The NAACP has postponed its Baltimore branch's election tomorrow to give the two candidates for president more time to access the local group's membership mailing list.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People stated in a letter to the Baltimore branch's two presidential candidates last week that the election would be held Dec. 10, and both candidates will get time Wednesday to examine the coveted mailing list.
The election will be held at the group's national headquarters in Northwest Baltimore instead of the local branch's office, said John White, a national NAACP spokesman.
Incumbent President G.I. Johnson, running for his fourth two-year term, is facing his first challenge since 2000, an election that also was delayed by the national NAACP because Johnson's challenger, former state Sen. Larry Young, did not appear on some ballots. Johnson's challenger this year is Marvin "Doc" Cheatham, an elections specialist and community activist who is a friend of Young.
Little attention is typically paid to the 92-year-old group's elections, but the campaign has become increasingly rancorous in recent weeks.
Cheatham has accused Johnson of lying about being nominated by the branch's nominating committee. Johnson fired back by saying that Cheatham is improperly using the national group's emblem in fliers.
Cheatham contended that Johnson is ineligible to be president because he splits his residence between the city and Baltimore County. However, Johnson is eligible because he works in the city.
Johnson, meanwhile, said Cheatham is a proxy for Young's plan to relaunch his political career.
"I think each side is going to do whatever it can to win," said Baltimore Circuit Court Clerk Frank M. Conaway Sr.
The most visible rift between Johnson and Cheatham has emerged over access to the membership list, a crucial element in delivering campaign materials to the group's nearly 4,800 members.
Cheatham filed a complaint with the national group last month that said he had been unfairly denied access to the list. Johnson denied the accusation, saying that Cheatham did not follow proper procedures.
White declined to give a specific reason for the postponement.
"The only reason is to assure that the rights of all candidates are protected," he said.
The NAACP's letter spells out that both candidates should have access to the membership list for four hours at the national headquarters. Typically, candidates get an hour at the local branch office on 26th Street.
Several observers said the election will hinge on the leadership style that members want to see. Cheatham is a fiery orator who is promising an activist presence. Johnson, who is more soft-spoken, promises to continue working quietly behind the scenes to advance the group's interests.
Cheatham has criticized that style. When the Baltimore Fire Department struggled to explain why it had an all-white fire academy class this year, Johnson publicly stood with Fire Chief William J. Goodwin Jr.
Cheatham said it was the wrong decision.
"Of course, we have to have good relationships, but you're not appointed by the mayor," said Cheatham, 54, an election specialist for the National Labor Relations Board.
Johnson said he accomplishes more by working with Mayor Martin O'Malley's administration, and that Cheatham's confrontational style could damage the group's reputation as being apolitical.
"This is a civil rights organization," said Johnson, 68, a former steel worker for Bethlehem Steel. "If it's ever proven that we're being political, we could lose our charter."
Cheatham said that taking stands on issues does not equate to political positions. His campaign literature states: "The Baltimore branch NAACP, under the present administration, has been far too silent for far too long."
