Ralph Washington: A Man Who Stands Tall for Central

Ralph Washington: A Man Who Stands Tall for Central

In the nine-year history of the City of Central, there is one man who stands out.  A man who was part of the City from the beginning and who has been unwavering in his loyalty, integrity, and commitment to the people of Central.

That man is Ralph Washington.  For nine years, he has served as a member of the City Council and as Mayor Pro-Tem.  Never once has there been a conflict of interest or a hint of impropriety or dishonesty.

He has stood forthrightly, uncompromisingly for what is right, no matter what the cost to him.

Example No. 1 – The bill to create the Central Community School System was being debated in a legislative committee. The Black Caucus was savaging not only the bill but Central, making Central look like a bastion of racism.  Central is 90 percent white.  This is about segregation, they roared.  The bill was headed for certain defeat.

Then something happened that turned the tide almost instantly.

A tall black man rose to his feet and walked to the witness chair.  He wasn’t supposed to speak.  No one told him to speak.  He got up on his own.  He said. “Don’t tell me about discrimination.  I’ve been fighting it all my life.  That’s not the Central I know.  I’m the Mayor Pro-Tem of Central, and this is about education — for all our children!”

Then he sat down, and everything had changed.  The bill passed out of committee and then the floor!

One man stood up and spoke the truth.  And they KNEW it was the truth because HE said it.

Many people have played a vital role in creating the Central school system, but if had not been for one man — Ralph Washington — I’m not sure it would have ever made its way through the legislature.

Example No. 2 – At about the same time, Central was under attack in the court of public opinion.  The president of the NAACP in Baton Rouge, Kwame Asante, came out to Central and went on TV the next day.  He told WAFB-TV he had felt threatened in Central, being a black man at night.  It was a racist place.

The propaganda against Central on TV was unrelenting.  Not a white person in Central could stand up and say We’re not racist! It would have had no credibility.

But there was one man who could.  Ralph Washington.  And he did.

He got on Channel 9 and said, “I’ve lived in Central for years, and I’ve never seen anything like that in Central.  The blacks and whites get along just fine in Central.”

Suddenly, it was over!  Once again, Ralph Washington spoke truth and ended a crisis.

Example No. 3 — CH2MHill was making Central into a company town and making a mockery of privatization.  They became secretive and refused to comply with the Louisiana’s Public Records Law.

But Ralph Washington spoke up on the Council and demanded that they comply with the law.  At his urging, the Council ordered them to produce the records.  He wouldn’t sit silently and let the people of Central have their right to access to public records taken away.

Example No. 4 — When CH2MHill defied the City Council and continued to violate the public records law and refused to produce the public records, Ralph Washington led the fight to take away their contract and put it out to public bid.  Once again, he was successful.  Right prevailed, and Central got a new city contractor.

Over the past nine years, there have been many other times Ralph Washington has saved the day for this community.

His ad says he’s stood up for Central, and it’s true!  He has!  Now he faces a tough reelection campaign May 3.  If ever there were a public servant who deserved to be reelected, it is our own Mayor Pro-Tem, Ralph Washington.

 

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