Is Big City Incompetence Color Blind?

WSJ’s Riley asks if “Black Mayors in the 4 Biggest Cities” is a “Big Deal?” & makes salient point about past Dem-run cities’ failures to fight poverty & crime. Also, haven’t more folks escaped to suburbia because of those pols?

As the black columnist notes, “When Karen Bass is sworn in next month as the new mayor of LA, the nation’s 4 largest cities will be led by blacks simultaneously for the first time.” He argues, however, “Ethnic political clout may be more of a hindrance than a boon when it comes to economic success.” Of course, Ms. Bass will be joining black mayors in New York (Eric Adams), Chicago (Lori Lightfoot) and Houston (Sylvester Turner). And, as Riley points out, “A widely held view on the left is that racial and ethnic political clout is essential to a minority group’s economic advancement.” Supposedly, he suggests, when you have black mayors and a sympathetic president simultaneously “at the table” you’ll have reems of problem-solving financial aid flowing you know where.

Yet, as the columnist points out, things haven’t been so hunky dorey in New York, Chicago or Houston since Mr. Biden took office along with Dem control of BOTH the US House & Senate. But, to further the point, haven’t progressives of all colors controlled most of the nation’s 20 biggest cities for decades now, often along with control of the WH and/or Congress, but with ever higher rates of poverty & crime? And, isn’t that one reason so many blacks have run as fast as they could to surrounding suburbs is to escape what they feel is ineffective, if not incompetent, inner city government?

Davd Soul