it was a moot issue."


Rivers said he came to town because the chapter is an "important branch" and has been "doing good work" and because he wanted to participate in the meeting. Not because of the Smitherman candidacy controversy.


Rivers did, however, take time to give a detailed explanation of the national policy to the membership Thursday night after one of them asked him about it.


The local NAACP chapter does, indeed have a lot going on. It's set to host the national NAACP annual convention next year and just wrapped up a successful referendum effort to get a sales tax increase for a new jail on the November ballot.









5 Comments:

at 12:12 PM, August 24, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who now does the AFL-CIO give its available endorsement to?

I'm guessing Roxanne Qualls.

This also begs a question: did Charter reach out to its Lost Son to influence his decision specifically so Qualls could get AFL-CIO endorsement and lots and lots of Labor PAC money?

 
at 2:42 PM, August 24, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is Jessica pushing the Enquirer's agenda to discredit Smitherman or is she a reporter?

Do we care what she thinks or should we take the President and national rep from the NAACP's word?

Is the Enquirer upset that Smitherman has dared to question their coverage of black people and institutional racism? Or is this all just a coincidence?

 
at 4:28 PM, August 24, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think there might be a story here because Smitherman has done so much with his position to oppose the national office's great works over the last few decades, has spit in the face of black community and taken actions to promote a career instead of a mission.
He asked for and deserves the scrutiny. I just hope, some how, he pulls it together before permanently disabling and alienating the community.
Personally, I think he can do it - he just doesn't want to because his long term goal for the NAACP isn't to bring them forward but to advance himself.
The growth in membership pales in comparison to the regression in policy. Who wants an NAACP that hurts the black family and promotes a culture of greed and selfishness - I hope he turns it around - but his politics won't let him.

 
at 1:52 AM, August 29, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

So Smitherman decides not to run and it has nothing to do with with the visit of Mr. Rivers from the national office. There is a nugget of wisdom I heard some time ago that I have since claimed for myself which seems very apropos, "I believe in coincidences, but I don't trust them!"

I don't believe this BS story about Smitherman changing his mind all by himself. The timing is far too suspicious to accept it as such. Personally I think the public would love to have the truth for a change instead of more lies like these, I sure do know that's the way I feel. In any case Smitherman has proven himself to be an untrustworthy politician that is only out for himself. The Black community should look elsewhere for its leadership.

 
at 11:04 AM, September 10, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

He changed his mind because he had no intention of running for council in the first place he's nothing more than a con man!

 
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