Fails
LIMA — With the passing earlier this week of the deadline for nominations to be received for leadership positions in the Lima unit of the NAACP, Ron Fails has been assured of serving his third term as the chapter’s president.
Fails, 66, will officially begin his third term following the official vote in mid-November of the approximately 100 Lima unit members “in good standing” with the organization. Chapter officials stressed during an informal gathering on Friday that only those persons who have been actively involved in the chapter’s work are eligible to cast ballots.
“Voters have to be a member in good standing as of May 1 of this year,” Fails said, adding that no nominations challenging his presidency were filed in a timely manner prior to the Sept. 18 deadline.
The same goes with the other 2023 slate of officers: Henry Hudson, vice president; Amber Basares, secretary; and Charlene Smith-Echos, treasurer.
“You cannot contest what you are not a part of,” Fails said. “You can’t run (for office) from the outside and then expect to lead from the inside, and no member of our unit is being opposed” in their respective bids the offices of president, vice president, secretary or treasurer.
Ray Magnus, longtime supporter of the local NAACP’s mission and efforts, said the general public — and even some members of Lima’s Black community — “don’t understand all this man (Fails) does” for the good of the organization on a day-to-day basis.
Fails did confirm his current term will likely be his last.
“I hope to complete this next term, but our goal is to identify persons who will be a good fit for doing the work of the NAACP and get them on board for training and development” to take over the reins of the local unit.
One priority of the NAACP is preserving voting rights and ensuring every American has access to participating in the election process. Toward that end leaders of the local chapter have drafted a fact sheet outlining the stances of the two major party candidates for the office of president of the United States on a wide range of issues.
Fails said the fact sheets will be distributed throughout the community, everywhere “from barbershops to bars to churches,” in an effort to communicate the need for community members to educate themselves on issues, not personalities, ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.
He said a forum will be held in the near future to discuss Project 2025, an initiative created by the conservative Heritage Foundation as a blueprint for future Republican presidents.
