Fort Pierce Voters Could Make History

Will Fort Pierce voters elect city's first female or black mayor?

By Laurie K. Blandford

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

FORT PIERCE — Voters could make history in the city this year by electing its first black or first female mayor.

Although all other major cities across the Treasure Coast have had several female mayors, only one, Stuart, has elected black mayors.

Fort Pierce candidates Vince Gaskin, Christine Coke and Linda Hudson each said they would be honored to be the one to make history in the city come the November election, but all agreed race or gender shouldn't be the deciding factor for voters.

When looking back at more than 30 years of election history, the City Clerk's office found several black or female candidates for mayor. Joanne Correll ran in 1980. Charlie Frank Matthews ran in 1983. Havert Fenn, Sylvie Kramer and David Leigh Cook ran in 2003.

But none of them won.

As the only black candidate so far in this year's mayoral race, Gaskin said voters choosing a black mayor would show the city's progress regarding its racial divide.

"It's time to open the gates to show that we truly are equal," Gaskin said. "It would give a notion to younger people that if you try, then you can overcome obstacles."

Gaskin said blacks always believed they didn't have a chance. Now that the nation elected its first black president, Gaskin said blacks can believe the same opportunity exists on the local level of politics.

Candidate Hudson said the city electing its first black mayor or first female mayor would show it has come a long way. She said the election process is being opened up to people who never thought they had a shot.

"Now (the city) is ready for the next era," Hudson said. "Maybe, in a way, it might be long overdue."

Still, Hudson said it doesn't matter if the candidate elected is male or female, as long as the mayor elected has good business sense. She also said all genders and races don't vote alike.

Hudson admitted she didn't realize she could become the city's first female mayor until other people brought it to her attention.

"I don't think about gender as much as I think about doing a good job," Hudson said. "It's not like I'm going to have a feminist agenda."

As the other current female candidate for mayor, Coke said people told her they missed having a woman on the commission because it provides a different perspective, but she said people in general have different perspectives.

"It's a great thing," Coke said, "(but) I don't think really that gender has an awful lot to do with it."

Even though Coke was elected the first woman president of the Fort Pierce Kiwanis Club and the first woman lieutenant governor for the state club's District 16, she said she never has been active in women's liberation.

"I never set out to do any of those firsts for women," Coke said. "I think somebody should vote for the position of mayor, not by gender, but for somebody's commitment to their city and their community and the experience that they have."

Coke said it doesn't matter if the mayor elected is female or male or black or white. She said the election is about choosing someone would is well-rounded enough to represent the entire city.

"It would be wonderful to have a qualified woman as mayor or senator or governor or president," Coke said, "but I don't think that it should be decided based on gender."

Although the city's fourth candidate, J. Curtis Boyd, wouldn't qualify to be the first female or the first black mayor, he agreed the election is about the candidates and not their race or gender.

"I have an absolute open mind," Boyd said. "As long as the person that got elected did a good and fair and honest job, then their race or gender would be insignificant."

St. Lucie County League of Women Voters President Cathy Townsend-King said it's time Fort Pierce had its first female mayor.

"It would be a huge step," Townsend-King said. "We look at things differently than men. Personally, I feel that it would be a move in the right direction to finish bringing the city in to where we need to (be)."

Townsend-King said women can multitask and reason well, are affectionate and emotional beings, always want to seek good in people and are strong leaders. She noted Port St. Lucie's mayor is female.

"Putting a woman in office would speak volumes for the voters and the residents of the city," Townsend-King said. "That would be a huge milestone for (St. Lucie County)."

If the city were to have a black mayor, it could be a positive sign, said Eddie Whitfield, St. Lucie County chapter president for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"It's wonderful that we have some qualified (black people) in the community to run for office," Whitfield said. "(But) it doesn't really matter if you're white or black, as long as you carry the agenda of the people that you represent."

Whitfield agreed black people haven't run for office because they didn't think they had a chance. Now he said black and young people are voting more because they are concerned about their city.

"Racism is still alive," Whitfield said, "but things have changed."

MAYORAL HISTORY

Only one Treasure Coast city has elected both black mayors and female mayors in its history:Stuart: Robert Hall in 1973, James Christie Jr. in 1985 and 2011, Joan Jefferson in 1981, Susan Hershey in 1995, Gene Rifkin in 2000, Carol Waxler in 2006, Mary Hutchinson in 2007

Port St. Lucie: Patricia Christensen in 2006, JoAnn Faiella in 2010

Vero Beach: Dorothy Cain in 1980 and 1983, Caroline Ginn in 1994, Sandra Bowden in 2000 and 2003, Mary Beth McDonald in 2005, Pilar Turner in 2011

Sebastian: Louise Cartwright in 1996, Ruth Sullivan in 1998, Martha Wininger in 1999, Andrea Coy in 2007

Source: Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach and Sebastian city clerks' offices.