List Member,
Yes, me again! What if there is no endorsement at the convention and everyone
decides to hang in there? Then there will be still be nine left. And, why let
so many months pass in between the forums? The last 30 minutes, in which
people will be milling around is new. It sounded much more formal before, in
which we would all still be in our seats, and all nine candidates would be
asked questions. Funny how this thing is taking shape isn't it? Had I not
posted, I doubt we would have known that fact.
IMHO (again), I suggest having a series of serious community roundtables, which
will focus on just one or two topics per roundtable, that are vital issues for
the 8th Ward. It is sometimes hard to get a true read on candidates when they
give you rehearsed blurbs in forums. As they are conducted now, there is no
time to really get into a topic, because the moderator has to keep things
moving. So, everyone then tends to give us variations of the same blurb.
By having the roundtables, candidates will need to possess at least an hour's
worth of knowledge about a topic to keep our interest in their candidacy, and
will be given a chance to convince us further that it is more than just surface
knowledge. We could have enough roundtables to keep them on their toes. I
believe it is a much better way to winnow the field and get a view into their
political character, backbones, etc. than by the current methods.
Pamela Taylor
(Ward 10 & Proud Minneapolis Community Agitator for Civil Engagement)
David Brauer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On Apr 19, 2005, at 12:47 PM, Pamela Taylor wrote:
> List Members,
>
> I would like to go on record as saying that IMHO the upcoming 8th Ward
> forum is an outright slap in the face to all DFLers.
>
> This invite is cleverly worded, inviting the delegates to come, but I
> feel that the true intent is to welcome ALL DFLers in the 8th Ward,
> delegate or not, to hear only the candidates that these two newspapers
> want you to hear.
Hey, clever wording is what we do!
Seriously, here's the deal: Ed & I thought it would be a good idea to
try to bring the two sides of the highway together for a series of
civic forums. The first stage of the 8th Ward winnowing process is the
April 30 DFL convention. That's why we're focused on candidates seeking
the DFL endorsement at this point.
Frankly, Ed originally suggested limiting the forum to DFL candidates,
and I thought it better to invite everyone. But when the total
candidate pool swelled to nine (!), I saw the wisdom of his focus.
It's practical, not ideological: as anyone who's attended a
multi-candidate forum knows, there's a number beyond which the whole
thing becomes unwieldy. I can't tell you exactly what that number is,
but I'm pretty sure nine is a heckuva lot.
So we created the two-forum process. We'd limit the April debate to DFL
hopefuls facing off at the April 30 convention, and have a second forum
in August or September for everyone who remains.
We are inviting all members of the public to the forum because there's
no practical reason to limit the audience. The reason all candidates
are invited to the last half-hour is because it's open, informal time
where people can mill around and talk to each other. It would be
ridiculous to exclude anyone, including non-DFL candidates, from that.
Anyway, these things take work, so I hope the budding onlist
controversy at least drives some more folks to the debate. If not,
there's another one in August or September.
David Brauer
Kingfield
Editor, SW Journal & Skyway News
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