A Black Mayor Is Signed, Sealed

By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer Flojaune Cofer after voting on March 5. Louis Bryant III, OBSERVER With Assemblymember Kevin McCarty and political newcomer Dr. Flojaune Cofer making it to the Nov. 5 election, Sacramento will have its second Black mayor. What will this mean for Black voters come November? Kevin Johnson served as Sacramento’s first Black mayor from 2008 to 2016. Sam Walton, a retired political consultant who worked on the campaigns of former councilmembers Sam and Bonnie Pannell as well as former Councilmember Larry Carr’s campaign, said having two Black candidates for mayor has historical and political significance. A Black mayor, Walton said, can drive perception among Black voters that the mayor will be more responsive to their needs. “Whether that’s true or not it is the perception, and that perception helps give people greater confidence in whether they will be treated fairly or not, or whether they’ll be considered and listened to with respect to various policy decisions and the distribution of resources,” Walton said. Walton thinks having two Black mayoral candidates is likely to make Blacks more inclined to vote this November. Having two Black candidates will give voters the feeling of being able...