Regardless of the stories for the past year, your headline made a huge assumption. The assumption being that people have been following the story. There are several people that are new to this county and may not have been following this "news worthy" event. Just imagine moving to a new area and getting your free copy(which probably isn't really free, but isn't worth a dime) of The Citizen and having to see such a headline.

However you want to define it or not define the headline was ignorant and offensive. It was put there to offend, to stir up emotions and to get just what you have been getting - publicity. Great job!

For a factual headline, there sure is a lot of self-righteous huffing and puffing going on. Let's all chill for a moment and review some pertinent background facts.

Since Fayette's black state legislators (Democrat) have been pushing for more than a year to change to district voting within Fayette County for the county commission and the school board on the grounds that no black can get elected to countywide office without district voting, the racial angle obviously is newsworthy.

Did everybody get that? Fayette's black Democrat legislators brought up the whole race vs. district voting controversy in the first place. They tried to pass local legislation in the 2005 General Assembly to force Fayette to divide itself into self-contained voting districts. They failed, but they have promised to try again this month in the new session of the state legislature.

Did all of you miss those stories for the past year? Or did you not see the relevance of a story about a black Republican who might disprove the Democrats' underlying premise: That a black can't get elected in Fayette unless he or she has a protected majority black district from which to run?

(Of course, the real problem may be that Democrats of any and all races can't get elected in a majority Republican county, whereas a Republican of whatever color stands a good chance of winning countywide.)

We don't make the race-based news; we just report the facts about the race-based politics that has been front-page news several times in the past 18 months.

Let's all get up to speed now.

By the way, "racism" and "racist" are ignorantly misused in replies to this story. Somebody take the time to check the dictionary definition of both words and actually verify if those epithets correctly apply in any reading of this story, including its headline.

By the way again, I wrote the offending headline. And I would write the same headline again. Like it, don't like it -- let's all moveon.org.

My personal opinion about the "black Republican" election contest? I'm not telling yet, but remember that in the 2004 county commission race, I supported and editorially endorsed yet another "black Republican" who ran a principled race but lost to a longtime, well-known white incumbent whose main virtue was that he was well-known for a long time.

If there are those who still want to lament my increasing lack of "sensitivity" (measured on their own internal sensitivity meter) and preen themselves about how racially righteous they are compared to this white-haired white guy who mostly votes Republican, then at least have the intellectual honesty to acknowledge the district voting controversy that serves as the starting point for the offending headline.

Cal Beverly
publisher
The Citizen
Fayetteville, Ga. 30214

I, too, am a white Republican. I was offended by the headline in this piece. I recall when Mr. Wilkerson ran before that the good citizens of Fayette county voted for him overwhelmingly. They did not judge him by his color. He is a good, conservative Republican. He is a Ronald Reagan Republican. It was too bad that a part of the district he ran for was in Clayton County and they could not look beyond party and stupidly voted for a VERY inferior candidate instead of Emory Wilkerson who would have made a good representative of the people. I believe that the voters of Fayette County will again look at Mr. Wilkerson's qualifications and not his skin color. I predict that he will be elected to the County Commission in March.

Is this the correct title I should give myself now for the "Citizen"
to acknowledge? The headline should have been "Wilkerson to run for county seat..." and possibly mentioned in the story that he is among a growing number of blacks and other minorites who are joining the ranks of conservatives and republicans (especially for the story to run on the same day that Lynn Swann has decided to run as a republican canidate for govenor in PA). Has the "citizen" joined the ranks of the biased media to adherre to a double standard when it comes to black conseratives? I don't recall any headlines that start off "Black Democrat...".

CHUCK BARTLE- FAYETTEVILLE RESIDENT

What does Mr. Wilkerson's race have to do with the vacant "county comm." post? You were so concerned about making sure everyone knew a black republican was running that you abbreviated a word in the headline. Now that everyone knows he is black they won't make the mistake of voting for him just because he is a republican...right???

This county has a long way to go, your timing goes to show Dr. King's dream is still far from being realized.

Very very disappointed...

I assume other headlines have read "white" candidate running for office. Why is this paper so worried about what color the man's skin is? "Black Republican to run for County Comm." What a joke of a headline that is.

Okay Emory, you say that you are opposed to District Voting, but you won't stand in the way of the will of the people, so which is it? The will of the people can be persuade/dissuaded by you as a politician, which side of the fence are you on? Take a position and then stand firm on it.

I think the mere fact that a Black Republican is running is another example of how this District Voting issue is nothing more than Democratic double talk. District One voters said they weren't being represented because their commissioner's skin didn't reflect light the same as theirs, now I guess they have a choice.

Actually, Emory may be a very good candidate. Sorry he lost to that Democrat from Clayton County. I just don't like the double talk.

Now as to the other guy, whats his name horgon? Never saw him at any public or private event. I got an email from him visa via Sam Chapman several weeks ago and only days following Van's funeral. (Did Sam Chapman sell you his email list?) Thought it was a little cheap.

Nonetheless, Hoagan? is going to help decrease the growth of our county and yet he encourages growth? Which is it? You can't have it both ways. Either help stop the massive growth by sticking to enforcement of the zoning laws and tick off the developers, thereby ticking off the businesses in our county, or play both ends against the middle and claim you want it both ways.

I love the term "controlled growth". It means, you will bend which ever way the wind blows.

I suggest you go back to Sam and ask him how you should respond. I'll give you a few standard suggestions.

"I'll consider all of the needs of my constituents and then make a fair and informed decision!"
"I am for helping the elderly, the youth, the family, the police, the fire department, and county employees,. . . and yet I won't raise taxes."

Nice generic Non-answers is all that Sam Chapman had, and it sounds like you are his main man. Do you suppose he will loan you a few of Sheriff Johnson's cars so that you can have your picture taken too?

Seize the Day in Peachtree City