| Graham Looks to Black Support for Re-Election |
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| Regional Archives | |||
| By James Wright- Special to the Informer | |||
| Thursday, November 26, 2009 | |||
 Jim Graham (D-Ward 1)(l) and Stanley Mayes(Chairman, Third District citizens Advisory Council (r) Courtesy PhotoNevertheless, two African Americans are considering jumping into the Ward One Democratic primary race. Stanley Mayes, 59, makes it clear that he is looking to run for the Ward One council seat, and not against a person. "This is not about Jim Graham," Mayes said. "I am thinking of running because the ward is divided. We need to get the ward back to the way it was when David Clarke was the councilman,” he said. "People in the ward east and west of 16th Street talked to each other and worked together. We need to restore unity in this ward," Mayes said. The late David A. Clarke was elected as Ward One’s first council member in 1974 when the District of Columbia was granted home rule. Clarke, a native Washingtonian and civil rights advocate represented the ward from 1975 until 1978. The highly popular politician was elected chair of the city council in 1982. He served as chair from 1983 until 1991 and then again from 1993 until his death in 1997. Another candidate considering a run for the Democratic nomination is former D.C. Board of Education member Jeff Smith. Smith, 35, is the executive director of D.C. Voice, an educational advocacy organization. "I will make a decision during the holidays," Smith said. "I am honored that people are thinking about me in that way." This year has not been kind to Graham. His chief of staff, Ted Loza, was arrested on Sept. 24 by the FBI for accepting bribes from people with interests within the D.C. taxi cab industry. Graham has not been cited as being a target of the Loza probe. As chair of Metro’s Board of Directors, he had to deal with the June 22 train derailment that killed nine people and more 80 people were injured. Nevertheless, Graham, 64, said that he is anxious to serve another term on the D.C. Council. "I have made some real contributions over the years and I have worked to improve the welfare and quality of the life for the residents of Ward One," Graham said. "I have more to give and I want to continue to work to get the job done. When I am out in the ward, people are encouraging me to run." In his campaign literature, he cites Black supporters such as Smith, Greater Washington Urban League President Maudine Cooper, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners Rosemary Akinmboni and Sedrick Muhammad, D.C. School Board member Dottie Wade Love, ROOTS founder and leader Kenny Barnes, activist and former D.C. Council candidate Dee Hunter and community activist Gail Oliver. Ward One is located in the central part of the District. It is the only ward in the city that has no racial majority, according to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau count. Both Mayes and Smith said that they will consult their families and decide after the holiday season. Graham said that his critics in the Black community are a small group of people. "They are a tiny minority," he said. "I was re-elected with 87 percent of the vote [in 2006]. I had my strongest support in African American precincts. They like my record on affordable housing and jobs and I have gotten very positive feedback from African Americans," he said. Bryan Weaver, a White ANC Commissioner in the ward, has filed an exploratory committee with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance. Graham has filed his paperwork with the campaign finance office and is in the process of setting up a Web site, a campaign staff and a fundraising strategy.
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