June 23, 2010 - Courier-Journal
by Joe Arnold
Should a candidate's race or stance on gay rights determine who the Metro Council will select to replace the late George Unseld, who was black and who was a proponent of gay rights?
The NAACP says the seat needs to be filled by an African-American. Yet, the Fairness Campaign is endorsing one of its co-founder's, Ken Herndon, who is white. Herndon narrowly lost to Unseld in the 2008 Democratic primary.
In a rundown of the twenty applicants for Unseld's seat by the Courier-Journal's Dan Klepal, Louisville NAACP President Raoul Cunningham insisted that Unseld's replacement be black.
Cunningham said it was of "paramount" importance for the council to elect an African American to replace Unseld. He said proponents of merger promised the African-American community that blacks would occupy at least six seats on the new council.
Since the council is making this decision, Cunningham said they should seek out an African American. Unseld's death leaves five African American council members.
"The African American community must hold them accountable for that sixth seat," Cunningham said. "We will be very, very upset" if that doesn't happen.
Yet, in endorsing Herndon, the Fairness Campaign's Political Action Committee for Fairness and Individual Rights (CFAIR) dismisses race as a factor in the decision:
"As a member of both the African American and LGBTQ communities, I stress the importance of choosing Councilman Unseld's successor based on individual merits rather than seeking to confirm someone based solely on a certain demographic profile match," shared Dawn Wilson, CFAIR Co-Chair. "Of the 20 candidates who have filed for the seat, Ken Herndon is the only one with the proven history and experience of directly supporting both the district and our social justice community, clearly proven by the volume of votes he received in the 2008 primary."
Herndon, operations director for the Louisville Downtown Management District, believes that an unaccountable campaign flier that attacked him for being gay cost him the primary election against Unseld.
Here's the endorsement announcement from CFAIR:
CFAIR Endorses Ken Herndon for Vacant Metro Council 6 Seat
(Louisville, KY) The Fairness Campaign's Political Action Committee for Fairness and Individual Rights (CFAIR) endorses the appointment of Ken Herndon to the Louisville Metro Council Sixth District seat left vacant by the sudden death of Fairness friend and close ally Councilman George Unseld. CFAIR had previously endorsed Councilman Unseld in each election in which he ran, including his first bid for a seat on the Louisville Board of Alderman in 1999, the year he co-sponsored the original Fairness Ordinance. CFAIR most recently endorsed Councilman Unseld in his 2008 primary campaign against Herndon, who is a Fairness Campaign co-founder and narrowly lost to Unseld by 112 votes.
"Given Councilman Unseld's legacy of service to his district and commitment to civil rights, CFAIR urges the Metro Council to appoint the candidate who best reflects George's passionate devotion to his constituency and to social justice," said CFAIR Co-Chair Nick Wilkerson. "We believe that person is undeniably Ken Herndon."
"As a member of both the African American and LGBTQ communities, I stress the importance of choosing Councilman Unseld's successor based on individual merits rather than seeking to confirm someone based solely on a certain demographic profile match," shared Dawn Wilson, CFAIR Co-Chair. "Of the 20 candidates who have filed for the seat, Ken Herndon is the only one with the proven history and experience of directly supporting both the district and our social justice community, clearly proven by the volume of votes he received in the 2008 primary."