Boston’s Black Ministers Split In Mayoral Race

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Published October 19, 2009 Updated November 18

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BOSTON — A group of African-American pastors is endorsing City Councilor Michael Flaherty for mayor Monday morning, in part to counter a smaller group that endorsed incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino last week. The endorsements highlight a break among African-American ministers in the city.

WBUR Topics: Boston Mayoral Race 2009

The 44 ministers, pastors and bishops are endorsing Flaherty as individuals or as pastors, along with members of the Latino, Haitian and Vietnamese communities. Members of the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement are also backing Flaherty at Monday’s event — after voting “no confidence” in Menino because of a lack of diversity in the upper ranks of the Boston Police Department.

Rev. Bruce Wall is among the ministers endorsing Flaherty. He said the ministers could have been highly influential in this year’s election if they had issued a group endorsement. But when a group of 20 publicly endorsed Menino last week, Wall said they left hundreds of other pastors out of the decision and sold out to the mayor.

“When the mayor whistled and the black pastors went downtown and heeled to the left and got their biscuit, it bothered me. That image bothers me,” Wall said. “That’s only 20 pastors. We have hundreds of black churches in this town.”

Wall said the mayor steered favors to those pastors who are with him — from clergy-only parking spots outside of churches to contracts and summer jobs.

But Rev. Eugene Rivers said he endorsed Menino because it was the pragmatic choice.

“As far as I can tell, based on the facts, the mayor has done as well as any mayor is going to do in his role as the head of state of this municipality,” Rivers said.

It is unclear how the endorsements will affect poll numbers. The most recent poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center shows Flaherty trailing Menino by 20 percent, though the Flaherty campaign says its polling shows a gap of only about seven percent.

Flaherty’s campaign is hoping to cut into Menino’s strong showing in the inner city, especially Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan.

Click the “Listen Now” button above to hear Radio Boston’s David Boeri and Bob Oakes discuss the endorsements.

Listen to more in-depth coverage about the divisions within the African-American churches in Boston and their role in the mayoral race on Radio Boston’s web site.

Your Comments

Democrats have marginalized African American political power, by dismantling the Roxbury plantation, and allowing African Americans to move onto smaller plantations West and North of the city, where their collective political power is mitigated. Changing the blind political preference in place now, is the key to opening the “Door”!

Posted by Steven Santos on October 20, 2009, at 9:13 AM
The Political Scene is Set, The Problem.
Boston votes against the Presidential agenda of Change, NO MeniNO! Boston Moves Backwards instead of forward as usual. Boston votes for the old horse MeninNo, Boston votes overwhelmingly against progress, change and improvement, Menino makes it to the mayoral general election, when he should have not run or should have lost. Old feelings of old Boston racism and the negative politics of control still lives on to haunt Boston …as Boston votes against diversity. 21st century City campaign by Sam Yoons visions for Victory struggled against old fashioned and out of date Boston politics as Boston fails to embrace the next generation of leadership, Flaherty is left to pick up the pieces – as David faces an old Goliath in the battle to move Boston forward instead of backward.

The Solution: Diverse Leadership in Bostons Black Community, The voice of the black community is not limited to the Ministerial/Church Community, if so…Where is the white ministerial leadership in Boston, are the not leading all of the white people?, does the church run political decision making process in Boston? Let us look at professional people who work to develop and plan the future of Boston, both in the community/public setting and the business world, after all if there is no business, commerce or social interaction between various people, businesses and community organizations the City would fall apart, Therefore let us look at the Black/minority community development Architect, who works both day and night creating the dreams and plans of how we want to see our city develop. We are in a new time and era of the American city; a multifaceted perspective is what is needed in order to have more progress come to Boston and its communities. Let us look at the progress, perspectives and opinions of Boston’s Black Architects. The call for Leadership in Boston is heard by everyone and does not only rest in the church or the City/state, politicians, mayors and our church community are only part of the solution, so let us not over-glorify old or traditional forms of leadership in political decision making but let us look at the over-arching factor of the Black architect of consistent leadership in the development of Boston and not the overrated old model of political leadership especially if that model is overtaxing the public by not moving on and letting the city grow new wings and attain new heights of leadership and welcome much needed change to Boston a city which has always or often cast a dark political shadow, so in conclusion shall we open up a window and let the sun shine in and shed light on Boston’s new leadership and enter a new era of leadership for our American city.

Posted by Jseph Edgecombe, Boston on October 19, 2009, at 10:35 PM

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