There seems to be a huge misunderstanding about Dave Jennings status as a former Republican legislator and what he could do as Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools.
What Dave Jennings brings (among many other attributes) is his credibility at the Legislature as a Member of The Club! Legislators respect other legislators because they are part of a very select group of people who have served. Any former legislator who served honorably (as Dave Jennings did) is recognized as a Member of The Club and is given a certain amount of deference and instant credibility. It makes no difference which party, or how one may have voted on certain issues, you a Member of the Club! While partisanship reigns, collegiality is important and its value is not lost on individual legislators! This is not unusual. People who have shared experiences oftentimes find it easy to bond with each other. If you are a veteran, if you went to a certain college or high school, if you share a religious faith, or a host of other experiences you have a point of contact with someone who also went to the same school, served in the military or goes to the same church for example. While there may be several ultraconservatives who may hold a grudge because Mr. Jennings publicly supported Roger Moe, most other legislators are a pretty reasonable bunch who understand that from time to time, principle or personal relationship may will out over party loyalty. Actually, many legislators will admit to having occasionally crossed party lines and supported or at least voted for people of the other party - though perhaps not as publicly as Dave Jennings did when he supported Roger Moe. The appointment of Dave Jennings would have given Minneapolis Public Schools a huge boost at the legislature simply because he was one of them! He is known and respected and a Member of The Club. He also has impeccable ties to the business community - a group that educators and activists keep mentioning as an important constituency who can or should be more involved with Minneapolis public schools. While the "national search" may ultimately produce an excellent candidate it is the feeling of many that we already had such a person in place - Dave Jennings. Perhaps the new superintendent will have ties to Minnesota, perhaps not. If the superintendent is imported from another state, he/she will have a lot of work to do just to introduce themselves to the Legislature let alone acquire the credibility that Dave Jennings brings. Rather than assume that his support for Roger Moe last year made him an "apostate" or a pariah or something else among republicans, consider this: the rejection of Dave Jennings by a handful of "community leaders" magnifies the problem at Legislature by a hundredfold and further diminishes stature of the Minneapolis public schools and perhaps the city itself because it sends a very loud and disturbing message. Despite the feeble protests from the "community leaders" who torpedoed Dave Jennings because they claimed he lacked a PhD and was therefore "unqualified", it is apparent to some at the state capitol (as well as in Minneapolis) that the real reason he was rejected is that he is white, comes from the private sector, and is a republican. That is the message that many people heard - correctly or incorrectly - and it will be what is remembered! Jim Bernstein Fulton -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Brauer Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 8:22 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Mpls] David Jennings on 10/8/03 11:17 PM, Constance Nompelis at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Oh yeah, I forgot: "The School Board hates him > [Jennings?] more than they hate us." (From Felien) > > What?? Am I the only one confused by this analysis? Connie, the heavens will surely shudder when I try to speak for Eddie, however... His comments were in the context that one of Jennings' big plusses is his alleged ability to speak to fellow Republicans who run the state. I think Ed's point (which I agree with), is that the state GOP leaders have no love lost for Jennings as a apostate (Moe supporter, Minneapolis guy), so that advantage of having him as a superintendent doesn't really exist. The rest of the hate stuff is one man's opinion of the GOP's depth of dislike for the city that may limit any attempt to hire someone for diplomatic reasons. David Brauer Kingfield REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
