by Saeed Shabazz
Staff Writer

NEW YORK (Finalcall.com)�When voters go to the polls in New York City Sept. 11, they will find many new names on the ballot for the office of City Council. Because of term limits which go into effect this year, there is a mass retirement of most incumbents in the city�mayor, comptroller, public advocate, four of the five borough presidents and 36 of the 51 City Council members.

Observers say this election is significant because for the first time in memory, most political offices in the city will be wide open, drawing people who have neither money nor connections.

Some 323 people filed nominating petitions for the Sept. 11 City Council primary, and, at Final Call press time, 270 candidates were on the ballot. However, the NYC Board of Elections said more people could be disqualified, which has raised concerns in the activist community.

Most of the people knocked off the ballot are activists who do not have the backing of the major party organizations, observed Min. Kevin Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque No. 7 in Harlem.

"It is extremely important for the Black and Latino community to understand that if we are talking about real empowerment, we must first have an opportunity to elect candidates that want to work for the community. We do not need people who are only concerned about pleasing the party bosses," he told The Final Call.

Currently, 28 Council members are white. And observers theorize that white New Yorkers will dominate the "new" City Council, just as they dominated the old, predicting that whites will retain 26 seats.

How is that possible in a city that has a 35 percent white population?

Observers say white candidates are elected because they manage to pull others into coalitions while Blacks and Latinos still have problems building grassroots coalitions.

If City Council representation were based on proportion to the members of the population, there would be 18 whites, 14 Latinos (there are currently nine), 13 Blacks (there are 14), and five who are Asian (there are currently none).

"I believe that Blacks and Latinos will have a stronger presence in the new council," 27-year Councilman Archie Spigner told The Final Call, adding that new council members must "hit the ground running, because they only have two years to get the job done, and there are many critical issues facing the city."

Because of re-districting based on the 2000 census numbers, all council members must run for re-election in 2003. The term limits law states that they may run for two consecutive four-year terms.

Some veteran Black and Latino politicians do not believe that term limits empower the community.

"Just as we are developing Latino leadership in the City Council, they pull the rug from under us," Manhattan Councilman Guillermo Linares told The Final Call. "The best process for term limits is in the hand of the voter, who can vote you out, if you are not delivering the services."

Councilman Spigner believes term limits will prove detrimental to the Black community. "It takes time to learn the nuances of the service delivery process, which is crucial to our communities," he said.

However, other activists argue that term limits is just what is needed in New York. "How long does it take for politicians to learn that the streets in the Black and Latino community are filthy and full of pot-holes?" asked Brooklyn activist Sonny Carson.

Charles Barron, a long-time Brooklyn activist who is running for a City Council seat, agrees: "Who needs people in the Council that stay forever and do nothing for the community?" he asked.

But, activist Professor James Blake, who is running for the Council in Queens where he has been a community leader for the past 30 years, believes that seniority means power. "I have mixed feelings concerning what we can achieve in delivering the services�sanitation, traffic problems, building schools�if we are handcuffed with term limits," he said.

Erica Ford, a Queens activists, running for a Council seat, said Blacks have not been able to develop young leaders because people get into office for 20 years and forget the youth.

"Our community is lacking vision and development," Ms. Ford said, adding, "bringing young people into the political process is as important as delivering services."