Confessions of a Future Politician: Part 1
Holger’s Last Political Speech / Racism in Riverbend
Year 7, Week 8
Holger Peters had the podium: “I think this is about the tenth or twelfth time I’ve had the privilege of giving this speech. When we built our first TDG constitution, the inventor of the TDG suggested that we put a clause about the importance of voting for good character and capacity for governance before voting. So we took his suggestion, and we let the chair of our TDG give a little speech about voting in this way.
“When we put this clause into our constitution, we didn’t really understand why. And we treated this clause mostly as a formality, and sometimes as an annoyance.”
I could not help but think I should not be at this meeting.
Holger continued: “Good character and capacity for governance! Such a simple platitude. It should be common sense that that is how we should vote. Yet we look at USA’s current democracy, we voters cast our votes with different criteria: tradition, ideology, self-interest, AND sketchy perspectives from the mass media. At best, good character and capacity for governance are only a small part of our voting decision.”
Seven months ago, I got married to Joshua Jerimiah. We bought a small house in Waskeda, in Northeast Riverbend. I didn’t know any neighbors very well, let alone which neighbors were members of the TDG. I hadn’t built much rapport to be elected as Waskeda’s neighborhood representative. I was even looking forward to the extra time I could put into my accounting diploma.
Holger went on: “So I have been making this little speech every six months. And the strange thing is these seven years of being on the TDG executive, I have found myself working with some great people — most of the time. . . . . Now I don’t mean ‘great’ in terms of wealth, fame, or accomplishments. Just ordinary people with the simple goal of making this TDG work. Our electoral processes are finding the right people.”
Despite being a new person in Waskeda, I got elected as its neighborhood representative to Riverbend’s TDG. I guess my previous TDG work counted for something in these voters’ minds. If that was their voting criteria, that’s why I am here today.
Holger was not hearing my thoughts at all: “So this little semi-annual message of “good character and capacity for governance” has been slowly changing our mindset about voting. I think I am understanding this aspect of the TDG better than I did seven years ago. Let me just point out how this works so well. Tonight is the election of our TDG executive, where 34 neighborhood representatives will elect seven people into this executive. Ed Broncher told me that 31 of those representatives have already picked up their ballot. Thirty-one out of 34!”
I was one of the 31! I could see TDG people I had worked with over the years: Veronica Sanchez, Lenora Crane, Ed Broncher. One surprise in that 31 was Betty Boychuk. She defeated her husband Aiden in the last election for neighborhood representatives. Aiden served so well for four years. But I got to know Betty; she will also serve her neighborhood well.
Holger moved on: “I’m not a math teacher, but I calculate we have a 91% turnout tonight! . . . . Let’s just understand the significance. First let’s give credit to all of you who showed up that you did give this meeting a high priority. There were so many other things we busy people could be doing tonight.”
I had a conflict that night. There was also a meeting of the Battenor Ecological Society. There was no question which meeting I was going to go to.
Holger broke my thoughts again: “Second, let’s give credit to the people who voted for you — your neighbors. They seemed to have known you would take your TDG responsibility seriously to show up here tonight. That . . . ladies and gentlemen . . . is a sign that the voting process for our TDG is already working well. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am very impressed with this turnout and how wise the voters are.
“So — once again — I am reminding every one to vote for good character and capacity for governance to create next year’s executive committee . . . . And that last statement has just fulfilled our constitutional requirement.”
Holger paused in a way that suggested that he had something important to add.
“It has been an honor to start, build, and serve on this TDG. And I have a little favor from all of you tonight.
“The executive committee needs all seven members giving a good effort. . . . . I will soon be going through a medical challenge in the next few months. My ability to serve on the executive committee will be limited. And I would prefer not to have that level of TDG service be placed on me at this time. I would prefer that you not vote for me into the executive committee. Thank you very much for allowing me to serve in the past seven years.”
That announcement aired a somber mood into our meeting room. Ed Broncher was not prepared for Holger’s message and had the difficult task of moving the meeting towards the actual voting. He kind of stumbled through acknowledging Holger’s work, wishing him well, and then moving to voting instructions. He summarized: 1) Each ballot had a place for five names, 2) Each neighborhood representative was to put up to five names in those spots. 3) Only neighborhood representatives could be voted for.
Ed also had four tellers ready to accept and count votes.
For the past four years, I have served as treasurer of this TDG. I knew many people at this meeting, maybe not the level to know everything about my good character, but I think my “capacity for governance” has been well proven. I was expecting to be elected again. But it would have been nice to take a break.
The tellers counted the votes. All five sectors — Northwest, Northeast, Central, Southwest, Southeast — sent the neighborhood representative in that sector into the executive committee. Two other representatives were elected from the two remaining representatives who had the most votes.
And I was elected again — as one of the two highest. The TDG has its ways.
Holger Peters still got a few votes, but not enough to place him in the executive committee. I think he was happy with that result, and he was happy to be here. He chatted with quite a few people, and I managed to get a few minutes with him. He didn’t say much about his medical condition. Seven years. The last of our four founding executive members has left.
My father is Marvin Delgers. He grew up in a poor black neighborhood in Chicago. Somehow he managed break the bonds of poverty and took his schooling seriously. He graduated from law school and married my mother shortly after. They wanted to raise a family away from the big city life. They moved to Riverbend, where my father articled for a local law firm. He eventually set up his own practice of small town law, ranging from small criminal and civil cases, real estate transactions, wills and estates, and small business affairs. He liked this legal variety.
My mother is Willimena Delgers (nee Green). She was raised in middle-class Joosemin, in one of only a few African-American families in her neighborhood. Her parents put a high value on education and personal achievement for their children. She finished her nursing diploma. When she met my father, she had found a “winner” as her life partner. She has worked at the Riverbend General Hospital as a ward nurse ever since, pausing only to raise her young babies.
I am the oldest of three sisters. Georgina is four years younger. Abby is six years younger.
We were an upper-middle class family in Rivebend. We never lacked for material needs or parental attention.
We were also prominent, in part, because we were African Americans and somewhat wealthy. Perhaps a more important reason for our prominence is both my father and mother were quite active in the Democratic Pary. They had served on many councils over the years and helped organize election campaigns. A significant part of my father’s business came from his contacts in the Democratic Party.
We regulary attended church. But religion seldom got mentioned much in our regular family discourse. Maybe it did some good. I don’t know.
Both my father and mother experienced racism in Riverbend. My father had a few instances of meeting a white man who needed a lawyer but did not want a black man to represent him in any way. My father only grinned when such a man left his office. Every couple of years, my father got pulled over by police for “being black while driving.” His car was working properly; he had his paperwork in order; he was polite. But he also had a legal plan if the police ever took things further. They never did.
My mother was more proactive with racism. When she experienced racism at work, she cleverly documented the incident and found people to colaborate with her. Patients who took their racism a little too far got some admonishment from the hospital administrator. And two working colleagues were fired thanks to my mother. But most people of Riverbend treated my father and mother with respect.
As far as race demographics, Riverbend was a pretty good reprentatation of the USA. We had about 10% African-Americans, 10% Latin, and 5% immigrants from Africa who had come to work for Riverbend’s small factories. There were a few people from the Tankosin Indian Reservation living in Riverbend. Not so many Asian people though. For the most part, the various groups got along fairly well. I did experience some prejudice, but those few white people generally stayed in their own clique and knew better than to push things. I think it helped that we had only one big high school in Riverbend — and the principal was a practitioner of racial equality.
Start this story at the beginning.
