I was personally very impressed and gratified by the recent elections. The
last time that I was actually motivated to hit the pavement for an electoral
candidate was Paul Wellstone in 1990. On Monday night, I had a difficult
time deciding among several city council candidates and a mayoral candidates
to drop literature for (i decided on Cam Gordon).
The key factor in getting more variety and more responsive candidates are
the current incumbents losing touch and the new competition from the Green
Party which has produced new candidates and provided a new base for many
non-Green candidates to appeal to.
After following the local races very closely for the past 10 months, I have
been extremely impressed with the dedicaton and sincerity of many candidates
and their volunteers who spent so much time addressing community issues,
regardless of how much I agreed with them. I can think of many who deserve
recognition.
6th Ward -
Shada Hammond had a real good grassroots campaign and showed herself to be
the product of community activism. If I had not committed to supporting
Dean Z before I heard of Shada, it would have been a tough decision whom to
support.
John Palmer showed real impressive knowledge and thoughtfulness about
issues. After serving on the Stevens Sqaure Community Organization board a
few years ago and not getting along with him at all, I was really pleasantly
surprised by his increased open-mindedness and willingness to listen, and
overall personal growth.
Barb Lickness displayed experience and involvement in community activities
that made her an unquestionably qualified candidate. She seemed informed
and to have analyzed just about every issue.
Dean Z has an unbelievable emotional commitment to social justice issues and
connection to the community that will enable him to win the election
3rd Ward
Valdis Rozentals really showed sincerity, thoughtfulness and stood out most
for his honesty. One of the highlights of the local campaigns was when in
response to a Green Party screening question about whether he disagreed with
any parts of the party platform, he stated that he supported the death
penalty and had a problem with the Green's goal of reducing incarceration
rates. I did not think there would be politicians so honest that they would
take a position automatically ruining their chances for an endorsement they
were seeking. Valdis' honesty almost competed with the abhorrence of his
position.
Brian Monroe was real funny even though . . . I better leave this one alone.
Shane Price has a great talent for motivating and getting at the deep
meaning of getting involved. Hopefully the other candidates can united an
help deliver a grassroots victory.
5th Ward - Natalie Johnson Lee is showing great courage in challenging the
most powerful and true machine politician that so many people fear. Here's
for a David over Goliath vicotry.
2nd Ward - I have been caught up in Cam's campaign so I am obviously biased.
I did not imagine spending so much political activism time for such a nice
guy. It can grow on even an argumentative person.
Paul Zerby should be admired for coming out of retirement with his
prestigious credentials and taking a chance on an unfamiliar career. (This
will be my last compliments for Paul for the next two months).
Other wards - many of the candidates in the other wards also deserve all
sorts of appreciation for their efforts. I am sure others who followed them
more closely can provide specifics.
Mayor's race -
I think that Lisa McDonald deserved better. I supported RT because he is
more politically progressive. Lisa should have still gotten more credit for
her intimate grasp of the issues both in terms of nuts and bolts
understanding and creativity. It is possible that much of her tenacity
might have been construed more negatively because of gender stereotypes.
Tim Conolly really had a lot of good ideas and analysis mixed up in his
wordy and often negative posts. I tuned into his interview on MPR just
after it started and they announced his name. I thought to myself, "who is
that intelligent, informed and thoughful person." He really articulated the
"catastrophe" of affordable housing and ideas for metro-wide solutions. I
could not believe at the end when I heard that it was Tim.
RT seems to have great talent for listening to people and processing their
concerns. This is mixed with an obviously high level of intellect.
Hopefully, he will live up to expectations after he becomes Mayor.
On the whole, my watching of so many dedicating people spend so much free
time and effort hashing out often non-glamorous issues but important
problems, has made me less cynical about politics.
Jordan Kushner
Powderhorn, Ward 8
_______________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - Mn E-Democracy
Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more:
http://e-democracy.org/mpls
