URBAN PRO WEEKLY

UPWMAY 26 - 31, 2016 VOL. 5 NO. 34

Lamkin, Nelson

Race, ca$h and political bloodlines

unseat incumbents

Kelli McIntyre defeats Monique Walker in the first head-to-head contest between two of the city’s most famous political families. Was it an upset or a setup?

Bo Hunterphoto by Ken Makin

Kelli Kenner McIntyrephoto by Ken Makin

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Race, Ca$h and political bloodlinesTHE CITY COMMENTARY

By Frederick Benjamin Sr.UPW Political Analyst

AUGUSTAThe sound and fury that accompa-

nies most political campaigns is not half as interesting as counting the votes when the shouting is all over. That is doubly true for the General Primary that was completed this week.

Some important posts were up for grabs, but the turnout ranged from dismal to — just ok. On the low side (in the Democratic polling), you had 15 percent turnouts in both state House races (Districts 124 and 125) and 27-28 percent turnout in most of the other races.

Put another way anywhere from 72 - 85 percent of registered voters in Richmond County didn’t bother to cast a ballot, despite the fact that it’s easier than ever for the average person to be able to vote.

But it you did cast a ballot, what follows is all possible thanks to your doing your civic duty.

RaceBy far the most intriguing race this

time around was the race for the vacated State Court Judge of John Flythe.

As soon as Monique Walker, Kellie Kenner McIntyre and Robert “Bo” Hunter officially entered the race, the first thing that came to mind to most folks who follow Augusta pol-itics was that Walker and McIntyre, both African-American candidates,

will split the black vote, advancing the fortunes of the remaining can-didate (Hunter), who happens to be white.

No one expected any of the candi-dates to avoid a runoff election and it was likely that Hunter would make the runoff by pulling the major chunk of the white vote. What was unclear was, which of the female African-American attorneys would be left standing to challenge Hunter in the July 26 runoff election.

Political BloodlinesTo those on the periphery of local

politics here’s the deal in a nutshell. Monique is the direct descendant of Charles W. Walker, one of the most influential politicians (of any race) to call Augusta home. Walker lost very few political campaigns during his reign as “top dog” in Augusta span-ning the period from the 1980s thru 2003.

Kellie McIntyre’s father-in-law was former Augusta mayor Ed McIntyre. McIntyre was Augusta’s first black mayor in an era when such a political win was far from the norm.

Clearly, among the most promi-nent political families and personal-ities in Augusta (which include the Howards, the Beards, the Mays’ and the Browns), Charles W. Walker and Ed McIntyre were the most colorful, the most talented and the most con-troversial.

McIntyre died several years ago and Walker was out of politics for at least a decade, but those who loved

and supported them were expected to determine the outcome of the race between the latest political McIntyre and the latest political Walker.

Despite, her political inexperience as a candidate, Monique emerged as the front-runner. Clearly, the old Walker organization had many com-ponents still in place and at their ral-lies and fund raisers a familiar parade of Charles Walker supporters pledged their dollars and votes on Monique’s behalf.

While Kellie McIntyre could not match the bedrock support that appeared to give Monique the edge, she had just waged a successful cam-paign for Solicitor was in a great position to hit the ground running. Also, the name McIntyre inspires a lot of love among the older residents of Augusta.

Ca$hOne of the key strengths of a tradi-

tional Walker campaign had always been fundraising. A huge war chest was always available to the Walkers. It not only fueled their own ambitions but those of their allies as well. This campaign was no different.

Comparing the campaign disclo-sure reports through March of this year reveals the following sizes of the war chests:

Walker - $61,142Hunter - $31,328McIntyre - $32,755

While the final reports have yet to be filed, it is clear that Walker had

the resources to finance the general contest and any subsequent runoff election.

However, when the election results began to trickle in on Tuesday eve-ning, it was clear that the Walker can-didacy faced uncertainty.

At the final tally, Hunter was the top vote getter (9495 - 38.8 percent); McIntyre came in second (8,229 - 33.4 percent) and Monique Walker fin-ished third (7665 - 29.7 percent).

Many folks were surprised that, one, Hunter got the most of the votes, and, two, that Walker fell short.

So, why did Walker fall short? It was not for lack of effort or know-how?

At least one political insider sug-gests that folks who grinned in the elder Walker’s face, in his presence, failed to work to deliver the votes needed to win. Whatever the reason, it’s likely that you will see Monique Walker again as a candidate. She did everything right — except make the runoff.

