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Forum geared to black voters was a first
By BILL VARIAN © St. Petersburg Times, published November 5, 2000 INVERNESS -- Many of the people who attended a forum at Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church two weeks ago said they were shocked by perceived racist comments from Property Appraiser Ron Schultz. Perhaps just as remarkable was the meeting itself: a political forum geared primarily toward a black audience. Organizers of the event say it was a first of its kind in Citrus County. And they say they hope the strong attendance -- filling a church meeting room -- is a sign of a small but awakening minority population trying to have its voice heard in the political arena. How it translates to votes cast remains to be seen. "It made the candidates more aware of our concerns," said Mercedia White, who asked the question of Schultz that brought the controversial response. "I walked away that night feeling like we in the community can do a lot more toward letting candidates know where we stand." Indeed, by White's own acknowledgement, the get-out-the-vote effort by blacks in Citrus County historically has not been well organized. A telling aspect of the Oct. 23 forum: It was sponsored by the Florida Voters League, a group based outside Citrus County. "One vote does make a difference," said Eugene Poole, the Ocala-based president of Florida Voters League, describing what he says to encourage voting by blacks. "The thing that we need to be mindful of is, all citizens pay taxes. When I find the candidate who doesn't have the interest of all citizens, he's in for a rude awakening." The challenge for blacks in Citrus County, though, is in the numbers. Across Florida and around the nation, candidates for office have been visiting black churches and community centers where minorities gather. Few political hopefuls can afford to write off 20 percent or more of the populations. But blacks make up about 3 percent of the people in Citrus County and less than 2 percent of registered voters. The roughly 60 people who attended the Mt. Carmel forum, including some whites, constituted nearly 5 percent of all black registered voters. Like elsewhere, ministers encourage their congregations to vote, but there aren't the voter car pools and grass-roots activism common in other communities. "It's not that sophisticated an effort yet," White said. "The challenge is that we're so sparse that it's difficult to come up with a way to consolidate our community." White's trying to do her part, manning a voter registration booth at a community event during black history month, traveling to Tallahassee to rally on state issues and working with preachers to press for turnout. And she talks to anyone who will listen. She reminds them that races in Citrus County are often decided by a few votes. A unified black vote could easily affect the results, she said. White was encouraged by the forum and hopes it's the first of many in the future. For once she heard candidates talk about something other than the plight of the Economic Development Council. They were talking about minority hiring in constitutional offices. "I got the feeling that the interest from some of them was genuine," she said. There, audience members, including White, say Schultz claimed he had few minorities in his office because of their poor communications skills, though he has since said he was misunderstood. Still, the Rev. Leroy Bellamy, 87, pastor of Grace Temple Church of the Living God, said he came away from the forum feeling some people were expecting too much, though he certainly encourages his flock to vote. "We don't have the people to be wanting what we're wanting," he said.
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