The Death of an Historic L.A. Figure : Gilbert Lindsay’s passing should not detract from need to fix a Charter loophole

In 1963--at a time when the majority of black Americans were not allowed to vote--Gilbert W. Lindsay became the first black member of the Los Angeles City Council. His appointment represented a dramatic rise from his days of picking cotton in his native Mississippi and of scrubbing toilets in Los Angeles.

The 90-year-old Lindsay died on Friday nearly four months after an incapacitating stroke left him paralyzed--and his 9th District without a voice on the council. Despite his inability to represent his constituents during that period, Lindsay could not be dislodged from office. The City Charter does not provide for the removal of members who are incapacitated. That omission should be corrected with an amendment to the Charter.

Lindsay’s death leaves a vacancy that could be filled by appointment, but that would deny the 9th District the right to choose its representative. Fortunately, City Council President John Ferraro says he would prefer a special election to determine who will finish out the councilman’s term. If the council goes along, the balloting is expected to coincide with the April primary.

One hopes that a special election will yield a strong representative from this important district--a very diverse mix of well-off commercial neighborhoods and poor residential areas. The 9th District includes the economically powerful downtown central business district as well as the economically vulnerable south side of the district. When the council redraws council boundaries in the next few months, more than one councilperson will want to annex downtown. It’s a lucrative source of campaign contributions--compared to the poor and working-class black and Latino area south of downtown.

But any jockeying for downtown during the upcoming redistricting should be extraordinarily sensitive to the political tensions between this city’s blacks and Latinos. How carefully political leaders walk the line on the 9th District could determine the relationship between the two groups for years to come.

It’s true that Lindsay channeled much, perhaps too much, of his energies into the redevelopment of the downtown area. But one should recall that during Lindsay’s early years he was vigilant to the needs of constituents who lived in the residential neighborhoods of the district. He helped to develop low-income housing for senior citizens and poor families. A gleaming downtown is certainly an important part, but only a part, of Lindsay’s legacy.