Monday, July 07, 2014

Diversity in St. Augustine's Mayor Election Primary August 26th -- Let Freedom Ring!

There are two cool candidates running for Mayor of St. Augustine, Florida against longtime incumbent Mayor JOSEPH LESTER BOLES, Jr.
In alphabetical order, they are J. Kenneth Bryan and Nancy Shaver.
Mr. Bryan is a community activist, an African-Americn, veteran, retired Justice Department manager and was County Commissioner 2008-2012. and Chairman in 2012.
Ms. Shaver is a community activist, a woman, a management consultant, and spoke out City flummery and on the Michelle O'Connell shooting case after The New York Times article and PBS Frontline stories appeared last year.
Each would be a great choice for St. Augustine Mayor.
The August 26, 2014 primary -- in which both of them are challenging Mayor JOSEPH LESTER BOLES, JR. -- could make history no matter who gets elected.
St. Augustine voters have never before elected either an African-American or a woman as Mayor.
Ever.
NUNCA!
NEVER under Spanish, British or American suzerainty.
Not since St. Augustine was founded in 1565.
Not under either Spanish or British colonial rule.
Not since Florida became a U.S. territory in 1819
Not since Florida became a state in 1845.
Women and African-Americans have lived here since 800 Spanish settlers landed on September 8, 1565.
Women were not allowed to vote until 1920.
African-Americans were forbidden to vote until 1870; many could not vote until the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Equal voting rights for women and African-Americans required two Constitutional amendments to overcome white male supremacy in the ballot box.
(Footnote: While St. Augustine did briefly have one (1) woman mayor, Mayor Petrogolou, circa 1984, it was before voters elected the Mayor -- which is a recent, 21st century innovation under the current charter amendment. Mayor Petrogolou was mayor back in the days when City Commissioners chose the Mayor from among themselves. St. Augustine Record articles in the Historical Society Research Library indicate the Mayor Petrogolou's job was abruptly taken from her by her male colleagues, before the end of her term, outside the ordinary course of business, in what is redolent of a possible Sunshine violation).

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