Blacks want a place at any city-county merger table

[qanda]

Consolidation in other cities has diluted their political power
Sunday, November 14, 2004

By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


In the late 1960s, Indianapolis' black people made up half of a Democratic Party that regularly bested Republicans in citywide electoral battles.

Then, in 1969, Indiana's Republican-controlled Legislature crafted Unigov, an initiative that merged the city of Indianapolis with heavily Republican Marion County, expanded the powers of the mayor and created a combined city-county council.

It would be three decades before another Democrat won a mayoral election, and black people, who made up about 18 percent of the population of the new political entity, became a minority within a minority.

"Unigov essentially set black political power back 30 years," said William Blomquist, an associate professor of political science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

(more)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04319/411668.stm

[chimpymustgo]

1. They REFUSE to give up power.

Whatever it takes.

[Tomee450]

2. This

has happened in other parts of the country. There are people determined to dilute the power of the black vote. It's a shame becauses in situations like this, the minority population always suffer.