Woodard still the first, no longer the only

The morning after Carl Brewer’s election as mayor of Wichita, our editorial called him the “first African-American to become mayor of Wichita via a citywide vote.” That prompted at least one reader to ask: What about A. Price Woodard Jr.? The key words were “via a citywide vote.” Woodard, an attorney, became the first African-American on what was then called the Wichita City Commission in 1967, then the first African-American mayor when he was chosen for that job by his fellow commissioners. He was mayor from April 14, 1970, to April 13, 1971, and died in January 1972. His name adorns a downtown park, and the Legislature honored him with resolution calling him “a man of good humor, great courage; who could tell the truth and look the world right in the eye.” In 1989, Wichita voters began electing their mayors directly.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

8 Comments

  1. Republican
    Posted April 8, 2007 at 2:33 am | Permalink

    I think Carl Brewer would acknowledge that Mr. Woodward was Wichita’s first African-American Mayor.

    Let’s not mince words over procedures on how they got to be Mayor.

  2. Kelly
    Posted April 8, 2007 at 7:46 am | Permalink

    I think A. Price Woodard would be the first – if he were still with us – to acknowledge the significance of Brewer being the first popularly elected African-American mayor. But what is most noteworthy isn’t the color of his skin, but the character and integrity of the man. By the way, Brewer won more precincts in this City than did Attorney General Morrison (Morrison lost 12 precincts but Brewer only lost 6 – two of the precincts Brewer lost were by 1 vote margins. When was the last time ANY Democrat did that? Glickman? Docking?

  3. Econ101
    Posted April 8, 2007 at 11:12 am | Permalink

    I met a guy named “A Price” once, who claimed to be the son of A. Price Woodard.He was a very nice guy. I gave him a beer and we talked on the back steps for a long time.That was back when I lived close to the WSU campus.I remembered that meeting enough to correct the poll taker that called me several months ago.In that poll, I was asked if “The historic opportunity to elect Wichita’s first African American Mayor” might motivate me to vote in the next election.I corrected that poll taker.

    By the way, Carlos Mayans was our second Cuban Mayor.

    Tony Casado was our first.

  4. Wiseman
    Posted April 8, 2007 at 3:50 pm | Permalink

    “Isn’t History wonderful?”

  5. Kev
    Posted April 8, 2007 at 8:47 pm | Permalink

    Wichita should always be proud of A Price Woodard. Wichita was one of the first major cities to have a black Mayor and, in a city that was probably 85% white at that time, even his appointment was historical. Especially since the Republicans were starting their “southern strategy” about that time trying to give white voters Negrophobia.

  6. Kev
    Posted April 8, 2007 at 8:50 pm | Permalink

    Back when I lived in Wichita- and Robert Docking was running, there were no council districts. The City Council was elected at large and almost all of them came from the far east side of town. Nice to see things have changed.

  7. Tom
    Posted April 8, 2007 at 9:42 pm | Permalink

    The radical conservative agenda is losing ground in Wichita, and it’s about time. In every citywide race, the more moderate candidate won. Getting the endorsement of Kansans for Life didn’t help Mayans at all.

    The only places where conservative radicals hung on were in district races, and they were incumbents at that.

    In Clearwater, the Mayor and both city council races were won by Democrats.

    Goddard’s new Mayor is a Democrat.

    The tide is turning, folks.

  8. Steven Davis
    Posted April 8, 2007 at 11:00 pm | Permalink

    “The tide is turning, folks.”

    Uh, yes it is.