There's a new sheriff in town in Gadsden County, Fla.
Morris Young, a school resource officer, narrowly defeated 30-year veteran law enforcement officer Ed Spooner to become that county’s first black sheriff in a race where some white supporters of the black candidate were allegedly harassed and a recount was required because of the closeness of the votes.
When votes were counted on Election Day Young, 39, had only a 68-vote margin. When the recount was completed Friday his victory margin grew to 115 votes.
The county’s election supervisor certified the final vote count and named Young the winner, County Commissioner Ed Dixon told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
“This young man was able to reach across the color line. We are growing up,” Dixon said.
“In the past we knew we had people in office who did not serve the whole community. Morris Young is very wise and very strong.”
Young could begin serving as sheriff as early as Nov. 16. That’s the official resignation date of Sheriff W.A. Woodham, who quit to run for another office in the county. Now, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush must decide whether to appoint Young to begin serving before the official Jan. 1 starting date.
"We're asking the governor to go ahead and appoint Mr. Young," Dixon said. Dixon said Young, who has worked in law enforcement about 16 years, can begin working to unify the county if appointed to fill the unexpired term of the previous sheriff.
Young had a diverse group working in his campaign, said Dixon. Even when racial comments were made, or when threats were made, Young didn't let them faze him, he said.
“He is a professional,” Dixon said of the newly-elected sheriff. “He only said, ‘we’re not going to be like them.’”
The Gadsden County Commission also saw some changes in Tuesday's election with two additional blacks winning seats on the five-member board. Until now, two of the five commissioners were black. Now there will be four black commissioners in Gadsden County.
"We have a 67-percent black population, but we haven't always been free," said Dixon. “I tell people that living in north Florida is like living in South Alabama or South Georgia. Don’t let the sunshine fool you.”
Young first ran for the office in 2000 when he was a sergeant in the investigative division. After he lost to the incumbent Woodham, he was demoted.
“I challenged the establishment. I guess I wasn't supposed to do that,” said Young. “Some had the idea that this was supposed to be a white person's job.”
Still Young kept his eye on the sheriff’s job.
"It was a hard-fought battle," said Young, who said he wanted to see diversity in the sheriff’s department.
Of the nine administrators in the sheriff department, only one is black. Only eight of the 35 deputies are black, Young said.
Now that he is elected, Young said he wants to bridge the gap between the races in Gadsden County.
“I want to let whites know that we are all living here together and should be able to get along,” Young said.
Two incidents were reported where white supporters of Young were harassed, said Damian Filer of Protect the Vote.
That organization, made up of representatives from People for the American Way Foundation, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, the Legal Defense Fund, Advancement Project and many others. After hearing word of voter intimidation, organization representatives went to Gadsden County to help ensure that the recount process was fair and accurate, Filer said.
One man, said Filer, awoke in the morning to find his vehicle vandalized with the words "nigger lover" spray painted on the side. Another reported to the Police Department that he was harassed by employees of the Sheriff’s Department in a supermarket parking lot last month.
"We had concerns because Gadsden County has a high percentage of African-American voters and in the 2000 election, that county had the highest percentage of votes that were not counted," Filer said. "One out of eight votes in the 2000 general election was not counted in Gadsden County," Filer said.
"Prejudice is not solved in an election," said Reggie Mitchell of People for the American Way Foundation. "But I hope this is a step in the right direction. People can move forward when they understand that an election is fair and the count is accurate, even if they don’t like the outcome.”
"This was a smooth election," Mitchell said. "Young ran as a non-partisan candidate. He had both Bush and Kerry supporters working for his election.”
