In
fact, at-large commissioners have much less vulnerability since they do
not represent well defined constituencies. A commissioner representing a
specific district is much more likely to be held accountable on how well
he/she represents the interests and needs of that district. At-large
commissioners generally do not face that same scrutiny.
The at-large commissioners face a great deal of scrutiny at the DFL endorsing convention, for example. And I'm sure Annie Young gets a great deal of scrutiny at the Green convention.
The candidates themselves seem to prefer running in districts than city-wide, largely IMHO because the district seats are perceived as safe seats, whereas the results for the city-wide seats are more variable. For example, in 2001 two incumbent commissioners -- Bob Fine and Rochelle Berry Graves -- attempted to move from an at-large position to a district position. Neither won DFL endorsement for the district position: Berry Graves then chose to run for re-election at-large, Bob Fine chose to run against the DFL-endorsed candidate in the district.
And IIRC Bob Fine lost running at-large in 1993, and then won running at-large (by the slimmest of margins) in 1997, which caused him to conclude that running in district 6 in 2001 would be easier and safer.
greg
--- Greg Abbott Linden Hills 13th ward
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