BY DAVE TILSEN
Many organizations endorse candidates. Unions, women’s rights groups, business organizations, PACs, environmental organizations, newspapers and others. What endorsements are is simply advice to voters. These organizations are saying, we have thought about the candidates, vetted them, and this is our recommendation.
One of the most significant is political party endorsements and in Minneapolis that means the DFL endorsement. People complain about this endorsement when they don’t like the decision, and promote it when they do. No surprise there.
The DFL endorsement process in Minneapolis is one of the most inclusive and grass roots processes I have seen. One hundred eighty-two well attended precinct caucuses, in every neighborhood of the city, meet to talk with their neighbors about issues and candidates and elect delegates to the city convention. There are rules to assure gender balance, inclusiveness and a fair process.
The convention met in the Target Center this year and endorsed a candidate, State Senator Omar Fateh for Mayor, as well as candidates for the Park Board, and the Board of Estimate and Taxation.
The delegates heard from five candidates seeking the endorsement for Mayor, in speeches and in an extended question and answer session. They were thoroughly vetted. They saw the current Mayor looking weak. They heard his incoherent answer to questions, especially the one about why a police officer who shot an innocent man has been placed in a leadership position, training new recruits.
Was the process easy? Well, no. Democracy seldom is. What the DFL endorsement is, is a way of leveling the playing field. In elections money matters. It gets attention, airtime, paid door knocker’s lawn signs and experienced political consultants. The DFL endorsement gives regular folks a chance. I know this from personal experience. I would never have gotten elected to the Minneapolis School Board, and had the honor to serve as its chair, without the support of the DFL party, unions and others. Whenever people don’t like the endorsement, they call to eliminate it in favor of primaries, where money has sway.
This year’s City convention was chaired by two of the most experienced and well-thought-of chairs in the state. They worked hard to put the delegates in charge, to allow them to make their choice. The current mayor worked to delay, confuse and subvert the process. He called upon his delegates to leave to deny a quorum. Unfortunately for that strategy, even if all of his 30% of the delegates left (and they didn’t). There would still have been more than 50% of the delegates left. There was a quorum.
There were more than 60% of the votes in favor of our State Senator, Omar Fateh. The delegates had their say.
No amount of whining and legal maneuvering is going to change that.
