Dowdell: Off-base on race, again

By Jennifer J. Foster

If you live in the Auburn-Opelika area, chances are you are familiar—more than familiar—with the recent dust-up involving Auburn City Councilman Arthur Dowdell and Confederate flags at the historic Pine Hill Cemetery.

If not, you can read my rundown of the issue here.

Dowdell was at it again this week, implicitly charging that minorities in Auburn are underserved by the current city council. From the Opelika-Auburn News:

Tuesday’s Auburn council meeting ended in raised voices after Ward 1 council member Arthur L. Dowdell brought up the subject of the council’s racial makeup.

Dowdell suggested the city look at shrinking its nine-member council and finding a way to bring on another black member after the 2010 federal census. Dowdell, currently the only black council member, said his representation on the council was smaller than the percent of black Auburn residents. Without college students, the black population would be 20 to 30 percent, he said.

“Right now, we got taxation without representation,” he said.

Dowdell said he had an attorney looking into the situation.

“We know that it’s either going to be solved at the negotiating table or it’s going to be solved in the courts,” he said. “But I don’t want it to be solved in the courts.”

*Sigh*

Here we go again.

News editorial page editor Joe McAdory produced an outstanding editorial in response to this latest racial flap. I hope you’ll read it here.

This is all to prep you for my column this weekend, which will enumerate the many ways in which Dowdell is off-base on race. Check it out in Saturday’s print edition of the News.