During the recent controversy
inside the Hamilton County Democratic Party Freeman McNeil is quoted on Cincinnati.com as saying:
“Black folks in Cincinnati make this a Democratic city,” McNeil said. “We have not received anything in return.”
Two points Mr. McNeil may want to consider: 1)The Hamilton County Democratic Party is more than just the City. 2)Where were the black votes in the 2009 council election?
In 2008 there was a huge turnout in predominately African-American Wards in the city proper, yet in 2009, those same wards saw a decline below the 2005 voter turnout, even with a Mayor, who happens to be black, up for re-election against a white Republican. The Democrats lost a seat on council, so the failure to get the out the vote falls on whom? If most of the black members of the HCDC's executive committee claim that blacks are responsible for the City being Democratic, then why did the ballots cast drop in most of the predominate black city wards in the 2009 city elections?
Ward |
| Neighborhoods |
| Change in Registered Voters 09-05 | Change in Ballots Cast 09-05 |
0 |
| City Wide |
| 13,478 | -91 |
1 |
| Mt. Washington/California |
| 384 | 730 |
2 |
| Madisonville/Oakley |
| 563 | 231 |
3 |
| Evanston |
| 307 | -373 |
4 |
| Hyde Park |
| -22 | 253 |
5 |
| Mt. Lookout/Linwood |
| 379 | 400 |
6 |
| Downtown/OTR |
| 1,248 | 226 |
7 |
| Roselawn/Bond Hill |
| 532 | -351 |
8 |
| Mt. Aburn/Mt. Adams |
| 270 | -77 |
9 |
| Walnut Hills/E Walnut Hills |
| 221 | -154 |
10 |
| OTR |
| 588 | -43 |
11 |
| Clifton Heights |
| 366 | -115 |
12 |
| CUF |
| 958 | -105 |
13 |
| Avondale/North Avondale |
| 341 | -650 |
14 |
| Pleasant Ridge/Kennedy Heights |
| 452 | 46 |
15 |
| Clifton |
| 808 | -68 |
16 |
| Queensgate |
| 225 | 0 |
17 |
| West End/OTR |
| 816 | -117 |
18 |
| West End |
| 87 | -194 |
19 |
| Sedamville/Sayler Park |
| 167 | 202 |
20 |
| Price Hill |
| 562 | -20 |
21 |
| South Fairmount |
| 180 | -86 |
22 |
| Northside/Camp W/S. Cummingsville |
| 527 | 16 |
23 |
| College Hill/Mt. Airy |
| 1,045 | -29 |
24 |
| HartWel/Carthage |
| 532 | 74 |
25 |
| Price Hill(Covedale) |
| 833 | -18 |
26 |
| Westwood |
| 1,109 | 131 |
I'll get called names for pointing this out. I know certain people (like guys who wear capes around town) will surly call me all sorts of things for daring to put numbers back into the face of black Democrats using the race card to get someone a job. I'm doing it anyway, and it's not the first or last time. I'll survive.
It could have been so much easier. Instead of handling this with wisdom and discretion, it was put out in the press. Division and discourse plays right into the hands of Republicans. Instead of playing games race, why not look at the qualifications of executive director,
Caleb Faux? Here is the ED of the party who just over a year ago help steer the county Blue for the first time in decades and for a black candidate as well. Having over 117,000 non-city residents vote for Obama is a big deal. He didn't do it on his own, but as the ED, he gets some of the credit.
Now, its time to get past this and sing a happy tune. There are elections to be won this year.