Candidates were not directing traffic in any way shape or fashion. I know
this because I was sitting at the table myself. They were sitting in the
area because that is where the chairs were.
Of the incumbent city council members sitting in the area only one had an
opponent and that opponent was also sitting in the same area. The rest of
the people screening currently have no announced opposition.
Megan Thomas
Chair, Stonewall DFL
> From: "wizardmarks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 16:13:13 -0800
> To: "Eva Young" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Cc: "Fredric Markus" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Mpls] Micromanaging Identity G roup Screenings
>
> It's Walt Gutzmer
> WMarks, Central
>
> Eva Young wrote:
>
>> Fred Markus's message is also archived at:
>>
>> http://www.mnforum.org/pipermail/mpls/2000-December/000727.html
>>
>> However for some strange reason this December message showed up in
>> yesterdays mail. Wierd things happen with these listservs. However, it
>> seems like it's still relevant to the discussion about the screenings.
>>
>> At 01:05 PM 12/31/00 -0600, Fredric Markus wrote:
>>> So on Saturday last, I'm told that while I was rooting for some well-found
>>> candidates in the Sixth Ward screening event at Stonewall DFL, some
>>> incumbent members of the City Council were directing traffic among the
>>> various ward screening events at the Hennepin County Government Center - if
>>> a candidate favored by the incumbent power elite was looking a little
>>> challenged, why send in the troops - pull them out of other meetings and
>>> pack, pack, pack! Then on Monday evening, time for the Mayoral event and
>>> another variation on this theme - was the incumbent's pre-eminence in
>>> jeopardy? Get on the horn and get some warm bodies into that screening room!
>>
>> I talked with Walt Gutzman last night. Gutzman will be running against
>> Brian Herron. There is a third candidate also. Gutzman has been active
>> with CNIA for years. That's how I have met him. He was on the CNIA board
>> of directors before the most recent board elections. It sounds like
>> question 2 on the Stonewall Questionaire--the one regarding whether a
>> candidate will abide by DFL endorsement is preminent. If folks don't
>> answer that one right, then they get a "not recommended" rating, though
>> Stonewall does let them know that they filled out the questionaire. There
>> is a racial undercurrent behind this. The 8th ward is supposed to be the
>> ward represented by an African American. Brian Herron is African American,
>> Gutzman is caucasion. Which begs the question Don't all of us live in
>> the ward. Are there really "African American issues" and "caucasion
>> issues"--and we don't have concerns in common? This reminds me of some
>> private email I got regarding asking Neva Walker to work on the sodomy
>> laws. This person told me that there are "white legislators and glbt
>> legislators who should do that". But this confuses me. Rep. Walker is the
>> person who represents me. By that logic, I suppose I should be calling
>> Scott Dibble (who does not represent me) to talk to them about the sodomy
>> law.
>>
>> Anyway, I look forward to some candidate debates. I wonder if there is any
>> interest in say an 8th ward e-debate with the various candidates? I would
>> be glad to volunteer to help set up such a forum.
>>
>> Eva Young
>> Central
>>
>>> This is like cramming for exams - you can puff up a test score, but the
>>> information fades fast after the exam paper leaves your fevered hands. The
>>> critical vote on Monday evening - were all three mayoral candidates (Sharon,
>>> Lisa, and RT) "acceptable"? Answer: No, on a vote of 15 to 14. I'm told it
>>> took several mayoral staffers present and voting and some last-minute phone
>>> calls to get those 15 votes assembled - hardly a balanced decision and where
>>> in this is the leitmotif of the group identity involved? Instead of the GLBT
>>> interest, we see a DFL interest expressed and a remarkably specialized DFL
>>> interest at that.
>>>
>>> Stonewall members stayed away in droves and crass manipulation of the
>>> outcome was obvious to the participants - leaving those on the losing side
>>> to consider their options in the run-up to the various DFL conventions and
>>> leaving the city's electorate presumably impacted by a campaign meant to
>>> give the impression of freely given issues-based support when in fact
>>> incumbents and their seasoned supporters engineered outcomes at the expense
>>> of the indentity-based interest group.
>>>
>>> Now it's true that those who show up rule the world and a refreshingly
>>> different case in point was the Ninth Ward scene last Saturday where Gary
>>> Schiff supporters buried the "yellow dog" DFLers - good, say I, a seasoned
>>> queer activist gets a vote of confidence from a queer screening process.
>>> Will the Stonewall DFL Board (Stonewall members recommen
