Wow, the list is really buzzing with lots of provocative topics. Leaving aside my feelings about our national tragedy and Mark Knapp's Green without grassroots rationalizations, let me focus on two local political races.
First, the school board. Dennis Schapiro received some heat for his comments about the DFL "machine." Whether or not that is the right word for the longstanding DFL dominance of the school board, let's put his candidacy in context. Given his stature, knowledge and influence in local (and national) education circles, it's pretty clear to me that if Mr. Schapiro had just kept his mouth shut and gone with the flow, he could have almost certainly secured a DFL endorsement for his candidacy. Having done so, it is even more certain that he would be an overwhelming favorite to be elected to the board in November. But for reasons of principle that he has provided in previous posts to the list, Mr. Schapiro has chosen to run without the DFL's blessing. Consequently, he finished fourth in the recent primary, behind the three DFL endorsees--who, irrespective of exactly how many flyers and sample ballots were printed, received ample party support--and faces an uphill battle in the general election. Personally, I admire his decision to run as a truly independent representative, and urge list members to check out his website (I believe it's denny4schools.com) to see what he's about. His independent candidacy is even more noteworthy because Mr. Schapiro is not some fire-breathing ideologue, but a veteran, knowledgeable participant in MPS and other education-related activities who knows the importance of building partnerships and consensus to truly get things done. I think it is significant that two African-Americans with administrative experience--current school board member Bill Green and former board member Louis King--heartly endorse his candidacy. And I find it ironic that Michael Atherton has stated on this list that he will not support Mr. Schapiro because he is not willing to mix it up more often on the list--as if not kowtowing to the dictates of the DFL hegemony and the teacher's union were not signs enough of Schapiro's willingness to take principled, politically unpopular positions. It bears mention that when Mr. Atherton and I were having our own strenuous edcuation discussion on this list a few months back, Mr. Schapiro contacted me off list to remind me to pay heed to the sincerity and substance of Mr. Atherton's posts. So he doesn't enjoy pissing matches; is that really a reason to consider him unfit for office?
As for the Mayor's race, I think it will take a scandalous skeleton in R.T. Rybak's closet or some similarly seimic event to deny him victory in November. My reassurances and reservations about Mr. Rybak were inevitably contained in the City Pages story I wrote about him last month. For better or worse, he is first and foremost a salesman, which may mean we will have a Mayor who takes exciting and effective advantage of the bully pulpit to enhance our city, or it may mean, for lack of conviction or experience, that he is unable to walk his talk when the chips are down. In particular, I have my doubts whether he can make a difference in the city's affordable housing crisis--an issue he and I agree should be at the top of the list of priorities for any mayor.
On the other hand, I have no doubts about Ms. Sayles Belton's inability to deal with affordable housing. Her intense lobbying efforts to dilute affordable housing dollars and plans for those at the lowest end of the economic ladder and her hearty support for corporate welfare projects for Target and Block E neatly dramatize her fidelity to trickle down economics, with predictible results.
On the horse race aspect of the campaign, I don't see how Sayles Belton reverses the outcomes that occurred at both the DFL convention and the recent primary. Rybak has already proven he can cut deeply into her base of left-leaning DFLers on the city's south side. The north side has never been fertile territory for the Mayor. It's hard to imagine that Sayles Belton would get even half the votes of former McDonald and Stenglein supporters, which means she must turn out a tremendous amount of people who didn't vote in the primary to have a chance. Meanwhile, those itching for change smell blood and were galvanized by the primary results. Their get out the vote effort will be significant. And I would expect that Councilmember McDonald will eventually come out with a Rybak endorsement: To endorse Sayles Belton would make a mockery of nearly every position she has taken in her last council term and to withhold an endorsement would reinforce her reputation for churlish, grudge-bearing behavior, which would hinder the progress of her nonpolitical career as surely as it damaged her political fortunes in the primary.
Britt Robson
Lyndale
- [Mpls] Shared Priorities beyond ideological labels. Joe Barisonzi
- Brobson34
