Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 11-18-16 Online Edition

Features
State Conference Suspends Hillsborough Branch NAACP Election
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Earlier this week, the
Florida State Conference of the
NAACP suspended the elec-
tion for the Hillsborough
County Branch presidency.
The election was slated to take
place on Thursday, November 17th.
However, in a letter signed by Ms. Yvette Gibbs- Mitchell, Secretary for the Florida State Conference, Hillsborough County Branch NAACP President Bennie Small was informed of the suspension.
The letter directed any questions to President Adora Obi Nweze, Florida State Conference:
“To President Small and Executive Committee Members:
“The Florida State Conference has received an approval from the NAACP Vice President of Field Operations, Paula Brown-Edme, to inter- vene into the biennial elections of the Hillsbor- ough County Branch. Pursuant to Article IX, 2(p), the Florida State
DR. BENNIE SMALL President, Hillsborough County Branch NAACP
Conference is therefore suspending the election process until further no- tice, and we are awaiting specific corrective action and guidance from the National Office on next steps.”
When contacted by the
Sentinel, President Ben- nie Small confirmed that the election had been suspended. He declined to make any other comments.
Small is seeking re-elec- tion as the organization’s pres- ident. Ms. Yvette Lewis, Chairman of the Political Ac- tion Committee and Tampa Attorney Carl Hayes are
also candidates for the seat. For more than a year, ru- mors have circulated that the organization was having prob- lems. For the first time in sev- eral years, the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP did not host their Annual Freedom Fund Dinner, which is their
largest fundraiser of the year. Several weeks ago, Small placed advertisement in the Sentinel that caused many members of the community to speak out against the negative attack on Ms. Lewis. Calls from the Sentinel to Florida State Conference President Adora Obi Nweze were not
returned as of press time.
ADORA OBI NWEZE President, Florida State Conference NAACP
Bishop Matthew Williams Elected To The Highest Board In The Church
Of God In Christ
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Bishop Matthew Williams,
Pastor of Tampa’s Brown Memorial Church of God in Christ, was elected to the highest board in COGIC. An Ad- junct member of the General Council, Bishop Williams was elected on Tuesday, November 15th, by the Gen- eral Board.
The Church of God in Christ held its 109th Convocation in St. Louis, Missouri November 7-15, 2016.
The General Board is the Board of
Directors of the denomination and
governs the church between meetings of the General Assembly. The General Board consists of twelve members, including the Presiding Bishop.
The 2016 General Assembly delegates elected 2 new members to the General Board, with 10 returning incumbents: Bishop Charles Ed- ward Blake, Sr., Bishop J. Drew Sheard, Bishop Jerry W. Macklin, Bishop Sedgwick Daniels, Bishop Phillip A. Brooks, Bishop Brandon B. Porter, Bishop George D. McKinney, Bishop Ted G. Thomas, Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten, and Bishop Nathaniel W. Wells.
The newly elected members are: Bishop Matthew Williams and Bishop Darrell Hines.
Bishop Robert Rudolph of Little Rock, Arkansas, served as the campaign manager for Bishop Williams. He said Bishop Williams had more preaching and speaking engagements this time, which helped with public relations. He had run for office before, but came in at #13. This time, the closest candidate to him was at least 400 votes behind. He was one of 29 candidates and will serve a 4-year term.
The Church of God in Christ is the fifth largest Protestant religious denomination in the United States with churches in 83 countries world- wide and an estimated membership of nearly 6.5 million members.
BISHOP MATTHEW WILLIAMS ...Elected to the General Board, COGIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A