VB City Council Picks A Minority?
The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee issued a petition calling for the Virginia Beach City Council to pick a “highly qualified minority” to replace Ron Villanueva. They argued that such a large city as Virginia Beach should be inclusive and therefore reflective of the city’s rich diversity.
The VBDC writes: “According to 2008 US Census Bureau statistics, more than 87,000 of Virginia Beach’s citizens, or 20% of the population, is African American. Virginia Beach’s 26,000 Latino residents comprise 6% of our population, and Asian Americans make up over 5% of Virginia Beach’s citizenry. The total minority population in Virginia Beach, including people who classify themselves as being of mixed racial heritage, is 39%, or more than 173,000 people.”
I refused to sign this petition. Calling for such a quota of minority representation does a disservice to the cause. At every juncture in our democratic process, minorities have been given the same opportunity as non-minorities to run for and/or be appointed to Virginia Beach City Council.
Raising an awareness to the need for inclusiveness is fine and certainly if City Council representation stayed all white through multiple elections, we’d have a problem in need of a solution and then perhaps a call for a quota.
The appointment process as opposed to the election process is a little different. It was the Mayor’s and Council’s pick as opposed to the people’s pick. And Council picked a candidate (Rita Sweet Belito) that the people had picked in a previous election (at large School Board).
It’s interesting now to see the VBDC’s reaction to this pick. Is Rita Sweet Bellitto indeed a minority? Did Council satisfy the VBDC’s petition? In her interview, she mentioned that her Puerto Rican grandmother taught her, “there’s no substitute like hard work.” With that statement, Councilman Glenn Davis then surmissed that she was therefore of Puerto Rican descent. Kudos then to Mr. Davis for recognizing Puerto Rican as a race and allowing City Council to check off the Democrats as therefore being satisfied with their pick.
Can you see now the comedy of errors this petition set off?
The issue for Beach Democrats is not the recruitment of good minority candidates. Andrew Jackson and Georgia Allen stand out in my mind as good examples. The problem is our organization that can’t get any Democratic candidate – black, white, red or purple – elected.
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February 7th, 2010 at 11:21 am
A good, common-sense post.
Fortunately, it is unlikely to be received well among your fellow Dems.
February 7th, 2010 at 11:38 am
It is simply a matter of the VB Dems being unorganized and out of touch with the political realities in our city.
February 7th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
WB, yes Dems need to be a lot better organized, but no, we’re not out of touch with political reality. Our progressive eye is no less on the prize, but political reality as you say, will just cause its fruition to take longer than in other communities. But it will happen. We just need to make sure we don’t incrementally step in the wrong direction by too wholeheartedly embracing Republican-Lite with a D next to their name.
February 7th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Certainly, you wouldn’t mind if I asked a few questions would you?
Like how is this fault of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee? Are they not in their right to ask for Virginia Beach City Council to be much more inclusive than its current make up? And what would make you say one seat satisfies a quota? Didn’t you just say that racial minorities make up nearly 40% of Virginia Beach’s population? Wouldn’t that mean of the 10 seats on their city council that the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee would be asking that four of those seats go racial minorities to satisfy this quota you say they were demanding? Does quota not mean “a proportional part or share of a FIXED total amount or quantity?” Seriously, why are you calling this a quota?
And who is Glenn Davis to take seriously to speak for Democrats? Is he even a Democrat? What are you listening to him for?
February 7th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
I mention Glenn Davis to highlight the ridiculousness of this situation. Glenn is an R.
I hesitated using the word “quota” in case I was taken literally as you are right now, Question. There’s a better word for it that implies something less formulaic, I just can’t think of it.
February 7th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
You can’t think of the difference between a set of inflexible requirements and an argument for the value of diversity in representation? Seriously?
(And here’s a hint: when a bigot like James Young thinks you’re on the right track, you might want to think through what you’re saying.)
February 7th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
When a self-involved, sanctimonious asshole like Mark Blacknell calls you a “bigot,” you’ve obviously hit the nail on head.
February 7th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
No, it just means you’re a bigot. You’ve really got to work on your reading comprehension, James (well, that and all sorts of other things, but I’m trying to keep the thread on track).
February 7th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
A County Committee is in error when they promote hiring based on race or gender. Had they advocated that the City ensure that the process was open to ALL qualified citizens and that the best candidate be selected purely on the basis of merit, then the Beach Committee would have been in accord with our Virginia Party Plan.
The position of our Party is to invite applicants from all segments of society, but to select based on merit.
We must not be sucked into promoting race or gender quotas to achieve some sort of perceived “representative ratio” of those hired to the proportions in the local population.
The citizens deserve the best talent that their tax dollars will buy and we must never fall backward into the quagmire of race or gender quotas; such a step would destroy the Democratic Party in Virginia and it would be a fundamental violation of employment law.
February 7th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Balance, do you really think the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee was advocating just grabbing some random black guy off the street and putting him on Virginia Beach’s city council?
February 8th, 2010 at 12:40 am
<blockquote.At every juncture in our democratic process, minorities have been given the same opportunity as non-minorities to run for and/or be appointed to Virginia Beach City Council.
You can’t be serious about this statement, are you?
Do you know what institutionalized racism is? That is where it is woven into the fabric of our society, mostly from longevity, and it continues to this day. The idea that at “every juncture” there has been equal opportunity is laughable. How about 1946? 1959?
You seriously need to rethink this and recognize the fact that yes, people of color and other minorities are still given the seat in the back of the bus, metaphorically speaking.
The rosy picture you have tried to portray is in my opinion, completely out of touch with reality.
Oh, and Hi James!
February 8th, 2010 at 5:07 am
Yes, Eileen. You should listen to Mark. There must be institutional racism dating back to 1946 in a city that wasn’t created until the 1960s.
Andrew Jackson’s race had nothing to do with his not being chosen. In fact, had Mr. Jackson been white, would Carl Wright and his organization give him the least bit of advocacy?
February 8th, 2010 at 9:00 am
You know, MB, it wouldn’t be difficult to refute a charge like that from a race hustler like you, but why bother? Facts don’t matter to you; name-calling and your far-Left ideology matter to you. And the opinions of sanctimonious, ill-informed boobs don’t much matter to me.
Anyway, see what I mean, Eileen?
February 8th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Black school board members have been elected before if I might point out. Todd Davidson was elected a few years back and ran a great campaign. It is possible for an African American to run and win if the campaign is right. I would never ever vote for someone purely based on race and support appointing someone just because of their race. Its a slap in the face of everyone else who is qualified. I think Bellitto has been elected before and shes obviously been entrusted by VA beach. People will vote for who they think is qualified and has the right vision. If an African American is that person, then so be it.
February 8th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
James Young accuses MB of “name-calling” after calling Mark Blacknell “a self-involved, sanctimonious asshole” and just before calling MB a “sanctimonious, ill-informed boob.” Such an exemplary model of civility!
February 8th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
A “race-hustler”! Ha! Thank you. This was a good day, but that just made it a fantastic one. Now run along before I make you gay-marry someone, while I’m at it.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Yes, Brian, I was talking about racism, not the incorporation date of the city.
But then, you already knew that. Don’t let it get in the way of a condescending comment on your part.
You’re just upset that I sometimes disagree with you.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Mark, you never upset me.
Neither do flies.