Kelly was not elected by St. Paul voters as a Democrat. First of all, the position is nonpartisan. Second, the DFL endorsed Jay Benanav in 2001 and Kelly ran against the DFL-endorsed candidate, Benanav. He was not elected Mayor as a Democrat. He was a partisan DFL state senator when he ran for Mayor.
City and county races and offices are nonpartisan. The only thing that makes them seem otherwise are the endorsements by political parties for those offices, making them appear partisan. No party designation or endorsement appears on any election ballot involving city, county or judicial races. In this light, Randy Kelly has done nothing deserving recall for his support of George Bush. Now, that said, Kelly should be defeated in the next election by as wide a margin as we can make it for his performance as Mayor and his cronyism with special interests who couldn't care less for the public health or safety of St. Paul citizens. He has cast his lot with high-powered business owners and the Chamber of Commerce, putting profits before people, in the process helping to foul the air outside and inside, threatening life and limb, as it were. But nothing he's done yet justifies an expensive and diverting recall effort. He's up for election next year, anyway, so the matter of his tenure may be moot if candidates begin now to consider how to send him into retirement - or to a job with Pawlenty. Andy Driscoll Crocus Hill/Ward 2 ------ > on 8/23/04 12:00 PM, Pam Ellison wrote: > Well all I can say is if those seeking Kelly's recall are serious, I wish > they would also get 12,000 to sign off on the Bob Fletcher recall at the > same time. Bob Fletcher DID overstep his bounds at the Ward 5 City Council > debate. HE DOES DESERVE to be recalled. Kill two birds with one stone if > you can. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Gail" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> > > I fully agree there are more important things to worry about in this > election year. But I'm starting to think that signing a recall petition is > a statement I want to make. The issue is not malfeasance, but misfeasance. > As I understand it, that means doing something lawful in an unlawful or > improper way, such that it infringes on the rights of others. Of course, > Kelly has the right to vote for whichever candidate he chooses; he can even > write in his own name. But he was elected by St. Paul voters as a Democrat > and is paid a salary as a Democratic mayor. Voters don't have the right to > expect him to go out of his way to support Kerry, but we do have the right > to expect him to keep a low profile. He would never have been in a position > to campaign with Bush if he hadn't been elected mayor by people who thought > they were electing a Democrat. > > I would think Republicans would be troubled by this, too. True, they're > rejoicing because it's a Democrat turning Republican, but how did they feel > about Sen. Jeffords? We Democrats were rejoicing then, but the action is > something that I think should have consequences. > Watching Kelly introduce President Bush and seeing the picture of The Hug, I > was repulsed. That man was able to manipulate all that press attention and > political influence ONLY because St. Paul citizens elected him to office. > He could have just kept quiet and resolved to vote his conscience in > November. Instead he strutted and puffed out his chest and paraded his > defection like new gang colors. > > I don't know the minutiae of the law, but the PP this morning made a recall > sound pretty tough. Frankly, I don't much care if it succeeds. As others > have pointed out earlier, we can vote him out in a year. Still, I was > disgusted by Flaherty's saying, "Because an elected official endorsed > another elected official would not under anybody's definition rise to the > level of malfeasance." Maybe not, but it certainly could rise to the level > of misfeasance, especially since he used his position to materially advance > both his own and the candidate's interests to the disadvantage of the people > who elected him. > > I'd like a recall petition to tell the Republicans that tens of thousands - > way more than the minimum required signatures - of St. Paul citizens are > going to remember whenever the time comes for the promised payoff. Kelly's > gambit ought to boomerang. _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
