Albany’s Ward II gets five-person commission race

ALBANY — The widespread call for “change at the top” of local government did not generate the results that many had obviously hoped for, but the call appears to have helped create at least one compelling storyline heading toward the Nov. 7 municipal election.

The incumbent Albany city commissioners in Wards III and V — B.J. Fletcher and Bob Langstaff, respectively — escaped last week’s qualifying process unchallenged and, barring some unforeseen circumstances, will return to their seats for new four-year terms starting in January. For Fletcher, it will be a second term on the commission, while Langstaff was re-elected for a fourth time and will start his 17th year of service.

Only Ward I City Commissioner Jon Howard and District 1 Dougherty County Commissioner Lamar Hudgins have longer tenures than Langstaff.

But much of the conversation after qualifying closed Friday was about the Ward II commission race. Incumbent Bobby Coleman, who is nearing the end of his first four-year term in office, finds himself facing four challengers as he seeks a second term on the board. In addition to the man he ousted to claim the seat — the Rev. Ivey Hines — Coleman is being challenged by CaMia Hopson, Haryl Dabney and Matt Fuller.

Coleman raised a few eyebrows after completing qualifying paperwork Wednesday when he proclaimed himself “unequivocally and hands down the best candidate in this race.” The Ward II incumbent also told The Albany Herald he has “more knowledge of the workings of our government, more experience and I’ve been the most accessible commissioner ever — not just among the current commissioners — but ever.”

Those comments have already drawn return fire. Dabney told The Herald Friday, “(No one should) feed into Coleman’s unfounded claims of being ‘the most educated, experienced, etc.’ Because he’s certainly not, nor has he been.”

Dabney also took to Facebook and accused Fuller, a businessman who lives in the Rawson Circle neighborhood, of “getting into the race because of a split black vote.” Fuller is the lone white candidate among the five.

With more than two months of campaigning before the municipal election, the race for the Ward II seat promises more drama. Before the campaigning starts in earnest, here is a brief look at the candidates:

THE INCUMBENT

Coleman, who is a transport specialist, claimed the Ward II seat in 2013 when he ousted Hines. He has been an outspoken proponent of “appointing people to serve the community that reflects the makeup of the community.” He pointed recently to his yearly trips to various national and state meetings that he says he’s taken to increase his knowledge of the government’s role in communities.

Coleman has been an outspoken proponent of efforts to clean up blighted properties while in office, and he’s drawn fire from some in the community for pushing to ease restrictions on towing companies that are contracted by the city to remove wrecked vehicles from accident sites. He recently campaigned successfully to forego city ordinances in place so that a recreational center could be named in honor of J.C. Odom.

THE COMMISSION VETERAN

Hines won a special election to claim the Ward II seat six years ago when current Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard resigned her seat on the commission for a successful mayoral run. A retired IT specialist who worked at Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany, Hines has not allowed a handicap — blindness — to keep him from seeking challenges. Two years ago, with the help of training partners and a tethered fellow runner, Hines completed the Albany Snickers Marathon.

He said he is the only candidate in the Ward II race with a comprehensive plan to address the primary issues facing the community.

“I was starting to implement that plan four years ago when my service on the commission was interrupted,” he said. “I have refined that plan, and I’m ready to get back to work on it as part of the city government.”

THE NEWCOMERS

Hopson, an IT specialist at MCLB-Albany and a member of the city’s Downtown Development Authority, said a number of supporters in her Rawson Circle neighborhood encouraged her to make a run for office. She said taking part in the fight against Atlanta blight while she worked with AT&T in the capital city gave her the encouragement to help take on similar problems in Albany.

“This kind of transformation — taking something ugly and making it beautiful — is something that’s dear to my heart,” Hopson told The Herald. “I look at these kinds of challenges and say, ‘Let’s see what we can do.’ My driving force in getting involved in this race is my love for this city.”

Hopson lived in Albany before taking the position with AT&T. She moved back seven years ago.

Fuller, who owns and runs Kay Fuller & Sons Custom Cabinets on Seventh Avenue, said he’s often engaged in complaints about the lack of leadership in Ward II. when he started feeling like a hypocrite for “complaining while sitting on the sidelines,” he threw his hat into the ring. He said his 15 years of running successful businesses will benefit the commission.

“I’ve been sitting by, saying, ‘Somebody’s got to do better,’ for a long time,” Fuller said after qualifying. “I felt it was time for me to put up or shut up. I am not a politician, but I feel my 15 years of experience running a business is something useful I bring to the table. I live in Ward II, my business is in Ward II and I attend a downtown church. So I feel I know the problems of this community.

“I intend to hunker down and get a firm grasp on the important issues that impact all the people of Ward II.”

Dabney, 27, describes himself as a community advocate, and he said his youth is an asset rather than a hindrance as he enters his first political campaign.

“You can’t expect to bring change to a city that needs change when you keep sending the same people back as representatives,” Dabney said. “There has been a clear lack of vision on the City Commission, and I believe I have some ideas that are going to make this community a safer, better community.

“We need to quit complaining about crime and start insisting that our leaders provide law enforcement with the tools they need to do their job. And we need to come up with an active plan to bring businesses and jobs to our community. We can’t afford to keep sitting back, just waiting for the jobs to come. We’ve already seen that that doesn’t work.”

Early voting for the Ward II election will start Oct. 16 and continue weekdays until Nov. 3. All early voting will be conducted in the Elections office.