Young poets mentoring program in the works SEE PAGE 2
EE FR
JULIANNE MALVEAUX: WHAT DOES ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’ REALLY MEAN? SEE PAGE 4
ACCOLADES FOR HOPE HOUSE RESIDENT SEE PAGE 3
East Central Florida’s Black Voice AUGUST 25 - AUGUST 31, 2016
YEAR 41 NO. 34
www.daytonatimes.com
Huger sues city, alleges discrimination BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES
When Thomas Huger applied for a job as the City of Daytona Beach’s deputy Public Works director last year, he was armed with a master of business administration graduate degree, numerous certifications and excellent performance evaluations and reviews. The current facilities construction and maintenance manager, who has a 10-year work history
with the city, was turned down for the job. At the time, Huger, a former U.S. Marine, was 63. The position went to David Waller, a 39-yearold White male a lawsuit states was less qualified, had less work experiThomas ence than Huger, Huger and has less education. Waller has a bachelor’s degree
and worked for the city of Oviedo as an operations manager before being hired by the city of Daytona Beach.
Suit cites pattern After he was turned down for the job last year, Huger filed a claim against the city with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) citing racial and age bias. This month, Huger filed a lawsuit against the city in Volusia County Circuit Court.
According to the lawsuit, the city has “actual and constructive knowledge of discrimination within its ranks and workforce that has been permitted to ensue’’ and “has engaged in a pattern of discrimination with its hiring practices.’’ The lawsuit further states the city has retaliated against Huger “by isolating him, giving him a poor evaluation, subjecting him to ridicule publicly, humiliating him, harassing him, undermining his supervisory author-
ity rightfully entitled to him by his job title and position and attempting to create a work overload for performance evaluation.’’ He is demanding a jury trial.
Diversity report After EEOC complaints were filed against the city and question were raised by Daytona Beach-Volusia County branch of the NAACP about Daytona Beach’s hiring and promotions See HUGER, Page 2
Early voting ‘going good’ in Volusia BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES
Thousands in Volusia County decided to take advantage of early voting for the Aug. 30 primary. The Volusia County Supervisor of Elections website shows that 6,022 registered voters had participated in early voting as of Daytona Times’ Wednesday presstime, including 1,364 at City Island Library in Daytona Beach. That’s an increase from the first four days of early voting during the 2014 election that saw 3,795.
Supervisor pleased “It’s going good. I think that turnout is great. I am excited that people are voting. I believe with four countywide races that being for judge, a county council seat, two school board seats, judicial races and municipal races on the ballot, it brings a lot of attention to the primary this year,” said Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis. Early voting sites were filled with scenes of candidates from all races along with their supporters campaigning. There also were signs and banners along with brief debates between rival candidates and their supporters. No major problems or complaints were reported.
Varied opinions Voters said they took to the polls for various reasons. “I think it’s important to vote especially for youngsters and Black people if you want to make an impact or difference in your community. I thought that early voting was great. There were some passionate supporters for their candidates and causes outside of the building though,” commented Phebe Fuqua. Iraq War veteran Steve
DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Men from Allen Chapel AME Church and students from Bethune-Cookman University were among the men encouraging students at Turie T. Elementary School on Monday.
Rooting for academic success Students get handshakes and encouragement from local men during Million Father March BY DAYTONA STAFF
W
hen Turie T. Elementary School students and their parents stepped on campus Monday morning, they received warm greetings from a group of male leaders from Bethune-Cookman University and the community. The event was a continuation of the Million Father March, a national program that provides an opportunity for men to
show their commitment to the educational success and social development of their children on the first day of school and throughout the school year. The local youngsters were greeted with signs like “Welcome Back to School, “Science is Out of This World’’ and “Men Standing for Children.’’
Westside first On Aug. 14, the first day of school, BCU President Dr. Edison Jackson, Volusia County Public School Superintendent Tom Russell, fathers of students and men in other organizations led hundreds of students onto Daytona Beach’s Westside Elementary School. The men also greeted students with in-
spirational signs and encouraged them to have a great first day and remaining academic school year. B-CU and other local leaders have been participating in the program at local schools for several years. B-CU Student Government Association President Jacari Harris participated in the march. “The Million Father March was an impeccable platform to embrace the youth of today to prepare them for the world on tomorrow, B-CU Student Government Association President Jacari Harris said in a statement. “This initiative that our esteemed President Dr. Edison O. Jackson has indulged within us to execute; children will have betSee SUCCESS, Page 2
See VOTING, Page 2
Local officials not too worried about Zika’s impact on tourism BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES
The Florida Department of Health confirmed 15 new travelrelated cases of the Zika virus on Wednesday, which included one in Volusia County. The report included three each in Pinellas, Orange and Seminole counties, two in Broward and one each in Broward, Manatee and Pasco. Local officials are being cautious but don’t seem to be overly concerned about the impact on tourism.
ALSO INSIDE
Daytona Beach Visitors Bureau Communications Director Kate Holcomb stated in an email to the Daytona Times, “Currently there is just that one case in our area. The health and safety of all our visitors is very important to us. We want our industry partners and visitors to be informed. We hope that everyone will access the most accurate and up-to-date sources of information available.”
Skeptical worker On the other hand, those who
work outside like construction worker John Ross, are skeptical. “I’m not really concerned about it. I just hope that they are doing things to keep it from spreading. I hope that they come up with a vaccine,” said Ross. “You know it’s strange that this disease came from nowhere. Just like swine flu. You heard of it, and then it went away. I think some of these diseases aren’t natural and possibly manmade.” Zika is a fever-like illness caused by a mosquito-borne virus. It’s similar to what causes
dengue and West Nile virus infections. The disease can cause birth defects in children of pregnant women and Guillan-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which is a disease that causes nervous system damage and leads to paralysis. There is no current Zika vaccine but free testing is being made available.
Some concern Local elected officials weighed in. “I know it’s a big issue from
a health perspective. With the peak of our tourism season just about over, it’s not too much of a worry for tourism. I don’t know if it will affect us this year,” commented Volusia County Councilman Joshua Wagner. Daytona Beach Zone 5 Commissioner Patrick Henry stated, “Officially the city hasn’t addressed it. There is a concern. It has spread to other states like Texas and it has affected people in South Florida. It could spread up this way. I believe it is some-
SPORTS: REGISTRATION DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR SENIOR GAMES IN FLAGLER | PAGE 7 BUSINESS: WHEREU APP HELPS USERS CONNECT WITH BLACK-OWNED COMPANIES | PAGE 8
See ZIKA, Page 2