I have to agree on the candidate forum idea. I think the point is consistently missed when we talk about the City Endorsing Convention when it comes to school board candidates.
Yes, it is great that 500 folks showed up to the Convention (I wasn't one of them). But, I am interested in 500 folks from a wide-cross section of the city that are not pre-selected by party but by concern for the children of Minneapolis. Personally, most Republicans leave a dirty taste in my mouth (watch the jokes here folks...hehehe), but I would work with a Republican that I felt had a great vision for my niece and nephew's education than a Democrat demagogue who is more interested in either preserving himself as a quasi-political institution or using the Board as a stepping stone to wider political office. Further, there are many Greens, Independents, and other progressive folks that I value and care about that are also excluded in what I believe is the most important elected body in the City. The point keeps getting lost over and over again. The Directors of the Board of Education need to be free and clear to work with whomever has the correct answers or the best solutions for our system's woes. The basic philosophy of government (big government/little government...pro-business government...pro-people government...) is not the main concern of the board of education in the way that it is with the City Council, County Board, and other elected offices. I know people get proprietary over political spheres of influence. I want to ask the rabid protectors of the endorsement process for the Board of Education whose best interest they have in mind. Are you out to protect the party or are you interested in serving the needs of the youth of Minneapolis? Are you concerned with creating real and lasting fundamental systems change or are you comfortable with maintaing the (failing) status quo? Are you interested in building a coalition of folks who are concerned about education or would you rather have a group of folks who are interested in only perpetuating themselves (side note...I am not suggesting that all folks on the Board are interested in only perpetuating themselves)? The reason, I believe, that are system of governance stagnates or changes slowly is that it is interested in protecting itself and its power rather than looking for ways to better the lives of the people. -Brandon Lacy Campos -Powderhorn Park -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Tim Bonham Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 6:13 PM To: mpls-issues Subject: Re: [Mpls] School Board Endorsement A Candidate Forum is a good idea, and our DFL endorsed candidates participate in nearly all of them that are held. But I'd be surprised to see any Candidate Forum that attracts as many people as the nearly 500 that came to the DFL endorsing convention last Saturday. In fact, last year, candidates commented that the Mayoral Candidate Forums had more candidates attending than voters (if you discounted the campaign workers that came with each candidate). I don't recall any Candidate Forum in 2001 that had as many actual voters as even one-tenth of the attendance at this DFL convention. So while Candidate Forums are nice, they don't seem to attract enough voters to matter. Tim Bonham, Ward 12, Standish Ericsson >Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 14:47:47 -0700 (PDT) >From: Pamela Taylor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Re: [Mpls] School Board Endorsement > >. . . I would like to see folks get together and put >aside their party affiliations, and develop a process, >not of endorsement, but to facilitate a candidate >forum which addresses . . . _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
