White Plains Democrats Failed Community With All-White Council Ticket
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
Twenty-seven White Plains voters, almost all registered Democrats (including myself), recently signed a letter taking issue with the White Plains Democratic City Committee’s decision to run an all-white slate in November’s Common Council election (“WP Democrats Announce November Council Slate,” The White Plains Examiner, March 14-20).
If elected, White Plains, a city whose population is now 47 percent white, non-Hispanic, will for the first time in almost 30 years have a Common Council with no Black or Hispanic representation.
Tim James, committee chairman, defended the decision in an open letter sent to some of the signers of this letter.
“There is really only ‘one open seat’ and not three because two incumbents, Jenn Puja and Vicki Presser are seeking a second term.”
This was a surprise to me because I was unaware that incumbents automatically receive a second term. Since there are no term limits for council members, I was left wondering if we must now wait for a council member to voluntarily vacate a seat before we have fair representation on the council.
James stood by the committee’s record of promoting diversity by pointing out that two years ago the WPDCC endorsed a precedent-setting all-female slate. I commend this; however, it does not excuse the fact that if the proposed slate is elected, Black and Hispanic residents will be underrepresented on the council for at least the next two years.
He also argued that the WPDCC endorsed two Black candidates, Ben Boykin and Jewel Williams Johnson, in this year’s Westchester County Board of Legislators election. However, neither of these candidates’ districts are solely in White Plains and both are unopposed, as they were in the prior election.
The letter concluded by saying that the decision to have an all-white council next year is “attributable to the City Committee’s assessment of the specific candidates” seeking their endorsement. One of the Hispanic candidates who sought the committee’s endorsement is a retired guidance counselor from the White Plains Public Schools who will be receiving the WPDCC’s annual Community Service Award in May. Her experience working with families and children might have broadened the perspectives of a council, almost half of which will be attorneys.
As a social worker professionally trained in community organization, I was taught that diversity, equity and inclusion in government is critically important because it leads to greater civic participation in elections and other affairs of the community. A government that looks like its people symbolizes empowerment, the shattering of glass ceilings and brings more varied experiences and concerns into government. In times of crisis, an inclusive government is more likely to earn the trust of its people and possibly avert a greater catastrophe from occurring.
I urge the WPDCC to rethink the process and criteria it uses to select candidates for local office. Each election cycle affords us an opportunity to re-evaluate the suitability of candidates, including incumbents, for the coming two years. Criteria for office should be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, a person’s professional resume or their service to the WPDCC.
Greater attention is needed to create a pipeline of candidates from varied ethnic, racial and professional backgrounds to better represent our diverse community, the one for which we stand proud.
Renee Shanker
White Plains
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