Gov. Crist: Floridas First Black Governor?

TALLAHASSEE - In a marked change from his predecessors, Florida’s Republican governor is tackling many issues important to black voters, so much so that one black Democratic legislator calls him the state’s first black governor.

Charlie Crist’s agenda stands in sharp contrast to that of the national Republican Party, which has long had a contentious relationship with the black community and its leaders — most recently, when the party’s four leading presidential candidates skipped a debate at a historically black college.

“Crist is much different than national Republicans,” said Matthew Corrigan, a University of North Florida political science professor.

Since taking office in January, Crist has:

•Worked with the Legislature to restore felons’ voting rights after they complete their sentences, bringing Florida in line with most other states. The change has a disproportionate effect on blacks, who make up nearly half of new inmates.

•Pushed through a law that requires a paper record for all ballots cast, helping allay fears that votes in black communities were being undercounted by computerized voting machines.

•Supported a bill awarding $5 million to the family of a black teenager who died after being roughed up by guards at a boot camp for juvenile offenders.

•Addressed the state’s NAACP convention, the first Republican governor to accept the group’s invitation.

“He pledged he was going to be a governor for all the people and so far, from everything I’ve seen, that’s what he’s been doing,” said state Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, who is black.

Source: SS