All of the plaintiffs in the NAACP district voting lawsuit chose to move to raise a family or retire in Fayette County just like the majority of the white population had done.
A certain few began making claims based on the shoddy evidence of past lost elections, poorly funded, badly managed, not to mention inexperienced candidates.
The charge of no African American elected to countywide office was a lie. Magistrate Judge Charles Floyd, my neighbor, served two terms and would have served more had he not died.
The rallying cry was that Fayette County was racist and an African American could not be elected under a “divisive” at-large system of voting. White people will not vote for an African American, they claimed.
In comes a local African American pastor and former multi-year president of the Fayette County NAACP who runs for a City Council post in the heart of “old guard” territory with at-large voting and a black population of only 33.9 percent and he wins. Councilman Ed Johnson took his seat with the backing of the local TEA Party and swept the Republican multi-term incumbent out of office.
Now if anyone thought that election was a fluke, Johnson just recently became the first African American mayor of the city of Fayetteville, again at-large voting and 33.9 percent black.
The “racist wouldn’t vote for an African American” balloon has been completely deflated. The people of our county have continually said that given a candidate they can trust to do the will of the citizens, regardless of race, that person can get elected. Proven four times with Floyd and Johnson.
Quite a few African Americans stood at the podium during a special called Board of Elections meeting and said they did not feel the county was racist and they thought the lawsuit was more about politics. Many agree.
Residents of this county both black and white want to maintain our quality of life with a strong desire to love their neighbors.
Rev. Ed Johnson was described as a bridge builder and I concur. It was his leadership that led me to join the local NAACP as an active dues-paying member.
As someone who paid the dues and worked actively in the organization, I have the right to say that the current NAACP leadership is more about burning the bridges. I know them all. I consider them friends, but I will not stand for anyone of any race to attempt to divide and dismember my community.
The majority of the citizens have made it clear that they do not want the division, they do not want the district voting fiefdom model and they do not want federal judicial overreach clamping down on what is one of the most successful and prosperous counties in Georgia.
After spending a significant amount of taxpayer dollars in defending the county’s position, the citizens have said do not stop the moment it is about to go to trial.
Steve Brown, Commissioner
Peachtree City, Ga.
