Rybak, Stenglein to endorse Samuels in Third Ward race Rochelle Olson Star Tribune � Published Jan. 25, 2003 � Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will endorse DFLer Don Samuels today in the City Council's special election, passing over DFL endorsee Olin Moore. The endorsement was an unexpected coup for Samuels as he seeks to upset Moore in the Feb. 3 election to succeed Third Ward Council Member Joe Biernat. In a written statement Friday, Rybak said Samuels represents a new voice from the community who is stepping forward and challenging others to be better citizens. "Don didn't wait for others to change things. He saw a problem, got out and did the work that needed to be done," Rybak said, adding that Samuels is courageous, something politics needs right now. Rybak and others are to formally endorse Samuels at a news conference this morning. Moore, who has worked for 10 years in the Minnesota office of U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo, has been endorsed by several labor unions besides the DFL Party. Samuels first received attention last summer when Rybak brought him to City Hall as a community voice of calm following violence on the North Side. Samuels lives in the Jordan neighborhood and is active there. He wasn't interested in running for office until neighbors prevailed upon him to run after Biernat's resignation following a conviction on corruption-related felonies. Word of Rybak's endorsement came as a surprise to Moore and to the council's DFL Majority Leader Scott Benson, who is working on Moore's behalf. "The mayor's a big boy, and he can make his decisions as he sees fit," Moore said. "This is politics, and people pick sides, and that's fine." He declined to express disappointment in Rybak, saying that he's focused on seeking the support of voters in the Third Ward, which covers parts of north and northeast Minneapolis. Benson said he found the news "very curious. I would have expected the mayor would either support the endorsed candidate or remain neutral." Minneapolis DFL Party chairman Brian Melendez said the party has no rule barring Rybak from supporting the candidate of his choice. Rybak won the 2001 mayoral election as a rookie candidate without DFL endorsement himself. He took on DFL incumbent Sharon Sayles Belton. DFLers declined to endorse any candidate at the city convention, which had the effect of giving Rybak a boost. Samuels is expected to pick up a handful of other endorsements from a cross-section of politicians, including independent Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein; council members Barret Lane (an independent), Barbara Johnson (a DFLer) and Natalie Johnson Lee (a Green Party member), and former Third Ward council contenders Valdis Rozentals (a Republican), Shane Price (a Green Party member) and Trish Schilling (an independent). Benson noted that, with individual endorsements, the candidate is susceptible to the endorser's baggage as well as benefits. "I always think those endorsements are risky," he said. -- Rochelle Olson is at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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