St. Paul Topics - This Week: Light Rail http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul-topics -----------------------------------------
The flurry of the last few days has drawn me out of my lurker status for a little analysis. Randy Kelly is somewhere in the political center of state politics. Even if you doesn't always agree with the Mayor, his centrist leadership does bring Saint Paul benefits. In a City that continues to be heavily dependent on state investment (state aid and major state projects, including around the capitol grounds), it has been helpful to have a good relationship with the conservative Governor and now-centrist Legislature. And given his years at the Legislature, the Mayor knows how to navigate the halls of state government. In addition to those skills serving the City, as I read the article, I can see more clearly a possible role for now-Mayor Randy Kelly in taking the Governor's office from the affable but one-sided Tim Pawlenty, either two or six years from now. The consensus seems to be Mike Hatch would be a strong contender for the DFL endorsement, but that doesn't mean he'll ultimately be the DFL candidate. Notably, most DFL candidates for Governor have not been anywhere near as centrist in recent years as is Mayor Kelly. And on what I think is a fairly related note, the DFL hasn't won the Governorship since 1986. Whatever label I give my own views, I think the possibility of a centrist DFL Governor candidacy, Randy Kelly or others, deserves some serious consideration among DFLers. The Democrats could then run as moderates in the state against the more partisan Republicans in the Governorship and the Prsidency. Anyway, Mayor Kelly's political career seems to have some interesting possibilities - there may be a possible role for him in several places. Bob Downtown _____________________________________________ 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/