So now, Hunter and McIntyre have 60 more days of campaigning to do. The conventional wisdom would give the edge to McIntyre simply because the majority of the voters in the contest are African American. That’s not something that McIntyre is likely to take for granted. It is clear that a brief scan of the names of Bo Hunter’s financial supporters reveals that he has support in the black community. Still, at this point, most astute observers would agree that this is Kellie McIntyre’s race to lose.

In some cases, the voters decided to “throw the bums out”Incumbents fared fairly well in

Tuesday’s General Primary, but in two very high-profile races, the voters decid-ed that they wanted “new blood.”

In the most high-profile contest — the Marshal’s race — voters put an end to the decades long career of Steve Smith (12,208 47.9 percent) in favor of new-comer Ramone Lamkin (13,267 - 52 percent).

Lamkin had a well-financed campaign and his picture was everywhere. He even made a guest appearance on a local dramatic presentation.

Smith didn’t raise as much or spend as much as Lamkin. According to their campaign disclosure reports in March, the two raised the following:

Smith $35,118Lamkin - $54,159.In the state House District 125 race,

Ernest Smith (1496 - 43 percent) was defeated by newcomer Shelia Clark Nelson (1977 - 56.9 percent). Although she has not held elective office, Nelson has always been involved in Democratic Party activities. Less that 500 votes sepa-rated Nelson from Smith.

In the House District 124 contest, Wayne Howard (2,801 - 78 percent) turned back Gregory Hill (798 - 22 percent).

Other newcomers include Commission District 4 winner Andrew Jefferson. Jefferson (1959 64.5 percent) defeated Kelby Walker (1069 - 35.2 per-cent) and will fill the seat of Bill Lockett at the beginning of next year.

In other races Superior Court Judge Carl C. Brown flicked off the upstart candidacy of Chris Nicholson. Brown corralled a whopping 82 percent of the

votes.Some familiar faces will be back

on the Augusta Commission. Marion Williams (Dist. 9) and Bill Fennoy, (Dist. 1) will rejoin the commission along with Mary Davis and Sean Framptom who ran unopposed.

In the other Superior Court Judge contest John Flythe defeated Evita Paschall.

Hattie Holmes-Sullivan (9,667 - 64 percent) ran a successful campaign against Ernest Thomas (5,409 - 36 per-cent).

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Urban Pro Weekly2746 Willis Foreman Road

Hephzibah, GA 30815

Publisher URBAN PRO WEEKLY MEDIA

706-306-4647urbanpromedia@yahoo.com

CEO / SalesFREDERICK BENJAMIN SR.

706-306-4647editor@urbanproweekly.com

UPW URBAN PRO WEEKLY ContributorsVINCENT HOBBS

Photography & New Media

KEN MAKINcontributing columnist

Tabernacle Baptist Church will host its annual Kingdom Living Conference May 26 – May 29. The conference is an all-inclusive event for each mem-ber of the family. The conference theme is “Setting The Standard.” The conference is designed to help fam-ilies’ triumph over the things that bind them whether spiritually, emo-tionally or physically. The conference will be held at Tabernacle Baptist Church - Main and registration for the Kingdom Living Conference is open to all. Registration for the conference is $5 per child, $10 per adult and $20 per family.

The conference will kick off on May 26 with Rev. Dr. E Dewey Smith of The House of Hope Atlanta & Macon Ga. at 7:00 p.m. This service will take place in the sanctuary located inside Tabernacle Baptist Church and is FREE and open to the public. The conference will con-tinue through the weekend to include Outdoor Family Movie Night” on May 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Tabernacle Family Life Center and is FREE and open to the public.

The Kingdom Living Conference will be May 28 at 8:30 a.m. featuring a group of dynamic speakers including Rev. Dr. Charles E. Goodman, Jr., senior

pastor/teacher of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Pastor Anthony C. Maclin and First Lady Rev. Peggy Maclin of The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square, Capitol Heights, Md. Conference registration/check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Tabernacle Family Life Center. You can also register in advance online at www.tbcaugusta.org.

The Kingdom Living Conference weekend will conclude on May 29. Pastor Maclin and First Lady Rev. Maclin will serve as guest preach-ers at the 7:15 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. worship experiences at Tabernacle Baptist Church Main and

West locations and is FREE and open to the public.

The conference weekend will also fea-ture Stellar Award Winning Recording Artist, Jonathan Nelson. Nelson will be the guest at 9:00 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. worship experiences and is FREE and open to the public.

