Ferguson, Missouri witnessed a takeover at the ballot box. In a city with a predominately African American population, the government was decidedly white. Tonight in Ferguson that changed.
http://www.latimes.com/...
"The change that will be advanced in Ferguson will begin with the people who live here," Wesley Bell, a black City Council candidate, said at a recent forum. "Ferguson residents are going to decide what Ferguson change looks like."
Ferguson, population 21,111, is 67% black but its mayor and five out of six council members are white. The three open seats, which are selected by the town's three wards, were vacated by white council members who decided not to run for reelection.
The victory tonight changes the course for Ferguson and the makeup of the city government.
http://www.nbcnews.com/...
Until Tuesday, the mayor and five of six City Council members were white. Mayor James Knowles III and three council members, including Dwayne James, who is black, were not up for election this year.
Now, in a city 67% African American 50% of the City Council will be African American.
http://www.latimes.com/...
"For me, it's about morality, it's about right or wrong," he said. "If anything, it will help black people having a seat on City Council to explain to other white members what is happening to black people."
Although at least 80% of the city's adults are registered to vote, turnout in the last council election was 11.7%.
This is a huge victory, not just for an off-year election, but for the process. As we more voters are motivated to go to the polls for people who work on their interest, the ball begins to move in the right direction for progressives seeking other seats.
A great night for victories in Ferguson.
Tue Apr 07, 2015 at 10:13 PM PT: http://www.latimes.com/...
The LA Times puts the turnout as 30%. I'm told from others that the turnout amongst Actives.. that is people who are registered and have voted in any election in the last three cycles was near 40%. For a spring election that is damn good turnout.
9:43 AM PT: Please note, this diary was written LATE last night after the results came in. This morning, news stories have run on the outcome and here is the takeaway:
http://www.stltoday.com/...
FERGUSON • For the first time in Ferguson’s 120-year history, the City Council will have three African-American members, but even so, Tuesday’s election was less than a clear victory for the throngs of volunteers who poured into the city in a last-minute push to sway voters.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the results for Ferguson City Council was that 30 percent of the city’s 12,738 registered voters cast ballots — more than double the typical turnout.