By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted and Published on March 4, 2024
I ran across my old campaign brochure from when I ran for City Council in Montgomery, Alabama. As you can see from the brochure, I promised to represent the interests of my 18,000 Council District 6 constituents in an aggressive manner, which I did for four years.
I financed my campaign with money from family members and close friends. I raised more money than I needed to win the race against six opponents, including a popular incumbent named Herman Harris, without a runoff. I refunded leftover campaign money to the contributors.
I was elected to the City Council in October 1979. I was the youngest person ever elected to a Council seat in Montgomery, where I served from 1979 to 1983. I was one of four Blacks on the nine-member Council.
I donated my Council salary to local charities in my District. I never took a city-paid trip to any municipal conference or workshop, in-state or out-of-state. Instead, I attended these events at my own expense.
My telephone number was always publicly listed so that constituents could reach me directly on any day or at any hour.
I delivered on all of the campaign promises listed in the brochure during my four-year term in office.
My departure from the Council was hailed by then-Montgomery Mayor Emory Folmar as "one of the greatest blessings since the Yankee troops went home in 1870.” I took that statement as a compliment.
Today, the political forces that oppose our progress are more vicious the ones I faced and fought as a Council member. This is why voting is even more important today than it was in 1979.
This is also why I hold our elected and appointed public officials to a high standard for representing our political interests. I don't ask these officials to do anything in terms of their political representation of constituents that I didn't do myself.
Please vote on March 5, 2024, for the candidate of your choice!
UPDATE: March 5, 2024
I voted and dropped my ballot off at my polling place.
I voted! Have you?