In Pasadena : The Future of NAACP May Ride on Vote

The campaign for the presidency of the NAACP’s Pasadena chapter has turned into a bitter struggle that some say threatens to seriously undermine the effectiveness of the organization.

Since the beginning of the campaign nearly four months ago, supporters of incumbent Stephen H. Mack Jr. and challenger John J. Kennedy have been at odds over issues ranging from the candidates’ qualifications and eligibility to alleged ballot tampering.

Complaints growing out of the campaign prompted the national office of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People to invalidate the chapter’s Dec. 14 election, which Mack won by a vote of 174 to 170, because of possible irregularities in the counting of ballots.

Taking no chances, the national office has sent a representative to oversee the second election, scheduled today.

But many members of the Pasadena chapter say that no matter who wins, it may be difficult for the chapter to recover from the damage inflicted during the campaign.

“I think this is all going to wreck the chapter,” said Billie Williams, a Mack supporter who founded the NAACP’s Altadena chapter in 1984. “With this going on, it’s going to lose a lot of credibility.”

City Director Loretta Thompson-Glickman, a member of the Pasadena chapter, said the dispute diminished the group’s credibility and could affect its ability to raise funds.

“The divisiveness has gone far beyond being an internal matter,” she said. “It involves more than the NAACP.”

The Pasadena chapter, which was founded in 1919, filed the first lawsuits in the early 1970s that eventually led to the desegregation of the city school system and Brookside Pool. The chapter has also been involved in youth activities and fund raising, including a concert at the Rose Bowl scheduled for June 20.

The intensity surrounding the campaign is in sharp contrast to past elections, when only a handful of voters showed up. Four years ago, nine persons turned out for the election in which Mack became president.

This time, the 1,400-member chapter expects several hundred members to cast ballots for either Mack or Kennedy from noon to 6 p.m. today at the Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave.

Mack, a 67-year-old retired Southern Pacific Railway foreman, has been a member of the local group for more than 20 years and prides himself on rising from the ranks to lead the organization.

Programs Reactivated

Mack said he took a chapter that had stagnated under the 18-year leadership of Ruby McKnight Williams, reactivated its youth programs, increased its budget and opened it up to a wider membership.

Billie Williams, no relation to Ruby McKnight Williams, called Mack an “old-time” member of the group who has deep support among the older, more conservative members of the black community.

“He’s done a good job,” he said. “He has done more than any other NAACP leader.”

Elbie J. Hickambottom, a member of the Pasadena school board, also credited Mack with improving communication with city government.

But critics say Mack, a supporter of Mayor John Crowley, is an inarticulate and weak leader who has never seriously challenged the city’s failure to improve conditions in northwest Pasadena, a predominantly low-income, minority area.

They contend that Ruby McKnight Williams, who retired as president in 1982, provided strong and vocal leadership and that it is Mack who has let the group founder because of his easygoing style.

Sincerity Stressed

“Mr. Mack is as sincere as they come, but sincerity without ability is not worth much,” said the Rev. William Turner of the New Revelation Baptist Church, who supports Kennedy. “Whenever there is an issue that needs a strong voice, he doesn’t have it.”

Mack countered that although he has only a high school education, he has no problem talking with “lawyers, congressmen or directors. I’ve talked to them all and feel confident they know me and I know them.”

He added that education should not be the sole criterion in judging a leader.

“If you have an education and don’t know how to apply it, what good is it?” Mack asked.

Kennedy, a 25-year-old graduate of Howard Law School, Washington, D. C., has based his campaign on a platform of bringing new blood into the organization.

“It’s not a personal issue as far as I am concerned,” he said. “It’s a new direction for the NAACP.”

Kennedy said the chapter has been politically weak for years, failing to confront the city on issues such as affordable housing. He added that the group has shown its weakness by its inability to increase black representation in city government. One member of the Board of Directors and one school board member are black.

“The branch is very dormant,” Kennedy said. “It doesn’t realize the power it has.”

He said the Pasadena chapter’s problems are rooted in its failure to attract young people.

“The age group from 18 to 45 really doesn’t have a leadership role in the organization,” he said. “What we are trying to do is bring the organization into the 21st Century, and we do that (by) bringing in youthful leadership.”

Kennedy said he would like the chapter to take a more active and vocal role in the community. His stand has won him the support of Ruby McKnight Williams and Turner, among others.

“I think we need some new vitality. We need a good shot in the arm,” said Ray Bartlett, a longtime NAACP member.

But Kennedy has also run into strong opposition from many who cite his lack of experience and say he has yet to prove his commitment to the organization.

Aggressive Style

“He’s not been active at all. I’ve never seen him at a board meeting, an executive board meeting or a general membership meeting until he decided to run,” Mack said.

“Before he tries to be president, he should do like all of us--work his way up.”

Others have said that although Kennedy may have good credentials, his aggressive style has alienated some people.

“It is time now for a change,” one chapter member, who did not want to be identified, said. “But what I question is the way you go about it. You don’t do it by damaging the credibility of the organization.”

Kennedy, who returned to Pasadena last May after graduating from law school, countered that he worked with the NAACP when he was growing up in the city and has demonstrated his ability to lead as a student senator at USC.

He blames Mack for sowing the seeds of dissension, adding that Mack is not bowing gracefully “to someone who has the ability to lead this organization into the next century.”

The different qualifications and visions of the two candidates have in many ways taken a back seat to the disputes that have arisen out of the December election.

More than 350 members turned out to vote, but the results were disputed by both sides.

Mack won by four votes, but Kennedy issued a formal complaint to the national NAACP, saying that the polls stayed open only four hours instead of the required six, that many of his supporters were not told about the election and that some of the 32 ballots that were disqualified should have been counted.

The national office sent William Penn, its director of branches, to go over the disputed ballots. He ruled that seven additional votes for Kennedy should be included.

“Clearly in terms of votes, I won,” Kennedy said. “And no one has talked about that.”

But Mack refused to accept the revised count, saying that he was not present during the inspection of the ballots on the second count and that some ballots could have been tampered with because he left the ballot box unlocked by mistake.

Penn decided to resolve the issue by calling for a new election.

Outcome Called Irrelevant

However, Mack also contended that the outcome of the December election was irrelevant, saying Kennedy was ineligible to run because he had not paid his membership dues on time.

Under the NAACP constitution, a candidate must have paid his dues 30 days before the chapter’s nominating committee presents its list of candidates, in this case by Oct. 21.

Kennedy said that he gave his check for $50 to Ruby McKnight Williams on Oct. 18, but that she did not deliver the check to the chapter office until Oct. 23.

The eligibility controversy prompted one Mack supporter, Charles B. Johnson, to file a lawsuit against the national organization for allowing Kennedy’s name to remain on the ballot.

But a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against Johnson last week, allowing the election to go forward.

“Essentially, the court did not want to get involved in this private spat,” Kennedy said Thursday. “It (the suit) was just a grandstand play.”

Johnson said he has no plans to appeal.

Although many members fear that the intense campaign has hurt the local NAACP, others say the chapter has survived similar battles in the past. Turner called the chapter “wounded, but not dead.”

“Some will be bitter,” Hickambottom added, “but those who are dedicated will stay involved.”

Both Mack and Kennedy said that if elected, they would try to mend fences so that the organization can continue.

“If I do win, many olive branches will go out,” Kennedy said. “Even if I lose, I will rally my side for the body.”

Mack added, “Of course I’ll stay a member. I just paid my dues.”