>>Again, my apologies for being employed, paying taxes, etc..- I take it you want me >to quit my job and go on the dole so I can attend all these forums? <<<
Dyna, How is it that you seem to be drawing conclusions from unrelated statements. Mark said that HE couldn't speak to Don's familiarity with the issues and you stated that perhaps [Don] was avoiding all issues besides crime because he isn't familiar with them. Mark said that Olin seemed like he didn't want to be at the forum and didn't seem to be offering any new solutions for the 3rd Ward issues and you said that this is because Olin is into "theatrics" and people should look to Don and Shane for that type of thing. I said, since you couldn't be at the forums let me enlighten you and you took it to, should I quit my job? No quitting your job isn't the answer, but being informed is. There are a lot of people who have to work the "messy" jobs at odd hours, but they also take time to investigate the candidates, check out their information, talk to people etc. when they're interested in making an informed decision. If you get sold on your candidate right off, then you don't have to do that, but if you want to present a logical argument about why s/he is the best candidate or compare them to others, then it is imperative to investigate the other candidates, especially if you're going to make statements about what they do and don't know. You say Olin's the best, then stick with him, and more power to you. But, your logic behind not knowing Don or thinking he's as good was that you don't know where he stands on the issue and didn't have substantial lit and haven't seen his platform on this list. Well, I have the little 8 1/2 x 11 yellow sheet of paper from Olin he was presenting at the Convention and also have yet to see his platform either on that or on the list either. And since you said it was the Green Party's job to persuade the voters that theirs is the better candidate, shouldn't the same hold true for the DFL? Shouldn't Olin's campaign be doing the same thing that you're asking for from the Price and Samuels campaign? And while I agree that candidates should be out presenting their platform to the public, isn't also every concerned voters responsibility to find out as much as they can about each candidate so that they can make the best choice? I think everyone should support who they think is the best person for they job. But I think a part of that is really knowing the other candidates. You've asserted Olin's experience in Sabo's office as being part of what puts him above the rest, and while that is good, at the first candidate forum when questioned about how they would deal with a $50M cut from the state in funding, Olin's answer was that because of his connections and experience, he would go and lobby the state for more money for the City. So his solution to dealing with a cut from the state is to go ask them for more money? That seems a bit unrealistic if not self-important. The rest of the City Council and the Mayor would have to suck up the cut, but Olin would be able to get the job done where all of these others would fail? If he's got that much clout, why is he only running for the 3rd ward seat, and doesn't that negate the argument that he's not a political insider. I'm not Don or his campaign manager, but I like him and I'm supporting him because of a number of reasons. Don is an immigrant and his a deep understanding of the particular challenges that this presents and because of the increasing immigrant population and focus in the City, that's an important experience to have in your campaign box, I don't know anything Olin brings to compare to that. Don's been a single parent and raised a son and now he and his wife are raising their two daughters. That says to me that he has experience and understanding of family needs and issues, especially those specific to single parents. I don't know anything Olin brings to compare to that. Don has worked in both the public and private sector in significant roles, and thus brings a balanced understanding of both public and private sector concerns to the table and the different methodologies need to work with both as well as the management experience needed in the City. I know Olin's got significant public experience, but I'm not aware of any significant private experience or anything else that brings that balance. I've seen Olin's support as primarily the diehard DFL party folk, which in and of itself is worthwhile because those are generally people who care enough to get involved, but I see Don's support of his neighbors and community members as well as diehard political people. The majority of the people in the ward are not diehards or party hacks, so for me that says a lot that Don's been able to mobilize people who aren't normally in this. It says that he's gone beyond the diehard few that always support a candidate and brought in the average person, the man on the street, the woman in the community, the people who make up the vast majority of ward. That says something to me. Everyone should support who they think is the best candidate, but we should all also take a look at the other candidates really, before saying what they are and are not doing. Ask the tough questions, but be consistent in our ethics, don't demand something of another candidate that we would no demand of our own. There's a lot of good people running, and each one of them brings something different to the table. Not necessarily better or worse, but possibly a better fit for the ward than the others. That's what the voters get to decide, and anyone advocating for a candidate should, in my opinion, be spending more time talking about what their candidate brings than what the others don't. Otherwise you are simply settling for the lesser of all evils, and that is the last thing that the 3rd ward or any district needs. Jonathan Palmer Victory �y�j�%��,���� ��'�r� t(����ˬ�*'2qzj ��2>�-��,j�����[h��l�w�騮�n�+����˛���m���-jwf�������^��+į��[
