countdown photo – Day 59

I kept door-to-dooring until 8 PM. I’ve given up all hope of avoiding a campaign and am digging in. I waved my wife and grandsons off at noon as they headed for her family reunion in Iowa something I’ve never missed before. The boys will get to drive some big half-million-dollar-machinery. I’ll be door knocking from sun up to sun down while they are gone.

I will not quietly surrender my board seat to a well heeled candidate who just sent out a postcard to every household in Duluth that said only this: “Help me make Duluth Schools the Best in the state” That’s all it said. No ideas shared, No concerns, No priorities. It was just wave a magic wand and Shazzaam! If this candidate is elected and spends taxpayer money like that, instead of donor money, our children will be none the better.

Meanwhile I pass out my campaign lit on foot 400 to 600-a-day and chat with Duluthians about our schools when I find them gardening, washing their cars, or playing catch with their kids. I will keep this up until my 10,000 flyers run out or I get enough donations to print out some more.

I could have passed out another hundred lit pieces today in the Washburn neighborhood except that I stopped to have two long conversations. The first was with a woman who left the Denfeld Graduation last June in tears and steaming because of the cat calling as graduates picked up their diplomas. She was burned by her treatment when she brought up her concerns to the District and gave me an earful. I asked her to resend the letter she sent to all board members because I think her concern has merit and we should start early in the year preparing for a much more respectful graduation. While I’m an agnostic I do treat education as something sacred. Years ago the kids in my classes would tease me because I always wore a suit and tie instead of blue jeans. To me Proctor High was a temple of learning and I wanted to dress accordingly.

The other person I met asked me to pull up a chair in the shade. Her brother-in-law rescued Jews during the Holocaust and paid for it with his life. Her son, an old East graduate, joined us. I asked him if he took classes from the legendary East teacher, Burroughs. Yes he did and he shared some stories with me. The son was also one of the first business people admitted into East Germany after the Berlin Wall fell. Some conversations you just can’t quit to go stick political lit in doors.

Here’s my pic:

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