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For certain,
black women leaders are in a no-win situation where
leadership is often perceived as a matter of specific
personal behavioral traits synonymous with white
male-dominated stereotypes.
If a woman
leader is a young, fresh, hip and stylish, her youthfulness
and femininity are likely to invite criticism that evolves
from a hyper-scrutiny that is not usually subjected to white
males. If she is assertive and direct, the woman leader will
be accused of being “bitchy” and aggressive but if
thoughtful and reflective, she is likely to be deemed too
weak for the leadership task.
Hicks-Hudson, who suddenly found herself in the eye of an
economic storm with the untimely death of previous Mayor
Collins has forged ahead in solidifying the ProMedica move
downtown and presenting a viable package to keep Jeep
production and jobs at current levels.
Are the
public whispers and water cooler critiques of Hicks-Hudson’s
mayoral performance legit? Or are these criticisms merely
resistance to and discomfort with black female leadership
and a management style that is non-conforming to traditional
white male-dominated stereotypes?
In the
following discussion Mayor Hicks-Hudson addresses her
critics head on.
Perryman: The
January 2014 arson that killed two Toledo firefighters
appears to have you “jammed up” by the fire union’s call for
Chief Santiago’s resignation. Various factions have
criticized you for not making an emphatic statement by
either firing Santiago or supporting him 110 percent. Your
response?
Hicks-Hudson: I
impaneled three people to examine, not only the report that
the union is using to go against him, but also to look at
some other things and come back with a recommendation of
next steps, not just for the personality of the fire chief,
but for fire service in general.
There is -
- at the core of this issue, a personal dispute, I think,
based on personalities. They [union] just don’t like the
chief. But, whether this guy is doing his job or not doing
his job is based upon what I would call just cause. And, at
this point I don’t have any information to say that just
cause termination is appropriate. Or, I guess, if I asked
him to resign, he would. But I don’t feel that I should be
bullied, and that’s what these guys [Firefighters Union] are
doing.
Perryman: Right.
Hicks-Hudson: But
the reality is that the union head doesn’t like the chief,
and the chief doesn’t like the union head. I’ve talked to
Captain Jeff Romstadt, president of Toledo Firefighters
Local 92, a number of times, and in those conversations it
goes back to, ‘you have to hold this man accountable for the
deaths of those two officers.’ And there were so many
factors that went along with that, but the main thing that
everybody seems to forget is that a fire was started, and
that’s the reason for those deaths is that someone started
an arson. They basically set that apartment house on fire.
If they hadn’t done that, no one would have been there. But
Romstadt dismisses that because he wants to get the chief.
And so
there’s a lot more internal stuff. And, in fact, I’m going
to talk with some of the black firefighters just to get
their take. But the people I’ve talked to all seem to think
that it’s a personal. But I’ll know more as soon as I get
the report back from the panel.
Perryman: It puts
you between a rock and a hard place as so many of these
issues do, because to get rid of him will alienate you from
the Hispanic community, and not to puts you on the outs with
the firefighters union, which you’re probably not going to
get their support anyway.
Hicks-Hudson:
Anyway. From the very beginning I have said, this is not
about getting or garnering their support. They’ve not ever
given support to an African-American candidate as far as I
know. And with Sandy Drabik in the race, they’re going to go
with Sandy, or they’ll go with Carty. But as for the
firefighters, most of them don’t live in the city. Many of
them are Republican, from a political standpoint.
And so,
therefore, if I put that in the calculation, it’s easy not
to dismiss what they want. But if I’m really looking at and
listening to what they’re saying and their concerns, I’m
just going about it the way I’m going, which is to have that
committee look at - - not only that report, but some other
reports, interview both the chief as well as some of the - -
I don’t know if they’re going to interview any of the
firefighters that were there on the scene or not, because
I’m leaving it up to them how they do their investigation.
But the
bottom line is that this is something that I’m doing. I
think it’s the right thing to do and not be pressured
because of someone’s personal agenda. Or if it’s not a
personal agenda, what they perceive is the right thing to do
themselves.
Perryman: The
perception of many is that by not coming out either for or
against makes you appear as weak or waffling.
Hicks-Hudson: No,
I have come out. I have said on two different occasions that
I support the chief, and then I’m looking at this report for
ways in which to move forward. So if people are saying that,
then they’re not listening, or they’re not completely
informed as to where I am.
Perryman: How
about coming out firmly with a press conference or something
similar?
Hicks-Hudson:
I’ve given a press release. The press conference will happen
when I get the report.
Perryman: Next
item, involves your inner circle of advisors. The word on
the street is that Ohio Democratic Chairman David Pepper has
told you that you need a full time campaign manager and that
he is willing to get you one, but you said no. This, they
say, is creating the perfect political storm for your
campaign.
