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Coleman Breaks Barriers in Columbus
Democrat Michael Coleman wins November election, becomes Columbus' first black mayor

By Micole Latham and Robert Taylor Jr.
DIMENSIONS Staff Writers

When the clock strikes midnight Dec. 31 and the new millenium hits, no one knows for sure what will happen.

But one thing's for certain - there will be a black mayor in Columbus, OH.

Michael B. Coleman won the Nov. 2 mayoral election in grand fashion, defeating Republican Dorothy Teater by a 60% to 40% margin. He will take office Jan. 1, 2000.

Coleman compaigned virtually everywhere over the past couple months, including churches, schools, and even dirty, run-down homes. In late October, he said that if elected, he would crack down on the city's vacant homes that landlords haven't done anything with. Those homes cause many rodents to invade a community, along with giving that community a bad appearance.

Teater, 68, previously held positions as City Councilwoman and currently holds the Franklin County Commissioner seat. Her campaign included a multitude of advertisements aimed negatively at Coleman, primarily his support of Columbus Police Chief James Jackson, the city's first black in that position. Teater thought the Columbus police force was not operating at optimal levels because of Jackson; therefore, electing Coleman would just add to the problems.

Coleman never ran negative ads towards Teater; instead, he kept selling his plans to fight crime and help a sometimes incompetent city school system. After the victory, Coleman addressed the upbeat crowd at the Westin Great Southern Hotel, Downtown. He thanked them for fighting off the inclement weather to vote.

"Just like the postman, you (the voters) delivered," he exclaimed.

Who is this guy?

Michael Coleman, 44, was born in Toledo, OH. He studied law at the University of Dayton, then came to Columbus in 1980. He earned a seat on Columbus' City Council 12 years later, and in 1997, became President of the Council. Coleman succeeds Greg Lashutka, who has been mayor the past eight years, and joins Michael White of Cleveland as the two black mayors in Ohio. Besides vowing to help the Columbus school system, Coleman, with the help of his wife, Frankie, wants to make Downtown more lively so people won't leave it so quickly after work.

Will Coleman fulfill his promises?

Now that Coleman has been elected to lead Columbus, will he adhere to what he said in the campaign race?

"Coleman is not being real and is not going to fulfill his campaign promises," said Ohio State alumnus Edwin Channels. He doesn't think Coleman values blacks and will have to work hard to really prove that he can handle the responsibilities of being the mayor of a growing city. "We needed Ben Espy," he concluded.

Espy, an Ohio Senator, was knocked out of the mayoral race in the May primary, but in October endorsed Coleman because of Coleman's plans to regulate prescription prices for senior citizens.

Another OSU Alumnus, R. Spicer, believes Coleman will put forth the effort to do everything he said he'd do for Columbus. Spicer thinks Coleman will focus more on the economic elite rather than those with less economic wealth and stability.

How does it feel to have a black mayor?

"It's a step up," said Thayle Johnson, a senior majoring in sociology. "If he's like any other mayor, then (his being black) probably won't help blacks out much." Johnson, 22, said the mayor's responsibility is to help the people of his city; with that in mind, "black people in Columbus are such a minority. We have a number of diverse people here," inferring that it will take more than a black mayor to improve conditions for blacks in Columbus.

VonTija Coleman, 18, a freshman from Toledo, said having a black mayor "excites me because there is someone in office who can relate to my needs (as a black person), like equality."

Other blacks winning November mayoral elections
Philadelphia: John Street
Houston: Lee Brown
Flint, MI: Woodrow Stanley
Des Moines: Preston Daniels

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Jan. 2000