October 15, 2009|By Nicole Fuller | Nicole Fuller,nicole.fuller@baltsun.com
The sudden rise and fall of the woman who would have been the first elected African-American mayor of Annapolis has opened wounds in the capital city's black community.
Now it's up to a white county councilman to try to heal them.
Josh Cohen lost the mayoral primary last month but became the Democratic nominee after Zina C. Pierre, a charismatic political consultant who eked out a victory in a six-way race, said she was abandoning the contest after embarrassing revelations of debts and other personal financial problems.
Because of his party's voter registration edge, Cohen, a Democrat who represents Annapolis on the Anne Arundel County Council, is the favorite to win the contest. But he still faces a challenge in soothing the emotions of Pierre supporters, some of whom think her financial woes received unwarranted attention.
Cohen has wasted no time in reaching out to African-American voters. Less than 24 hours after his appointment as nominee, he kicked off his campaign at the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial at City Dock, a symbol of the city's ties to the slave trade. He has hired three of Pierre's campaign workers, including Eugene Peterson, an African-American county school board member. And Cohen has made the rounds to community centers and churches in predominantly black neighborhoods.
"There's no question that the African-American vote is a critical vote in city elections," said Cohen. "I am reacdhing out to the African-American community, just like every voter, because this is going to be a very close election. Yes, there's a real feeling of frustration among Zina's strong supporters. But there's also a healing process."
Carl O. Snowden, a prominent civil rights activist and former Annapolis alderman, said although Pierre's backers were disappointed by her exit, Cohen has the ability to make inroads and capture some of Pierre's support.
"No one is more hurt sitting out an election than African-Americans," said Snowden, adding that Cohen received a "warm reception" when he spoke at a recent event honoring civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. "They would be foolhardly at best and crazy at worst. ... His campaign is making a concerted effort. People are going to go from saying, 'Josh who?' to 'Josh is my candidate.' "
About 30 percent of the city's 36,000 residents are African-American. Some locals refer to the "two cities" of Annapolis, with many blacks concentrated in public housing complexes as affluent whites live in and near the historic downtown and along waterways with room for boats.
Pierre's candidacy offered the promise of bridging those divisions. The 44-year-old Annapolis native won over many with her diligent campaigning and enthusiasm. An ordained minister and former television producer who worked in the Clinton administration, she pledged to use her understanding of federal issues to benefit Annapolis.
But it was only after her unexpected primary win last month that critics and journalists begin examining her background, discovering tax liens, a home in foreclosure and other debts. Within the span of a few days, Pierre dropped out of the race, reversed that decision, then dropped out again.
Her second exit came at a news conference at an Annapolis hotel during which she took no questions but promised to return to public life some day.
Pierre has pledged to support the Democratic nominee, and on Wednesday, the Cohen campaign released a list of African-American leaders endorsing his candidacy, with Pierre headlining the announcement. Some black city leaders have expressed hope that she would campaign for him, but no plans have been announced. Pierre did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Dave Cordle, an alderman who is the Republican mayoral nominee, said he, too, is working for African-American votes. He cited his work on the board of the local Boys & Girls Club, and his command of a local Army Reserve unit that was 80 percent black, as assets.
"I've had African-American community support for a good long time," Cordle said. "I'm not going to make politically motivated promises."
Along Clay Street, in one of the city's historically black neighborhoods, residents had mixed reviews on Cohen.
While some credited him for visiting their neighborhood recently, some said they had never heard of the councilman and would stay home on election day.
N.T. Sharps II, working at the Community Laundromat, in a building his family has owned since 1968, said he had supported Cohen all along.
"Based on experience alone. Period," Sharps said, as he flipped through a stack of Cohen campaign pamphlets on his counter that a campaign worker had dropped off. "You do have some people that think it's unfair what happened with Zina Pierre, but there's other folks that realize that life goes on."
Tracie Johnson, a housekeeper and single mother to five children, said Pierre had excited her, but also let her down. But she would vote for Cohen.
