[Posted Nov. 9, 2007]
Albert Appointment To
Norfolk Agency Causes
Political Firestorm
Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter
New Journal & Guide
Over the past eight years, Alphonso Albert has been running a program in Norfolk called Second Chances which provides ex-convicts job training, access to drug treatment, and skills which help them start a new direction in life and avoid going back to jail.
During that period, hundreds of men have walked through the office door which houses the program and received help from Albert, a convicted felon himself.
Alphonso Albert (forefront) gets encouraging nod of approval from his brethren in the 200 Plus Men of Hampton Roads.
Mr. Albert was recently given a new job as Director of the Office of Public and Criminal Justice (OPCJ) which would coordinate law enforcement efforts with a number of city departments and agencies, including Second Chances.
But that appointment created such controversy and division among political leaders and civic activists that on late Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 6), it was announced the City Manager would abolish the position.
On one side supporting Albert had been Norfolk’s City Manager who appointed him and the city council which approved his appointment. At least one councilman, Randy Wright, was on public record opposing the appointment.
Also, Norfolk Sheriff Robert McCabe, and the head of the Norfolk Police Union had expressed concern or disagreement with the appointment, citing Albert’s past.
Albert was sent to prison in the 1970s for manslaughter and running drugs in the 1980s. He was arrested and accused of killing a rival in the 1990s, but was later acquitted. Over the past eight years, he has earned a stellar reputation as director of the Second Chances program.
According to Councilman Paul Riddick, the Council has resolved the issue by eliminating the job altogether. Riddick, who supported Albert's appointment, said during Tuesday November 6's City Council meeting that his colleagues discussed the issue by phone and voted in private chambers to abolish the post. Other members declined to comment on Riddick's statement. Council could make an official announcement of its decision in its November 20th meeting, if not before.
"A decision has been made, and I believe the council has overstepped its bounds," Riddick declared to some 300 persons who showed up for the council meeting.
Since the program he runs began, Mr. Albert has received accolades and kudos from politicians and police officers alike who say that his efforts have been effective.
During the controversy, Albert has been receiving significant support for the appointment from the African American community.
At 1 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 6), supporters converged on the old downtown plaza parking lot to stage a rally in support of not only Albert, but the city official who hired him, Regina V. K. Williams.
On Sunday November 4, at the convocation of the 200 Plus Men of Hampton Roads, Albert was among a list of individuals who were honored for their contributions to the community at St. Mark's Missionary Baptist Church in Portsmouth. The program highlighted, organizers say, the need to “forgive those who have done wrong in the past and are contributing to the betterment of a community now.”
Called the “Office of Public and Criminal Justice,” the position calls for the director to coordinate the efforts by the Norfolk Police, Sheriff’s Department public works, and code enforcement to develop strategies to fight crime. The job pays $98,000 and the director would report directly to City Manager Williams, who recommended and hired him .
The controversy over Mr. Albert and the criticism of Williams by city officials, civic leaders and citizens, has, as other past situations, revealed some very strong fissures along racial lines in the community.
The New Journal and Guide has received a number of e-mails and calls in support of Albert and denunciations of efforts that would humiliate him because of his past.
Although many of them would not address the issue for the record for this article, supporters of Albert’s appointment say this flap is an orchestrated effort to damage the reputation of City Manager Regina Williams, as well.
“Surely, if certain facts about Mr. Albert’s past were known fully there would have been a rethinking of the decision,” said one long time Black political figure who did not want his name used for this article.
"But if you look at the complaints about the inability of the Attucks (Norfolk's historical theater) to meet its supposed fiscal promise, the controversy over the Old Huntersville Development Corporation, and now Mr. Albert, a lot of people are questioning the timing and the intent. These are efforts to tarnish the reputation of Mrs. Williams, and a lot of people are believing it is an effort to speed her exodus from that job. I hope not.”
Councilwoman Daun Hester says media reports have given the impression that the decision to hire Albert for the new post was made by Mrs. Williams alone. But the idea had the backing and knowledge of the city council.
Earlier this year a young man was beaten to death by a group of teens in the Ocean View area. Councilman Wright asked that the city provide more resources, including cameras posted to capture illegal activity.
“So she decided to spread the resources around to help all of the communities, including Ward’s Corner,” Hester said.
"She believed that an agency to help spread the resources around was necessary, and Mr. Albert’s name came up as one of the top people for the job. She is only doing what we requested.”
Mayor Paul Fraim said publicly that Mrs. Williams discussed the option of hiring Albert and lobbied other council members to sign off on the proposal, including him. He says he has great admiration for Mr. Albert.
In a letter, dated November 2 to the Editorial Board of the local daily newspaper, the City Manager outlined the city’s goals, the organizational structure and some of the duties of the “Office of Public and Criminal Justice” (OPCJ).
Contrary to media reports, the new agency would not oversee any city department, especially law enforcement, dictate any policy or personnel decisions nor have access to sensitive information and intelligence. Directors of these agencies would report to the city manager, as usual.
Mrs. Williams said when she interviewed Mr. Albert for the job “he was straightforward and up front in stating that ‘I want you to know about the old Alphonso Albert and he told me of his manslaughter and other convictions He is not proud of his past and is using it to help others to be better.”
Councilwoman Hester said it is evident the effort to taint the reputation of the city manager is unsettling. She said Mrs. Williams has no plans to resign despite criticism of some decisions she had made in recent years.
“She is not happy with the way the media or the critics have portrayed her in this situation,” Councilwoman Hester said.
"But no one is going to drive her out of this job because I think she has the support not only of council, but many people in the community who believe she has done a fine job.”
One group that opposes Mr. Albert's appointment and the City Manager's decision is the Norfolk Tea Party which fought elevation of property taxes in the city. Spokesperson Eloise LeBeau says the group is working on lobbying council members and they may try to derail the Albert hiring.
Mrs. LeBeau said there is a growing displeasure with the city manager and a drive to force her resignation may be brewing.
"We are tired of the city of Norfolk making decisions like this and then telling us later,” said Mrs. Lebeau, President of the Estabrook Civic League.
"I think this is the straw that broke the camel’s back. It is time for her to go, we think.”
Although Councilman Randy Wright has voiced concern about the hiring of Albert, Mrs. LeBeau says that growing pressure on council may be weakening the support for Albert among other members, too.
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