Re “Coliseum review panel stalled after attempt to add VUU president,” Free Press Sept. 12-14 edition:

It was reported by the Free Press that City Council members Michael J. Jones and Ellen F. Robertson joined the rest of City Council to install two white men to head the commission reviewing the proposal to replace the Richmond Coliseum.

Does the City Council not believe that a black person is qualified to be chair or vice chair of this advisory commission? I refuse to believe there are no black people available to serve in this leadership capacity.

If council members actually feel this way, maybe they should not be sitting on City Council chairing any committees or serving in any leadership roles.

I am appalled that this was allowed to go through City Council with no regard for diversity in leadership roles on this commission.

I see also Dr. Jones and Ms. Robertson lobbied for Dr. Hakim J. Lucas, the president of Virginia Union University, to be on the commission even though he supports the Coliseum project.

I thought the purpose of the commission was to get professionals to review all of the materials related to this proposal and then make an informed recommendation. It is a waste of time to put biased people on the commission.

I would hate to think this is being done to get the desired results that one may be looking for.

I cannot and will not sit quietly by while things are being done unjustly and incorrectly. Things must be done for the greater good. The review panel needs non-biased members who will evaluate the proposal objectively without a pre-determined opinion or outcome.

This needs to be done expeditiously in order to make wrongs right.

ERNEST PARKER JR. Richmond