Family and Memorial Day activities pulled me away from the blog again but on Sunday my mind was on overdrive thinking about starting a week-long series on the Fourth District campaign that is shaping up. That’s the far western Duluth District. It was on my mind in my post about condescension.
This is in response to someone I’d rather not name who reportedly predicted that this year’s school board race was going to get ugly. Hell, it couldn’t come close to getting as ugly as the entire first two years I spent back on the school Board. The two remaining board members who brought about two censures and tried to get rid of a fellow board member based on vile and unsupported accusations have been recruiting candidates. Let’s hope the campaign is spirited and centered around the serious subjects of equity and raising the money we need to hire more teachers.
As for me, I’m for burying hatchets. On that note I was invited by my old friend, Mary Cameron, to attend her Friday retirement reception at UMD. She remained on the Board that Keith Dixon took over after my retirement in 2004 and our subsequent disagreement over the Red Plan threatened to break our ten-year long friendship. We have kissed and made up but I’m chagrined to report I just discovered I missed that reception. I have never been good at coordinating my calendars. I had a paper calendar covered with papers that reminded me of the date but did not have it in my cell phone calendar that I have only begun using.
I may have taken a break from politics this weekend but but that’s not true of everyone. As I tended a patch of stonecrop on 21st Avenue I greeted City Councilor Joel Sipress who was walking past my house. We chatted a bit and he told me he was calling on delegates for next week’s DFL convention lining up support for an endorsement for his District seat. I have not done this to any degree myself yet. I certainly won’t be going door to door because I am running across the whole city and the 700 or so delegates are far beyond my ability to call on in a week’s time. I will begin contacting them tomorrow by phone.
Joel is a bit of a model for me. Until recently he was affiliated with the Green Party as I was once affiliated with the GOP. If the Democrats are to rise like a Phoenix they had better prepare to be welcoming – “Big tent” style. Bernie Sanders had that idea when he recently went to Omaha, Nebraska, to campaign for a Democratic Mayoral candidate. He was roundly criticized for this by a faction of women in the party who were angry that the Democratic mayoral candidate was pro-life. That’s no way to win back the White House or Congress or the State legislatures and Governorships that have come under Republican control.
And a sad note:
The Superintendent just texted all the School Board members about an accident involving our students. There is no respite for a school superintendent.
