By Steve Neavling
The Detroit News seems obsessed with the idea of a white mayor running the city.
A month after conservative columnist Nolan Finley suggested the time may be ripe to elect a white mayor, the News returns today with a front page headline, “Can white mayoral candidate win in Detroit?“
Never mind that no white candidate has announced candidacy for the November 2013 mayoral election.
The News submits that because residents are tired of the city’s leadership, they want change. True enough.
But a desire for fresh leadership does not mean residents are itching for a different skin tone. It means more Detroiters want capable, qualified and ethical leadership.
Those qualities aren’t determined by race.
If anything, the city is likely to find a more capable black candidate than a white or Latino one – simply because of math The city is predominately black (83%), so the potential pool of candidates is largest among African Americans.
No matter who becomes the next mayor, let’s hope it’s the person who’s most qualified.
Anything else would be racism.
See also: Is Detroit ready for a white mayor? by Robert Smith Jr.
Detroit News draws racial lines in mayoral race added by Steve Neavling on
View all posts by Steve Neavling →
Steve Neavling
Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.