For more information, call (706) 724-1230 or visit Tabernacle Baptist Church website at www.tbcaugusta.org. Tabernacle Baptist Church – Main is located at 1223 Laney Walker Blvd. Augusta, Georgia 30901 and Tabernacle Baptist Church – West is located at 702 N. Belair Road, Evans, Georgia 30809.

Kingdom Living Conference kicks off this week

Award-winning dance instructor Sharon Skepple Mayfield will be holding a Summer Dance Intensive workshop at the Augusta Ballet School from June 6th to June 30th. This dance program is classified as Contemporary Dance with an emphasis on fundamental dance concepts and includes Cardio Combo, Choreography (Monday through Wednesday), and Bikini Workout classes (Thursday and Friday). The Mayfield Dance Program is an intermediate/advanced Modern Dance pro-gram. If you would like to have an idea of what the program is like, please join Mayfield Dance at All About Change Ministries (2321 Peach Orchard Rd., Suite C) on Saturday, May 28th at 6pm for a fundraiser for upper-level 2016-2017 students.

T.W. Josey senior students wait backstage before walking onto the main floor of the James Brown Arena to receive their diplomas. This year’s graduation marked the 50th graduating class of the school, which opened its doors in 1964 and graduated its first class in 1966. Alumni from past graduating classes also marched during the ceremony. (May 24, 2016 - Augusta, GA) - Photo by Vincent Hobbs

spring rites of passage Fundraiser to assist modern

dance workshopAward-winning dance instructor Sharon Mayfield will be holding sessions at the Augusta Ballet School

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MAKIN’ A DIFFERENCE COMMENTARY by Ken Makin

Kroger departure puts economic dependency on displayBLACK (SUPER)MARKET

One of the most important conver-sations we can have as a community is a dialogue about economic disparities. Too often, when we think about the economically disadvantaged, we think of people who are “dirt poor.”

Yet the uproar behind the departure of Kroger on Deans Bridge Road puts the economic disparity – and despair – of the Black community on full display.

Before I begin to talk about the sad state of affairs within our community, I want to commend a local elected official for all of his efforts to retain Kroger’s services. State Senator Harold Jones worked diligently on behalf of his constituents to keep Kroger in South Augusta. Jones sent letters to Kroger’s corporate headquarters, called Kroger officials and held a press conference to bring attention to a difficult situation. Ultimately, Kroger decided to proceed with its plans.

“Unfortunately, I have received

word that Kroger will be closing,” Sen. Jones wrote on a Facebook post May 11. “So although it appears we are not successful, it is time to turn that page.

“At this point, we need to push the members of the Legislative Delegation and the (Augusta) Commission to create a South Augusta Development Authority,” he continued. “We must now be proactive and assertive in our attempts to improve our community. So we take this as an opportunity not a setback.”

Some people are probably asking, “Why is this a big deal?” Based on com-ments in a statement from Kroger about “declining sales and negative profit over an extended period of time,” some peo-ple may be asking, “Why didn’t South Augustans support Kroger?”

Considering the dearth of grocery stores in South Augusta, and the fact the Food Lion in Hephzibah also closed its doors recently, you’ll have to excuse

me if I don’t entertain (silly) questions about whether South Augusta wants or needs a grocery store.

With that said, let’s talk about why this is a big deal. It’s a matter of accessibility and affordability.

We assume that everyone has trans-portation. That is simply not the case, and city transportation isn’t depend-able enough to be a difference maker. Furthermore, your local grocer provides healthy choices at respectable prices. It’s a matter of health and wellness as much as it’s about financial wherewithal.

Much like it does with Sen. Jones, this situation cuts to my heart as well because I remember a time where our community didn’t suffer with this kind of economic dependence. We had our own stores. We grew our own food. VERY FEW people can say that right now, and as a result, we see our communities suffer at the whims of corporations.

Despite this unfortunate episode, Sen. Jones expressed in a hashtag that he is #notdeterredbutdetermined. I can appreciate that ideology.

At some point, however, we have to create a culture for ourselves, within our community, where we provide these types of services for ourselves and for each other. There was an online story in the Washington Post in March about how the poor “pay more for toilet paper – and just about everything else.” As long as we depend on corporations to feed us and fend for us – those of us on the short end of economic disparities will always carry that burden.

Ken J. Makin is the host of “Makin’ A Difference,” an internet radio pro-gram available at soundcloud.com/makinadifference. Updates on the show are available atfacebook.com/makinadifferenceshow. You can reach Ken by email at makinadiffer-enceshow@gmail.com.

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