FREE SPEECH ZONE | DFL sweep in Edina, Eden Prairie purple

Political bloggers Tommy Johnson and Steve Timmer and Democratic Visions host Tim O’Brien take measure of the political swing to left-center of three of America’s premier suburbs: Edina, Eden Prairie and Minnetonka.  They apprear in the post-election edition of Democratic Visions.  Johnson, an investigative blogger at Minnesota Progressive Project, is a life-long resident of Eden Prairie.  Johnson explains how Republicans nearly lost the Minnesota Senate seat held by right wing conservative David Hann and how Democrats recaptured a House seat lost to the Republicans two years ago.   Timmer and O’Brien are long-time residents of Edina.  (O’Brien remembers when Edina Democrats held their meetings in a phone booth.)  O’Brien and Timmer talk about the historic, first-time-ever DFL Sweep in Senate District 49 which includes Edina, western Bloomington and single precincts in Eden Prairie and Minnetonka.  O’Brien also notes that despite redistricting, DFL House incumbent John Benson and DFL Senate incumbent Terry Bonoff prevailed in their more conservative southwest suburban districts. O’Brien and Timmer also lay out their thoughts on the unexpected defeat of the two constitutional amendment ballot questions in the southwest suburbs.  

I get to produce Democratic Visions with other volunteers through DFL Senate District 48, Eden Prairie/southern Minnetonka.  Our temporary, new studio in Spring Park is operated by the Lake Minnetonka Cable Commission.  This studio serves 17 smaller suburban communities and is alive with activity in fulfilling its mission to provide area cable subscribers with programming rooted in their communities about issues and personalities that are ignored by mainstream and social media.

IM PASSING:  On behalf of the Democratic Visions team over the years, I thank Southwest Community TV access studio manager Michelle Glynn for sustaining and protecting the community access television vision and spirit for the past decade – and probably longer – at the highest, if always under-budgeted, level.   The SW Community TV access studio was closed for good by owner Comcast at the end of August.  Under three corporate owners, Ms. Glynn managed the ship of this small, 1990’s era TV production facility professionally and free of editorial, philosophical, religous and political judgement of the diverse producers who used the resource.  That was a blessing not only for the preachers, politicos, poets, writers, community services groups, rascals and religious groups in Richfield, Edina, Hopkins, Eden Prairie and Minnetonka whom she guided, but also for our communities whole.   Happy Thanksgiving Michelle.