Stephen Henderson, who heads the Free Press editorial page, recalls a mayoral campaign during a previous job in Baltimore involving a black and white candidate to reflect on the Mike Duggan-Benny Napoleon contest.
When the paper Henderson worked for endorsed the black mayoral candidate in Baltimore, Henderson heard from a prominent black politician who supported the white candidate.
“You’re using race as a crude tool for simple analysis," the politician told Henderson. "I wish you could see that it’s more complicated than that.”
Henderson writes:
The "lecture has been ringing in my ears all year, revived by Detroit’s race-tinged mayoral campaign.
In the simplest terms, Benny Napoleon versus Mike Duggan is a choice between black and white. Right?
Napoleon and his supporters sure have played that up, in barely cloaked messages, such as the “must have forgot” ads that remind Detroiters not to go “backward” on civil rights. Duggan’s campaign has been outwardly race-neutral, but that’s an effort to tamp down the fears about him becoming the first white mayor in 40 years."
But I also believe backing Duggan reflects the more sophisticated (and productive) interpretation of the racial influence on this election.
Our biggest problem in Detroit isn’t about what color our leaders are, but a crisis of competency among them. The bar’s set so low for Detroit right now that we’re grateful to current Mayor Dave Bing chiefly because, well, he didn’t diddle his chief of staff or steal our money..."
