Of course, if you follow this line of thinking, its more likely we
will see multiple candidates on the ballot for Mayor and council
person. More than two that is. The likelihood that a person not of
the DFL label getting elected would rise. Remember that while the
current process does not guarantee a Democrat is elected, it
certainly raises the possibility.
I don't think moving to a partisan election would do anything but
give access to a large number of wantabees who wouldn't think of
running now. It also has the chance that a primary campaign could
split a party enough to move voters to a third party candidate
rather then supporting the victor. Allowing another party to win
the seat.
Don't think that happens? Think Arne Carlson and Jesse Ventura.
Mike Fratto
Payne Phalen
>>> "Eric Mitchell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 04/18/2005
8:12:53 AM >>>
--- "Arno A. Karner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 3) Of course the democrats have to eat their young,
> there are no
> republicans to eat, after the democrats stack the
> non partisan ballot,
> all thats left after the primary is democrats.
>
There may be something to what you said here.
If we dropped the charade that these are non-partisan
races and re-structured them to be partisan races, it
would make things easier for the parties.
No more DFLer vs DFLer on the November ballot. One
DFLer, one Republican and maybe a Green and
Independence candidate as well.
This being a DFL town, may not change the party of the
office holder in the end, but it may change the
internal adverse effects of campaigning among DFLers.
In Pittsburgh, the race for Mayor is partisan. The
Party endorses in March, the primary is mid-May.
Pittsburgh is more of a Democratic town than St Paul
(though more conservative), since they haven't elected
a Republican since 1939, the Mayoral race is pretty
much over by mid-May. All that's left to do is spend
the next six months bringing back the Democrats who
were supporting other Dems.
Our primary date giving us about six weeks to try to
reconcile, after six strong months of campaigning, you
can imagine some feelings are still strong. Being
non-partisan, the divide among DFLers can lead
straight into the general and the winning
administration. It also leads to the image that the
DFL goes after its own, technically we do because the
opposition is very likely to be another DFler.
Of course partisan elections will definitly cut down
on the choice of candidates, but we'll have more
unified parties and we all can be nice. Probably not.
Eric Mitchell
Payne Phalen
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