Stith gets Friends endorsement...
October 17, 2007
In one of the less-surprising political endorsements of the silly season, the Friends of Durham have announced their endorsement of Thomas Stith's campaign for mayor. The Friends are a center-right PAC that's had some surprises this endorsement season -- in endorsing Diane Catotti and Eugene Brown's tries for re-election, notably -- but the selection of Stith comes as no surprise here. (See the N&O blog for details; I imagine the H-S will have a story on this on Thursday, too.)
Keeping with their moderate conservative bent (these are the old-line Chamber of Commerce Republicans, not the John Locke Foundation/Fox News types), they're also backing all the bond issues, including the school, Durham Tech, Museum of Life and Science, and road/sidewalk issues.
In the N&O interview, the Friends' president is quoted as stating that Bill Bell has "done a fine job," but that it's time for a change.
If there is an interesting factor to the endorsement, it's in the timing, which leaves the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People as the last of the Big Three endorsement groups to act. (Well, OK, the People's Alliance might not have announced a choice yet, but c'mon, it's Bill Bell. Scratch that, a commentor and the H-S have reminded us that Bell already has the PA nod.) The Committee's power seems weaker than in past based on the low inner-city turn-out in the primary and Victoria Peterson's poor showing, but still, it gives the Committee's leadership that opportunity for potential swing vote power.
Damn. I was actually hoping the Friends would back Bell. Eh, well, I guess backing Brown and Catotti was more than one could reasonably hope for anyway...
Now we get to see if my prediction from the summer comes true. I said the DCABP was almost a lock to back Bell. I am such an idiot for trying to predict Lavonia Allison...
Posted by: Michael Bacon | October 17, 2007 at 10:55 PM
The PA already endorsed Bell.
The Committee is not a lock. If Stith's organization and--more importantly--his money, seem like the prevailing force, that is the way the Committee will go. Times are changing....
It will go down like this: LA will feign Stith shenanigans (like 2003), and the endorsement will go his way.
Posted by: El Gabacho | October 18, 2007 at 12:19 AM
I'm with El Gabacho on this one: if the Stith campaign comes across with enough money for the Durham Committee's GOTV war chest (note: this is not a bribe, I repeat, this is NOT a bribe, it is simply a well-timed contribution) Lavonia Allison will "Let" Stith get the nod, cash the check, then pretend it was pushed upon her by nefarious means and she never meant for it to happen, oh no, not little ole her.
Bill Bell is in a bit of a bind in the money department when it comes to the Committee: he doesn't have as much, obviously, and if he gives the Committee any money, I suspect there are some Democrats who will howl like Holy Hell since he is getting support from the state dem party for his campaign and the Committee is very pointedly not endorsing the Dem Council candidates (although LA will probably go ahead and let her minions endorse Catotti in an effort to cover her ass while sticking it to David Harris one more time for daring to disobey her bidding on more than one occasion).
Or maybe someone could just throw a bucket of water on her in the days ahead and spare us all of this charade?
Posted by: Chaz | October 18, 2007 at 11:38 AM
Meanwhile, I got the most odious mailing from Stith yet last night. The outrageousness of it is almost too much for words.
Posted by: Michael Bacon | October 18, 2007 at 12:52 PM
It has been suggested to me that my post was irresponsible and I must agree -- in this time of drought, we should not be throwing buckets of water on anyone. Perhaps someone could simply spritz LA a little and see if that does the trick?
Posted by: Chaz | October 18, 2007 at 02:12 PM
One could be responsible and use dirty dish water to fill said bucket...
Posted by: durhamfood | October 18, 2007 at 07:58 PM