Bravo Mr. Brauer et al. I think this forum is a hoot!! I enjoy it for a
number of reasons. One being that once I've read enough to get my dander up,
I can spout off too, which when done politely, is a good thing. It makes me
feel a part, however small, of the discussions taking place.
Secondly, I learn something from each and every post I read. I learn that
everyone is different and has a unique and different path they've traveled,
and a valid reason for expressing the things they do. Thirdly, it makes me
humble. It's as if, for a moment, I've walked in someone else's shoes for a
bit, and much to my chagrin, I'm NOT always right!!
JBurns
Cleveland
>From: "List Manager" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "Mpls list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: [Mpls] Candidate participation
>Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 12:01:44 -0600
>
>Some on- and off-list emails have questioned how active candidates can be
>on
>Minneapolis-issues. The complaints range from some candidates as too
>"self-promoting," to candidate back-and-forth overwhelming the list. I want
>to clarify our philosophy of participation.
>
>I created the list to increase discussion of city civic affairs. My hope
>was
>that different segments of the Minneapolis polity -- elected officials,
>staff, media, and citizens - would talk to, and inform, each other. My
>fondest hope was that all groups would show up, producing ideas and
>insights
>greater than we do within our sometimes-cliquish camps.
>
>My biggest fear? That Minneapolis-Issues would be little more than a
>complaint bulletin board chattering to the wind, ignored by the people with
>power to legislate change.
>
>To my great surprise and satisfaction, that has definitely not happened.
>All
>of us "civilians" have done our part, but so have elected officials such as
>Lisa McDonald, Linda Higgins, Audrey Johnson, Catherine Shreves, Paul
>Ostrow, Joe Biernat, Lisa Goodman, Barret Lane, Phyllis Kahn, Jim Niland,
>etc. (I also want to single our Carol Becker, who often takes the brickbats
>explaining how City Hall policies were made and justified.) Whatever you
>think of their politics, they have shown class and guts being here,
>accepting not-infrequent criticism, too-infrequent praise. Whatever else
>you
>think about them, they honor their commitment to public service by actually
>engaging the public. As we all know, not every city politician or candidate
>chooses to do so.
>
>What does this have to do with the election? Candidate/members such as RT,
>Barb Lickness, Ann Berget, Cam Gordon, and others could be the future
>leaders of our city. We should praise them (if not necessarily their ideas)
>for mucking around with the list. Isn't this what we want candidates to do?
>Be available, openly communicate their issues/priorities for the city, and
>respond to our feedback?
>
>Frankly, I'm scratching my head about complaints that candidates should be
>prohibited from "self-promoting" here. What else is a campaign? If a
>candidate chooses to "self-promote" by discussing ideas on this list, well,
>I can't think of a more honorable form of "advertising."
>
>Let's remember - to float an argument on Minneapolis-issues is to expose
>one's self to some pretty sharp critics. To use RT as the highest-profile:
>a
>mayoral candidate has floated his ideas of campaign finance reform and
>airport noise here. Neither was met with universal praise, or hero-worship.
>I thought both proposals generated some great counterpoints. I learned from
>both discussions. If RT wanted to "spin" the populace, he can find easier
>places than here.
>
>One thing that pains me greatly is the suggestion this is an "RT list" or
>an
>"anti-incumbent" list. When Steve Clift and I set up Minneapolis-issues, we
>took great pains to invite every city elected official, every party, every
>camp. We have reiterated those invitations over time, and projects like the
>Candidate Directory are an attempt to connect elected officials to the
>list.
>Minneapolis-issues is truly non-partisan and non-ideological. I judge
>success by two factors: the debate's quality (substance), and whether more
>than one side is represented. A one-sided debate is as valuable as one side
>clapping.
>
>Fundamentally, the list is who shows up. To anyone who feels their "side"
>is
>outnumbered...do what you do in a campaign: recruit more like-minded folks
>here. You have the power to make the list whatever you want. And I will be
>grateful if you make more debates multi-faceted.
>
>Some of you are sincerely worried that the list will become dominated by
>candidate attacks in the coming months. Two thoughts about that:
>
>1. I'm not worried about candidates dominating. They are vastly outnumbered
>by non-candidate list members. Last month, more than 100 of our 450 members
>posted. A reluctance to dive in or introduce topics is not a weakness of
>our
>membership. Have faith this won't be a problem.
>2. Candidate "attacks" are just fine - criticizing someone's record, or
>lack
>thereof, is fair game. BUT...candidates MUST abide by the same rules as
>everyone else. That means they must stick to the issues and record, and not
>be gratuitously personal. If they don't, no matter how valued their
>participation, they will be warned. Have faith in my ability to police this
>(and feel free to email me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you feel I've missed
>something).
>
>Personally, I hope we have a vigorous, frequent, yet respectful discussion
>of races and candidates on the list. This is our one change every four
>years, so let's not blow it. And candidate participation is ESSENTIAL.
>
>Finally: it's not against the list rules to question someone's
>participation, but I believe it goes against the basic karma of the list.
>We
>shouldn't criticize the presence of those who are here...we should question
>those who are not.
>
>End of lecture. Thanks for reading and being here.
>
>David Brauer
>List manager, Minneapolis issues
>
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