Hicks-Hudson: That
is not true.
Perryman: I’m
looking at an announcement that was sent out advertising a
position for a full-time campaign manager for a mayoral
election.
Hicks-Hudson: That
advertisement was to find one. So people are saying that
because there is an advertisement for a campaign manager
that I rejected someone?
Perryman: That
Pepper wanted to get a full-time campaign manager
specifically for your campaign.
Hicks-Hudson: And
we’re getting one. We’re in the process of - - we made an
offer and waiting for the response from that person.
Perryman: So is
it a possibility that Peter Rancatore will be replaced?
Hicks-Hudson:
Peter will be supplemented. He’s not being replaced. He’s
being supplemented, yes. We’re hiring a campaign manager.
I’m just waiting for the person to say yes or no. And if he
says no, we’ve got a second person that we’re talking to
today. The goal is to have that person on by the first of
June, if not sooner.
Perryman: Great.
Another issue is “Exercise-gate” and the case of the two
city employees who, people are saying “stole from the city,”
by purchasing exercise equipment with city funds. Allowing
them to keep their jobs, it is alleged, makes you appear to
be weak. Particularly because one is a “double-triple
pensioner.” This sends the message that “the safe door is
cracked open, the jail cell is not locked” and that you will
just punt instead of making these kinds of difficult
decisions. How did they get their jobs back? Why weren’t
they fired?
Hicks-Hudson:
They were not fired because, number one, they didn’t steal
funds. We could not prove that they stole funds. The funds
were used to purchase the health equipment, and it was
returned. The process sucked, and that’s what we’re working
on to fix. If I could have fired them, they would have been
fired. I wasn’t supposed to suspend them the way I did, but
I did because they had to fix that.
So, no, if
they had done something wrong, they would not be in that
position. So I was not protecting them. But if I don’t
have the information to do what I needed to do, I can’t just
go and fire them. So, it’s not clear whether or not one had
civil service protection. And the other employee had
documentation to show what he had done. So that’s why.
Perryman: Last
item.
Hicks-Hudson: You
said three. That was third. You’re being such a preacher
(laughter).
Perryman: Oh, no,
one more. We saved the best for last. The criticism is that
you need to have the right people around you both in your
campaign and in the administration rather than having the
foxes guarding the various henhouses. First of all, Carty
was in your inner circle for a while, and now he’s running
against you. He was also in Sandy Drabik’s inner circle,
and now he’s running against her. Bob Reinbolt, described as
a “fox guarding the henhouse,” has a history and connection
to all of the mayoral candidates. When are you going to move
Reinbolt somewhere other than within your inner circle?
Hicks-Hudson: I’m
not moving him. The reason I’m not moving him is because he
has the knowledge, and he was running the city all last
year. I’m just going to put it out there. And I find it
really - - see, one of the things that you have to think
about, not only for me as strategy, is you keep your enemies
close. This man is - - there is no big secret. I’ll just
tell you. There are no major secrets that are strategy-wise.
He is not involved in my campaign at all.
He is
helping to run the city. He’s not running the city without
me checking in on things and making sure that they don’t do
anything without letting me know. Now, some things that are
happening just from an operational standpoint are not
getting to the 22nd floor. And that to me is more
of a concern than Reinbolt. And a lot of the people that are
saying “you need to get rid of Reinbolt” are the very ones
that call and talk to him that have said they’re my friends,
who before I locked up the Democratic endorsement were
talking to him about seeing whether or not he would be
willing to work with them.
So until
I’m elected as mayor, Reinbolt - - and I’m going to say
this. Of something should happen between now and then, he -
- we’ve had the discussion. He knows to pack his stuff, and
he’s out, and there’s no question about it. But right now
strategically it is not a smart thing to do on a couple of
fronts, one, which I’ve just told you about.
And,
secondly, I’d rather he be working for me and I have him in
my line of sight than where he’d be out making mischief, and
I don’t know what he’s doing. So, yes, he worked for
Collins, but he also worked for Jack. He did work for Carty.
And while that constant is there, people are talking in
Sandy’s ear. And since she started to run, according to him,
they’ve cut off ties.
Carty
continues to call because that’s Carty. And so I can’t worry
about what Carty says or does. And I’ll be very honest with
you; Carty was never in my camp, never. So if people are
thinking that he was or he said he was, he never was. He
started from the very beginning always wondering and giving
me time to prove myself. Well, good for him!
So I hear
what you’re saying, and I’m aware of it and just being
straight with you, readers of The Truth and others. People
seem to think that I just fell off the turnip truck. I
didn’t.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org |
