Contractors Urged to Stop Connerly Plan
Contractors Urged to Stop Connerly PlanMiami Herald
South Florida's general contractors were urged Friday to openly repudiate Ward Connerly's attempts to ban affirmative action in Florida.
Connerly -- the Californian who successfully put such a measure, known as Proposition 209, on that state's ballot and won -- is gathering signatures in Florida to put it on the November 2000 ballot here. His organization is being financed by members of the Florida Associated General Contractors Council.
Connerly also helped pass a similar measure in the state of Washington.
``I challenge local members of the Associated General Contractors to step out and repudiate Ward Connerly,'' said Veronica Anderson, speaking for a group called Floridians Representing Equity and Equality, or FREE. Anderson is also executive director of the minority business office in the Florida Department of Labor.
She spoke at a news conference Friday during the Florida Regional Minority Purchasing Council's annual trade fair at the Broward Convention Center. Her group was started by the NAACP and the Florida Association of Minority Business Enterprise Officials, and is picking up support from other human rights groups, such as the Urban League and the National Association of Women Business Owners.
She was joined by FRMPC President Windell Paige, and Chairman L.D. Gainey. The FRMPC, which serves Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties, is the area's top nonprofit group fostering financial relationships between corporate members and affiliate minority businesses.
``Some contractors have brought in outsiders to attack our affirmative action programs,'' Anderson said. She said the local contractors group in the Orange County area have already voted against the Connerly effort.
``Either this chapter [of contractors] will reject it, or they will no longer be members of the FRMPC,'' Gainey said.
Gainey and Anderson said they have received a letter from Gov. Jeb Bush assuring that he does not support Connerly's actions and criticizing such moves as ``divisive.'' Florida's top legislative Republican leaders also have refused to support Connerly.
John C. Siegle, executive vice president of the Construction Association of South Florida, based in Fort Lauderdale, said Friday his group has discussed the ballot initiative but has not taken a stand. If it gets on the ballot, Siegle said the group probably will have to take a position.
Some members of his association are members of FRMPC, but the association itself is not.
Siegle said a faction of the association supports the initiative. But the association represents a diverse segment of the construction industry, including union and non-union, minorities and non-minorities.
Representatives of another major builders group, the Latin Builders Association in Miami, were not available for comment Friday.
Connerly needs 440,000 signatures to put the issue on the ballot. If passed, it would amend Florida's Constitution to ban preference programs based on race, gender and ethnic backgrounds in local and state government hiring and contracting, as well as university admissions. Private employers could still practice affirmative action if they wanted.
The keynote lunch speaker at the trade fair also took a punch at Connerly's efforts. Mary Hooks, former West Palm Beach city commissioner and now Florida's Secretary of Labor, warned the audience of ``critics of affirmative action.''
She said corporations and others must realize ``the positive impact that diversity has on the bottom line.'' She stressed the importance of partnering through alliances.
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Carl
Gutiérrez-Jones
Department of English
University of California, Santa Barbara
e-mail: carlgj@humanitas.ucsb.edu