As I predicted, the situation with Norfolk Vice Mayor Paul Riddick is quickly deteriorating into a nasty fight. Today’s Virginian-Pilot has an article about friends and foes of Riddick, lining up. The racial part of this is just below the surface. Former NAACP president Charlie Bryant recommended dialogue:
“It’s pitting one segment of the community against the other,” said Charlie Bryant. “They need to cease and sit down and speak to each other more calmly.”
Leading the charge for a recall is Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe. McCabe, a former police officer, says he is doing so because of Riddick’s attacks on law enforcement. Police officers fall under the City Manager.
“They can’t stand up and say this is outrageous, so I am doing it for them,” McCabe said.
No one from council is calling for the recall. Both Mayor Paul Fraim and Councilman Randy Wright are against it. According to today’s column by John-Henry Doucette, former Vice Mayor Daun Hester refuses to comment. Delegate Kenny Alexander, who lives in Ward 4, is also against the recall.
I don’t know what it is going to take to resolve this. Will Norfolk – as a city – have the conversation on race and race relations that it has needed for so long? I am not hopeful. I fear that the specific issues might be addressed but the simmering racial tensions will be suppressed and glossed over.
I guess I see this as being bigger than Paul Riddick. In retrospect, I wish the Mayor’s Town Hall meetings had taken on the racial tension as a part of those community conversations.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I don’t know anything about this. I know nothing of Norfolk, of Paul Riddick, or of the rest of the city council.
But I suspect I do know how this feels. Internally, you may have a very clear idea of what ought to happen. But this isn’t an internal issue. It’s quite public. It’s one where you want to be very careful of giving public cover to those with bad intentions. You may share a a desire for a common result, but you want that result for very very different reasons.
It’s a very tough spot.
Notice the subtle undertone that only blacks can chime in on this. Two steps forward, one step back?
Not true, SW.
Hello everyone, Mr. Riddick talks for many people who are left out of the system, who are pushed aside for area’s like ghent, downtown, oceanvew, some might call it the five finger rule[small joke]. anyway if you get dumped on from day one of your life, and people tell you, your know good, and what is today of all days in va. is called jackson/lee day, how would you feel? keep going and keep fighting the good fight mr. riddick.
There have been many black leaders that have lead the fight for the black community and done it with tact and without causing divisiveness. Shame on Riddick for his approach. I am sure that there is another leader that can be brought forth in Ward 4 that can represent the issues brought up by Jack, but in a professional way.
We need to get rid of elected officials who embarass our city. He is not the only one. This wouldn’t be a problem if we had term limits, not only for city council members, but for state representatives as well. I think some of these guys have been in too long and they think they can get away with things like this.
According to the Pilot, it’s all dead for now. The lawyers finally looked at the charter and figured out that Riddick can’t be recalled in the first year of his term. The petition drive can’t start until July 1. Time for cooler heads to prevail, perhaps.