As the Albion City Council tries to resurrect a municipality that is home to a shrinking school district and floundering downtown business district, there is a distinct divide down the middle of Eaton Street that continues to manifest itself at the heart of public debates.
The Albion College chemistry professor is usually calm and collected, but when helping allocate city funds he is terse and unafraid to fight for his vision of a rejuvenated downtown that includes new businesses and family fun for locals.
He is a member of the board of directors for Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum in Albion and openly admits he is “trying to please as many people as possible” as a first-time councilman.
Across from French sits Councilman Maurice Barnes Jr., a representative for residents of Precinct 1, who works part time at the Albion Inn and has an abundance of family members living in Albion.
Barnes’ priorities include complete transparency from the city and 100 percent equality for all people, taxpayers and nontaxpayers alike.He has questioned spending city money on projects such as the restoration of the historic Bohm Theatre and represents those he feels are overlooked, including the nonprofit Double Vision Center on Superior Street.
“Anytime I try to represent people who don’t have access to privilege and power, it’s almost like I’m the bad guy. I’m a black man; I know what it’s like to go without,” Barnes said at the June 6 council meeting. “We’ve got kids walking the street … and it’s almost like we just want to look over them every time, just like with the Bohm.”
French admits Albion has significant sections of poverty, but he said it’s about more than race.
“I think Albion as a city has this undercurrent of haves and have-nots, and councilman Barnes brings that up on a regular basis,” French said. “Clearly his constituents for the most part are African-American, and so he tries to make it a race issue, but I’m trying to make it a haves and have-nots (issue).”
The basis of many of their heated arguments is not immaterial.
The 2010 U.S. Census shows that Barnes’ precinct has a black population of 55 percent, while 90 percent of French’s constituents are white. Almost 18 percent of housing units in Precinct 1 are unoccupied, compared to 12 percent in Precinct 6.
Such numbers fueled Barnes’ irritation when the council voted to put $8,000 of its Reader’s Digest We Hear You America prize money toward reclamation of the Bohm Theatre.
He believes the city has more pressing needs to address.
“You want to give all the money to the Bohm … be fair, people, you have people not with the socioeconomic status you have,” Barnes said June 6. “Not all of them have a mother and father in their home. They need extra help, and a couple of thousand dollars is not going to break your backs.”
French said he understands Barnes’ frustration, but he tries to maintain a delicate balance that accommodates people of varying socioeconomic status.
He said it’s not easy trying to serve those who are paying taxes and those who are in rental units or subsidized housing and lack the same access to resources or power.
“How do you meet their needs without always giving to them without them having to work for it?” he asked.
Mayor Joe Domingo said there are pros and cons to the perpetual debate.
“Sometimes I think it does interfere because some of those things I think could be taken care of on a personal level if they get that far,” he said. “But if it’s a topic that is brought up and those two have their different opinions, I’d like those opinions shared for everybody to hear so they know we don’t all think and feel the same way.”
French showed good will toward Barnes at the June 20 council meeting when he proposed to gift the Double Vision Center $700 instead of $500 and reduce the Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum’s allotment from $500 to $300 when awarding the remaining $2,000 in prize money from Readers Digest.
He said compromise is one way to prove he’s interested in the community as a whole, not just a particular section of it.
Barnes said he’s willing to compromise when the vast majority of Albion residents disagree with him, but his primary mission will continue to be making life better for Precinct 1 residents.
“All I want is for everybody to be treated fairly … and we have a council with different ideologies and different demographics and different upbringings and values,” he said.
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As published in the Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 18, 2011
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