In the Charleston City Paper, columnist Barney Blakeney wrote an article about a black Charleston native, Dudley Gregorie, who is challenging longtime Mayor Joe Riley in the November, 2008 election.

Blakeney, who is also black, points out that Riley spent almost one million bucks on his last campaign, and that his challenger, Dudley Gergorie, admits that he doesn’t have pockets that deep. He points out that Gregorie is the third black candidate to run against Riley in the past dozen years and is expecting support from the local black community. He then says this:

“And after some 330 years, the city is certainly due a black mayor.”

Due?

It is statements like this that make me shake my head in frustration when it comes to racism. I have no problem voting for a black man for mayor. Or for Congress. Or for the White House.

But before I vote for anyone, I’m going to listen to the candidates and find out what they want to do. I will back wholeheartedly the person whose plans best mesh with that I’d like to see happen. What will be missing from the equation when I step into the voting booth will be concern over what color he or she happens to be.

It’s outrageous to take on the mindset that because we haven’t had a black mayor, we should vote for this person to correct that “wrong.” I think there’s something wrong with allowing race to be the determining factor. What happened to picking the best man or woman for the job? What happened to treating people equally regardless of their race?

Blakeney points out the lack of affordable housing in the Charleston peninsula, one of several problems that he says has ticked off voters during the Riley years, as a reason black voters should consider one of their own. He then looks back at the past two black candidates whose total votes indicate that not all black voters voted black. Are they supposed to?

I wouldn’t vote for Mayor Riley because he’s white. Am I supposed to?

The city is “due” a mayor who the voters feel presents the best platform for everyone in Charleston.

I think it’s going to be a long road to next November.