Let me suggest another possibility: the convention wasn't scheduled on Sunday evening because, until now--after the meeting has been scheduled and the notice has been mailed out, and after several broadly based conversations within the Party organization about the best time for holding the convention--not a single person has ever suggested Sunday evening.
I was not involved in those conversations.
Has it occurred to you that I couldn't make your weeknight special meeting because I have to work weeknights? Another example of how out of touch the party leadership has become...The Ward 3 convention was scheduled by the City Central Committee, at a well-attended meeting earlier this week in which most members who live in Ward 3, including several from the North side, participated. Not a single member suggested holding the convention on Sunday evening. (Dyna is a member of the Central Committee, and knew about but did not attend the meeting. Dyna did offer input before the meeting about the special election, but on a matter unrealted to scheduling the endorsing convention.)
I e-mailed you to confirm that I had received the notice of the special meeting. I thusly did not receive a phone call. Had I known you were polling members as to when the wished to have the 3rd ward meeting I would have made my needs known.The vacancy from which the upcoming special election results occurred last Friday, the 22nd. The filing deadline set by the City Council on Friday morning is Tuesday 10 December. On Friday afternoon, I posted a message to the DFL Party's internal electronic lists for Congressional District 5 and the Minneapolis organization, which reach about 200 members--including Dyna Sluyter--calling a Central Committee meeting this week and explaining that the Central Committee "can call a special endorsing convention as early as Friday 6 December (assuming that we can mail out the notice as soon as the meeting adjourns). I am guessing that the convention would occur on Saturday 7 December in the morning, or Monday 9 November in the evening; I have contacted the Ward 3 Coordinators . . . and we will have a recommendation ready for the Central Committee meeting." On Friday and Saturday, four other senate-district chairs and I telephoned the more than 80 members of the Central Committee, letting them know about this week's meeting. I spoke directly with more than two dozen members--about half of whom live in Ward 3, and several of whom asked or offered input about scheduling the convention. A few members did favor Saturday morning over Monday evening, but the overwhelming majority preferred Monday evening. Not a single one even mentioned holding the convention on Sunday evening.
This paragraph says a lot about the vision, or lack of same, of the folks running the DFL today. Any working class person knows that this is the holiday season and practically every UPS driver, retail worker, and postal worker will be working late on the weeknights until christmas.The proposed date was circulated in advance of the meeting to more than a hundred volunteers within the Party, including several from the North side. Not a single one suggested holding the convention on Sunday evening. The proposed date was also discussed with several prospective candidates for the City Council, including at least one candidate from the North side, none of whom expressed any reservation about holding the convention on Monday evening, and none of whom even mentioned holding the convention on Sunday evening.
Again, had I known you were seeking my input as to the meeting time I would have raised these issues. How many delegates attended this meeting?I reserved space for a convention both on Saturday morning and on Monday evening, and presented both options to the Central Committee. (I could easily have found space on Sunday evening as well, and would have done so if Dyna or anyone else had simply suggested it before the fact.) The Central Committee also discussed, but quickly ruled out, Friday evening. There was more discussion about Saturday morning as opposed to Monday evening, centering on--in Dyna's words--finding the time when "the maximum number of delegates could attend." The meeting--almost all of whose members are "working stiffs," and several of whose members live on the North side--reached a consensus that delegates were likelier to attend a convention during the holiday season on a weekday evening than on a weekend, when many families have planned holiday-related activities together. Not a single member even mentioned holding the convention on Sunday evening. The vote in favor of Monday evening was unanimous.
What is unfair is the way you brush aside the needs of working class citizens who still support the DFL. I note that a lot of the folks who run the DFL work in the administrative levels of government and non profits. Typically they're out of the office by 5 or 6 pm at the latest, and rarely work weekends.Given the facts, Dyna's suggestion that "someone doesn't want all the delegates to attend" seems unfounded and unfair. If there is a conspiracy afoot, it is a mighty subtle one.
Working class folks do not enjoy such luxuries. Do you realize there are more folks working in the Minneapolis main Post Office at night than during the daytime? In my department you need about 20 years seniority to get daytime hours, and I have 6. But even UPS, the Postal Service, and many retailers run skeleton crews or are closed on Sunday evening. I suspect sunday evening may thusly be the best time for local DFL meetings.
Another possible way to enable more DFLers to participate in the process is to allow absentee balloting by IRV (Instant Runoff Voting). Most of the delegates will have made up their mind on who they will support by the time the meeting is gaveled to order. Using IRV the delegates who couldn't attend could simply mark their absentee ballots with their choices in ranked order. Their votes would be tallied along with those in attendance to ultimately endorse a candidate or vote of no endorsement.
IRV, absentee balloting, and holding meetings at times and places accessible to most folks would help bring the masses back to the DFL party. But perhaps some folks within the party prefer otherwise?
peace,I hope that everyone enjoys a happy Thanksgiving!
Dyna Sluyter in Hawthorne
p.s.: I note that the Greens will be doing their endorsement at a much more accessible time late sunday afternoon. They also have the only announced candidate from the Northside.
BRM Brian Melendez, Chair, Minneapolis DFL Party Downtown (work)
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