Election of Kevin Johnson to Head Black Mayors Group 'Invalid'
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
WASHINGTON – After accepting a determination by the attorney for the National Conference of Blacks Mayors that the organization’s May 30 election in Atlanta was invalid, more than half of the board members in good standing have written to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson directing him to “table all matters” until the board meets again, according to documents obtained by the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service.
Johnson was elected president of the NCBM at that election, but since the election was declared invalid, the board of directors in place at the time of the election has resumed control of the organization until a new election can be held, probably in September.
Efforts to reach Johnson for comment via telephone, text and email were unsuccessful.
A board meeting is scheduled for this Friday afternoon in Atlanta. At the meeting, it is expected that the board of directors will set a date for the new elections.
The internal documents obtained by the NNPA, whose authenticity was verified by several board members, detail an election that violated at least four provisions of the group’s bylaws and an ongoing clash between Ballard Spahr, a Philadelphia-based law firm brought in by Johnson, and General Counsel Susan “Sue” Winchester of Beverly Hills, Calif. and Atlanta-based Executive Director Vanessa R. Williams.
Moreover, interviews with more than a half-dozen board members revealed a deep split between the board and Johnson, who has used Ballard Spahr and a special task force appointed by him – he serves as its chairman – to carry out many of the duties normally undertaken by the board of directors.