Minneapolitans! Confused about the city election? Did you know that the primaries are exactly one month from now? The big show, of course, is in November.
Our city council is sort of a dream-team for moderates and lefties. There are DFLers, Greens, (little i) independents, and not a Republican in sight. But, anyone who lives here knows there's still work to do, and there are several races that could wind up being scorchers.
I honestly don't know where my votes are going yet, so this diary is as much a cry for help as it is a round-up of the City of Water's wacky political thrills and spills so far.
First the mayoral race.
From The Observer
At a splashy rally for Hennepin County workers July 18, Commissioner Peter McLaughlin challenged incumbent Mayor R.T. Rybak to five debates before the September 13 primary. Rybak countered at a press conference the same day with an offer to debate four times. Either way, voters are going to have plenty of opportunities to see the two major candidates face off against one another before their showdown in November. As we go to press, McLaughlin continues to pound away at public safety issues, and despite good news on the Local Government Aid front and a Rybak announcement that he would use the additional funds to hire 60 more police officers, the mayor is getting little traction in a race that, at this point anyway, seems to be slipping away.
Insiders report that Rybak's handlers are having a difficult time keeping him on message and that is translating into some staff turnover, including his field director and top fundraiser.
Green Party endorsee Farheen Hakeem has been running a low-profile campaign, and has been joined by a host of other candidates, including perennial mayoral hopeful Dick Franson, gun shop owner Mark Koscielski, eco-entrepreneur Don Johnson, David Alvarado, Gregory Brown, Gregory Groettum, Gerald Savage, Marcus Harcus, and Tim Nolan.
Just in case you need a schedule, McLaughlin has one on his site. The first debate is in two days.
What could be the issue to break the deal? Crime? The ballpark? I sure don't see any of the third-parties stealing thunder from McLaughlin or Rybak. Maybe the Greens, but from who? Primaries are non-partisan, so the end match-up will be DFL vs. DFL.
As a side-note, Mark Koscielski has a very strange TV show on public access with an American flag hung upside down and lots of gun-talk, check it out, it's absolutely bizzarre.
Now the wards
From The Southwest Journal
Ward 6: Two incumbents and a challenger
The city drew new ward boundaries after the 2000 census and this is the first city election they affect. The new map put 6th Ward Councilmember Dean Zimmermann, a Green, in the new 9th Ward and 8th Ward Councilmember Robert Lilligren, a DFLer, in the new 6th Ward.
Zimmermann moved from his East Phillips home to Whittier to run in the 6th against Lilligren. They are both finishing their first terms. Also running is James Neil Gorham, who did not have a listed phone number.
The 6th Ward includes Whittier, Stevens Square and part of the Phillips neighborhoods.
Ward 7: Three newcomers face 'deep pockets' Goodman
Councilmember Lisa Goodman (7th Ward) has three challengers - and a fourth challenger bowed out shortly after getting in.
Goodman is a formidable campaigner. The two-term DFLer chairs the Community Development Committee and had nearly $100,000 in the bank early this year, far surpassing other Council and even mayoral candidates.
Her opponents are:
- New Downtown resident Christopher Clark, 32, a senior stores clerk for the University of Minnesota Dental School and a potter who is concerned about rampant condo development and a city "catering to the upper-middle class" at the expense of renters;
- Loring Park resident Robert Halfhill, 64, who does not work due to a disability and whose top priorities include gay rights and legalizing medicinal marijuana;
- Downtown resident Carl Myron Erickson. He listed no phone number on his city filing papers. Efforts to reach him at the Drake Hotel, 416 S. 10th St., were unsuccessful.
Financial analyst and Loring Park resident Terrell Brown filed July 5 to oppose Goodman, whom he had supported in the past, but he withdrew 10 days later. The DFLer said Goodman had been in office long enough but was not available for comment after dropping out.
Redistricting redrew the 7th Ward to cover almost all of Downtown and the Southwest neighborhoods of Kenwood, Lowry Hill, Bryn Mawr and Cedar-Isles-Dean.
Ward 8: Hits double figures
The open 8th Ward - which covers most of Kingfield plus neighborhoods east of I-35W - is jam-packed with candidates; incumbent Lilligren got drawn out of the ward. The candidates are:
Marie Hauser, a nurse and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board member; Jeff Hayden, a housing coordinator for the Minnesota Supportive Housing Consortium and former aide to Councilmember Gary Schiff (9th Ward); Elizabeth Glidden, a civil rights attorney.
Dennis Tifft, business service trainer for the Park Nicollet Clinic; Doug Mann, former School Board candidate; Donald Bellfield, a senior human resource generalist with the Metropolitan Council with Republican Party backing.
Terry Natalie Yzaguirre, a technical manager with Agristar Global Network; Zachary Metoyer, member of the federal Police Community Relations Council; Reginald Birts, a Wells Fargo Mortgage consultant; and Darryl J. Robinson, no information available.
Ward 10: Six seek open seat
First-termer Dan Niziolek is not seeking reelection, and six candidates are competing for the seat. (See cover story.)
Ward 11: No primary
Incumbent Scott Benson will face challenger Gregg Iverson, who ran in the 2001 12th Ward primary, coming in third with 485 votes or 9 percent.
The ward covers Windom, Tangletown and part of Kingfield, as well as far-Southeast Minneapolis.
Ward 13: Three-way tussle
Barret Lane earned a reputation as a budget hawk, representing the more conservative 13th Ward. Three are trying to take his place. Former City Councilmember Lisa McDonald; Betsy Hodges, the DFL-endorsed candidate and former staffer for Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman; and Michael Hohmann, former Planning Commission member and independent candidate.
The ward's neighborhoods are Linden Hills, Fulton, Armatage, Kenny, Lynnhurst, West Calhoun and part of East Harriet.
For selfish reasons, I'm going to talk about the Sixth Ward; it almost seems like the candidates got set up! I suppose a DFL vs. a Green being a big dilemma is a liberal's dream, but I still don't know where to go. Read more about that in a March 9, 2005 piece in the City Pages
Any thoughts on this election?