In response to Randall Cuttingâs reactions to the Ward 2 City Council candidate forum this past Tuesday:
I think it would have been good of Randall to disclose that heâs not an unbiased observer. He is listed on Cara Letofskyâs website as a supporter. His views about Bill, Dan and Camâs performance should be viewed in this light. Iâll let supporters of Bill and Dan respond to some of the rather unfair things Randall noted about their preferred candidates (except for this: Bill did not seem angry about Steve Crossâ mispronunciation of his name to me, but amused â his response even elicited a laugh from the crowd). I would like to clarify Randallâs comments about Cam, the candidate whom I support in this race. First, in his introduction Cam outlined not just his principles but his approach to making policy decisions. It is as follows: 1. start with strong, defined guiding principles 2. gather information from all relevant sources 3. share this information with all stakeholders 4. bring people together to hammer out consensus or compromise between stakeholders Camâs guiding principles are social and economic justice, grassroots democracy, ecological wisdom and peace. These are not policy positions, but philosophical ideals. Cam will measure every action on how well it fits these four ideals. I would wager that every candidate for Ward 2 city council has strong beliefs, and I believe that many of them are shared â not just by the candidates, but by the people of Ward 2. Second, âpeaceâ is not merely the opposite of âwar.â The principle of peace to which Cam referred is also commonly referred to as ânonviolence.â Camâs belief, and mine, is that we should solve our common problems without violence, that violence increases suffering and creates more problems than it solves. This principle has enormous bearing on how Minneapolis city government conducts itself. Just one example: Cam favors stronger accountability for the Minneapolis police. Incidents like the shootings of Abu Kassim Jeilani, Barbara Schneider and others are tragic and do not make us safer. They contribute to the divide of distrust and fear between communities â especially minority communities â and the police. During the Civilian Review Authority redesign process, I heard Somali mothers state that they fearfully call their children inside when a certain police cruiser drives by. This is wrong, and it makes solving our collective problems on the West Bank that much harder. Incidents like the Minneapolis police overreactions to the March 2003 Critical Mass and the ISAG protest make us less safe, less free, and waste tremendous amounts of money. When there are conflicts in our city, we should resist the temptation to resort to violence. The actions taken by Mayor Rybak and Council Members Zerby and Lilligren to âreformâ the Civilian Review Authority by burying it in the Civil Rights Department (and cutting its funding) undermined Minneapolis citizensâ right to hold our police force accountable. Cam would champion real police accountability, motivated by his guiding principles of peace, justice and democracy. I believe that a Council Member with strong principles who is not afraid to outline them specifically and persuasively will be our most effective voice in city hall. Cam not only clearly states what he believes, but has demonstrated the ability to work with those who donât necessarily share his beliefs (including Republicans) to craft a compromise that works for everyone. One last note. I was thrilled by the positivity of the Ward 2 candidates on Tuesday. It stood in stark contrast to the mayoral candidates, who came out swinging and slinging. I was also struck by the friendliness of the candidatesâ supporters, and heard more than one expression of relief that we can keep things honest, respectful, and friendly on the more local level. Iâm disappointed that this elevated tone seems to have faded so quickly. I hope we can work together to bring it back. Peacefully submitted, Robin Garwood Cam Gordon supporter Seward, Ward 2 REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
