At some point, Monroe Mayor Oliver Ellis must learn how to communicate with the Black community’s leaders. His refusal to do so is having the unintended effect of galvanizing various groups in the black community.
Nearly all groups are getting the same treatment; no one has real access, and everyone except those that agree with him is being shut out.
It’s creating a coalition of strange bedfellows in the Black community that has one common thread: their frustration dealing with a mayor who seems detached from black community issues and afraid to meet with them alone.
In the two years that the mayor has been in office, Mayor Ellis can count the times on one hand that he has had private meetings with Black community influencers without a small army of city department heads in the room.
When he met with the NAACP leaders concerning his plans for South Monroe, he did not meet with them alone; several others were present, including the city attorney.
When he met with the Black Chamber of Commerce leaders, they reported that as many as eight or nine department leaders and staff members were present and listening.
When he met with members of the Southside Economic Development District, he brought in department leaders and two of the three black council members.
It’s almost as if the mayor needs to be protected from black leaders or needs his staff to fill in for him in response to questions.
Relationship building is not done in a crowded room. It’s built on trust.
Mayor Ellis is the only mayor in the last 50 years who seems afraid to meet with Black leaders alone.
Mayor Jamie Mayo had no qualms about meeting with people, even those who were critical of him.
Mayor Melvin Rambin had nearly zero support among Blacks but frequently met with Black leaders, even as he fought a life-threatening sickness.
Mayor Abe Pierce maintained a genuine open door policy, in which he met with any citizen without an appointment, even his critics.
Mayors Bob Powell, Ralph Troy, and W.L. Howard frequently met with Black leaders at city hall and were frequent faces at Black political meetings, listening and sometimes receiving harsh criticism.
Mayor Powell was known for showing up in the Black community and attending meetings called to bash him. At some of those meetings, he was treated rudely and sometimes disrespectfully, but he listened to the people’s moods and responded.
After being bashed, Powell, with a red face, thanked the leaders for keeping the door open for him. Before leaving, he often invited the leaders to his office, and alone they found common ground.
Powell enjoyed solid Black support for most of his 17 years as mayor.
Mayor Ellis would probably fare better with the Black community if he met with leaders alone for personal give and take.
Sometimes personal meetings get heated. Sometimes they are cordial. What is important is that leaders meet each other face to face, without a small army of staff members taking notes and analyzing the leaders when the meeting ends.
Mayor Ellis has a good heart but has a lot to learn about dealing with the African-American community.
