Dennis
Plante writes, "The question needs to be asked - should we allow
72 (delegates) individuals have our voice for the next 3
years? Another question (as long as we're talking about living inside the
ward) - how many of the (DFL) delegates actually live in the 3rd ward? "
[BRM]
Good question. Here is the answer: out of the 72 delegates who voted at the Ward
3 DFL Convention, the number who live in Ward 3 is . . . all 72. The DFL Party's
constitution says that "no one may vote on an endorsement unless he/she is a
resident of the area in which that election will occur."
I recall
that Don Jorovsky asked the same question a couple weeks ago on this list about
the Green Party's endorsement: how many members voting on that endorsement
actually live in the ward? I don't recall seeing an answer.
Another
important point: the DFL Convention consisted of representative delegates,
elected at their precinct caucuses by their neighbors--not just any DFLer who
showed up. There was thus no possibility of "packing" the meeting in order to
skew the result, and all ten precincts in the ward were represented. Out of the
92 eligible delegates, 72 delegates--better than three out of four--attended and
participated. Olin Moore won the endorsement with broad support from throughout
the ward.
Mr. Plante
also writes, "For me, it appears that it's incumbent upon the DFL
(or any other party) to do a better job in getting their delegates up to speed
BEFORE the convention. . . . after having
experienced the 'process' firsthand, I'm not so sure I'm comfortable allowing
someone else to select who it is I should vote for. Especially when I am not
convinced that the necessary due-dilligence was performed to make a good
decision for me."
[BRM] The DFL Convention heard from seven candidates,
who spoke for up to 10 minutes each, and spoke collectively for over an hour.
Some candidates had been telephoning, mailing to, and visiting delegates before
the convention: I know several delegates who had heard from multiple
candidates, and I don't know of any delegate who had not heard from at
least two candidates before the convention. The candidates answered
questions from the delegates, and the seven candidates each
answered questions on nine different topics. The endorsement took three
ballots, and the candidates kept visiting with delegates between ballots. So I
am left wondering: how much more "due diligence" and "getting the delegates up
to speed" does Mr. Plante have in mind? And what are his objections to the
"process," other than the fact that he would have preferred a different
outcome?
Olin Moore
won the endorsement because he reached out to delegates throughout the ward, and
he listened. He called or visited each delegate before the convention, he was
there shaking hands and visiting before the call to order, and he listened. He
answered each question thoughtfully and knowledgeably. Olin's experience
and familiarity with the legislative process is unmatched by any other
candidate.
BRM
Brian Melendez, Chair,
Minneapolis DFL Party
Downtown
(work)
