MANSFIELD — Incumbent Walden “Butch” Jefferson said he wants to keep his foot on Republicans and be assertive on Mansfield City Council. Challenger Alomar Davenport said it’s time for his generation to assume a leadership role.
Both of the Democratic candidates to represent the 4th Ward, found on the city’s north side, spoke Wednesday during the party’s weekly luncheon in downtown Mansfield.
The 70-year-old Jefferson, who retired after 27 years from AK Steel, is actually seeking a fifth term on Mansfield City Council. He served three terms and was term-limited out in 2011.
Jefferson was then appointed in 2014 by Democrats to finish the 4th Ward term of Sam Dunn, who resigned after accepting a job with the city. Jefferson was then re-elected in 2015.
“I really enjoy council. The main thing I enjoy about it is just helping people. It makes me feel good,” said Jefferson, 601 Bowman St. “When they need help, I wish they would call their council people so they can address the problem. A lot of times, citizens try to address the problem on their own and they don’t get things done. Once a councilperson speaks up, because they have a vote, things usually happen.
“I want to be assertive going forward and keep my foot on those Republicans up there. They try to do some things underhanded that doesn’t help the downtrodden people or everyday people. Its all about personal issues with them. It’s like a power thing. ‘I have the power and I am gonna do it my way.’ “
Jefferson said he often needs to “push back” in his role on council, citing a $5 license plate tax increase approved by council in 2018 that will help fund future downtown improvement projects. Jefferson said proponents sought to impose the tax for 20 years.
“I pushed back and said you will handcuff council in the future if you do it for 20 years. I got it pushed back to 10 years to see how they would spend that money and make sure they are using it right,” said Jefferson, who said he also unsuccessfully lobbied fellow council members to support medical marijuana.
Davenport, 42, who lives at 575 Stocking Ave., said he grew up in Mansfield’s 4th Ward and moved to New York City, earning college degrees in business administration and public affairs. He has said he worked for the Brennan Center for Justice, the Vera Institute of Justice and the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services.
Davenport said he worked as a policy analyst on right-to-vote initiatives and criminal justice reform measures. He returned to Mansfield last summer and now works for T-Mobile as a sales analyst.
“I want to take the experience I gained while away and be an asset to the 4th Ward, the ward where I grew up in,” Davenport said.
Davenport said his main goals are to improve the image of the 4th Ward and to help residents there gain a stronger political voice.
“The 4th Ward is not a crime-ridden area. We have been conditioned to think the 4th Ward is a place where you cannot walk, where it’s unsafe to walk,” Davenport said. “It is an area where there are people who work factory jobs, work restaurant jobs, work labor intensive jobs … put food on their table to pay their bills. This is the story that should be told. Those are the people we should be talking about.”
He said the ward’s problems are not unique.
“We have to stop telling that story and and begin telling the real story — that these are hardworking people who are looking to simply make something of themselves,” Davenport said. “What happens is we as young black men hear that story and say, ‘This is a bad part of town. Let me show you how bad this part of town is.’ That has to stop.”
Davenport said residents in the ward must become more active voters.
“There is no truer statement in government than the squeaky wheel gets the oil,” he said. “If you are not voting, the powers that be do not pay attention to you. We must be a community that peaks loudly and moves as one.”
He said Jefferson has been a strong advocate for the 4th Ward, but it’s time for a change.
“Every season has an end and every season has a beginning. It is time for my generation to take the baton and begin to run our leg of the relay. It is time for our generation to roll up our sleeves and go about the business of bettering our community for our future,” Davenport said.
“It is time for our generation to become the example for that 10-year-old who is sitting on Rowland (Avenue), who is being told that he is in a bad neighborhood, and he is trying to figure out which way to go.”
The winner of the Democratic race on May 7 will face Republican Amanda Stanfield in November. She is unopposed on the Primary ballot.
