City could have its first Council in 30 years with no black members

Charlottesville could soon face a dilemma it hasn’t dealt with in more than 30 years: a City Council without a single black member.

The racial makeup of the Charlottesville City Council may not be cause for concern for everyone, but the results of Saturday’s firehouse primary have proven worrisome for the local Democratic Party.

On Saturday, city voters chose Satyendra Huja, Kathy Galvin and Dede Smith as the three Democratic nominees for City Council. Colette Blount, a city School Board member who was the only black candidate in the Democratic field, went down to defeat, finishing fifth in a field of seven.

Andrew D. Williams is the only black candidate in the field of five independents seeking a spot on the ballot in the Nov. 8 general election, but the Democratic stranglehold on City Council makes the party’s nominees the likely frontrunners in that contest.

Party co-chair Jim Nix was asked about the lack of a black candidate early Sunday morning after he announced the results.

“Yes, that’s something that we’re concerned about,” Nix said. “We certainly hope this isn’t a trend and we really encourage African-American candidates to come forward in the future and we need to build support for our candidates in the African-American community. But that’s the result. It is what it is.”

Councilor Holly Edwards, the only current black member, chose not to seek re-election this year. She said she was elected not because she was a woman or because she was black, but because voters thought she was the best candidate. However, Edwards did show some unease with Saturday’s results.

“It seems as if not only is gentrification a part of many neighborhoods around the city, but now gentrification is a part of the City Council,” Edwards said.

Over the last decade, the city’s black population declined from 22.2 percent to 19.4 percent, a drop of about 1,600 people, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The council has included a black member since the Rev. E.G. Hall was elected in 1980. In 1978, local black leaders criticized the Democrats for crossing party lines to elect a white Republican and a white Democrat in an election that produced the first all-white council in eight years. Charles L. Barbour, first elected in 1970, was the city’s first black city councilor and mayor, serving until 1978.

“It puts to rest the urban legend that the Democratic Party assured that there would be an African-American seat on council,” said Edwards. “There was always debate as to whether or not that was true, but clearly they can put that urban legend to rest.”

Blount said she also has heard the rumor that there is one reserved spot on the council for a black member. There’s no reason to believe a council without a black member can’t represent the interests of a variety of people, Blount said, but there are those who want to see a diverse council.

“Some people in this community do go by face value. Even seeing a council that doesn’t have an African-American on there, there can be an assumption that their interests are not being represented,” Blount said. “I didn’t know of any other candidate who was interested in this. I know that it was brought to my attention that there was no other candidate early on and that if I did run that I would serve as that presence. But there is no guarantee.”

Blount received the endorsement of Mayor Dave Norris, who gave his support to three candidates — Blount, Smith and Brevy Cannon — who share his opposition to the plan to build a new earthen dam at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir. Only Smith earned a nomination Saturday. Councilor David Brown and former Mayor Blake Caravati have suggested that Blount may have fared better without the mayor’s involvement, but Blount rejected the notion that Norris was a strong presence in her campaign.

“I did not speak with him actually, during the entire campaign,” Blount said. “I ran it on my own, with my treasurer and some other helpers.”

Norris sponsored a rally for the three candidates two days before the election and introduced Blount to the Democratic faithful who attended. She briefly addressed the audience and left to attend a back-to-school function.

Norris said he hopes he’s wrong, but the Democratic Party may have set back the city’s efforts to promote racial reconciliation and equality.

“How do we foster responsiveness to the desires and concerns of people of color in Charlottesville?” Norris said in an interview. “And here we have the Democratic Party and the party establishment actively working to deny African-Americans a seat at the table. I think that’s going to have an effect on some of the progress that’s been made through the Dialogue on Race.”

The Dialogue on Race is a city-sponsored initiative to foster greater discussion of race relations through community forums and events.

Caravati, whose support of Huja, Galvin and Paul Beyer led him to clash openly with Norris during the primary campaign, voiced similar concerns.

“The fact that we don't have an African-American, for me, is quite dramatic,” said Caravati. “I don’t like the feeling of that. I’m not saying that everything’s going to go wild, but I don’t like the feeling of it.”

Despite the primary result, Blount said, people should get up and make their presence known in the council chambers.

“Even though the African-American community did not show up in full force in that Saturday primary, there is a lot of attention being given to the concerns of council and the direction council is going,” Blount said.