Minnesota Progressive Project

Ward 5: Incumbent Don Samuels is running for mayor.

The State House has passed an election reform bill that has some good stuff in it, though not all good, and there’s a big omission. Still, it’s an improvement, and the House DFL can’t be accused of entirely blowing their chance, which is something I was concerned about. Like many lefty bloggers, I expressed concern some legislators would get skittish and forget they won a mandate to do some things. Most such posts I’ve seen have been about marriage equality, which is reasonable since there is a screamingly obvious opportunity to make progress there, and choking at the crucial moment seems off the agenda. I was thinking more broadly in that post in early January, including a large portion devoted to election reform. The photo ID amendment, while a lousy idea, led to a broader discussion about our election system, and its defeat offered a chance to address some things, some of which did get addressed:

This is the kind of thing I was starting to talk about in my previous post: we get caught up in a story that, really, is pretty much over other than the human-interest and prosecution phases, and miss a story that represents a larger tragedy both in lives lost and in its sad connection to our own lives.

Three spots are open on the St Paul School Board with 6 candidates currently running: Jean O’Connell, David Martinez, Sarah Lechowich, Luis Ortega, Chue Vue, and John Broderick. The April 16 precinct caucuses will determine the convention delegates that will endorse three candidates on June 8. In between, you can expect at least one forum.