2008 Minnesota Results

One More Time

OK, I'm trying out a new site again. This one will be better. Please use this link from now on for this blog:

http://www.sd63.info

Meet the "At-Large" Candidates

Bob Hall just passed me an update regarding interviews of candidates for Richfield's "at-large" and Mayor positions.

Hermann, Sandahl interviews Air on Richfield Forum TV Interviews with Richfield Council candidates Susan Sandahl and Jay Hermann are scheduled to be aired now through the end of September on the Richfield Forum television show on cable channel 15. The half-hour show, hosted by Bob Hall, runs Wednesdays at 5 p.m. and Fridays at 6:30 p.m. Sandahl, the Council Member at Large incumbent, will be the guest starting Wednesday, August 23, and ending Friday, September 8. Hermann’s interview starts September 13 and runs through September 29. Neither of the candidates had seen their opponent’s interview prior to taping their own. Mayor Martin Kirsch, who is seeking re-election, and challenger Debbie Goettel have already appeared on Richfield Forum. All four interviews will be replayed twice during October, starting with Kirsch the first week and followed by Goettel, Sandahl and Hermann. Election day is November 7.

Who Filed?

The Mayor and "at-large" city council seats are both up for election this year and both will not require a primary because only two candidates file for both seats. More to come later on these, but you can see the Sun article here:

Two current members of the Richfield City Council will face competition this election season. The deadline to file as a candidate for the two council seats was July 18. Mayor Martin Kirsch will face Debbie Goettel in November. Councilmember Sue Sandahl will face Jay Hermann for the at-large City Council position. No primaries will be held for the city races because only two people are running for each position. The filing period for state legislative offices also closed July 18. Rep. Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, is seeking a second term as representative of the District 63A Minnesota House of Representatives position. Republican David Alvarado of Minneapolis is challenging Thissen. District 63A includes part of Minneapolis and northern Richfield. In District 63B, Republican Vern Wilcox of Bloomington has filed for an open seat. He faces DFLer Linda Slocum of Richfield, and Independence Party candidate Gary Satnan. District 63B includes parts of Bloomington and southern Richfield. The current representative from District 63B, Rep. Dan Larson, DFL-Bloomington, is running for the open District 63 Senate seat, which includes Richfield and parts of Minneapolis and Bloomington. Republican endorsee Ed Field of Bloomington is also running for the open seat. Sen. Jane Ranum, DFL-Minneapolis, is not seeking re-election.

55% Rule Does Not Always Work

Checks and Balances makes an effort [reg req'd] to set the stage for the battle for the Minnesota legislature. The post is a nice effort, but I need to point out that the 55% rule does not always work. C&B says...

We have once again taken a gander at the past legislative races and have found that, based on a 55% or less rule (based on the 2004 election), there are 46 house seats and 26 senate seats (based on the 2002 election) worth watching during this election cycle. We have included the results from these races for you to view for yourself. Of the 46 house seats, 19 are held by DFLers and 27 by Republicans. In the senate, of the 26 seats 11 are in the hands of the DFL and 15 held by Republicans. This means there are 34.3% of the house races and 38.8% of the senate races are “in play”. Now each one is not necessary going to change hands, but if Democrats expect to take the majority in the house, they need to retain all 66 of their current seats and there is only one open DFL seat on this list. In order for the Republicans to retain their majority, they need hold on to all 68 of their current seats and five of these are open this election. On the senate side if the Republicans seek to take control they need to retain all of their 29 of their current seats and hold the three of them that now are open. On the other hand the DFL majority needs to hold their 38 seats of which five are now open. We will provide ongoing coverage of the house races in 01B, 02B, 03B, 04A, 08B, 09A, 12A, 12B, 13B, 14B, 16A, 17A, 17B, 20B, 22B, 23A, 25B, 26A, 26B, 27B, 28A, 29B, 30A, 30B, 31B, 32A, 32B, 37A, 38A, 38B, 39A, 40A, 41B, 42B, 43B, 45A, 47A, 47B, 50B, 51A, 52B, 53A, 54B, 55A, 56A and 56B and races in senate districts 04, 08, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, 38, 42, 43, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57 and 63. We encourage our readers to keep us apprised of any developments in these districts they feel are worth discussing. To see the entire list of house seats click here: http://www.checksandbalances.com/House_55_Races_2004.xls To see the entire list of senate seats click here: http://checksandbalances.com/Senate_55_Races_2002.xls

The article ask for help so I will offer some. I recommend that they keep an eye on the 63B race in east Richfield and Bloomington. In 2004 the Republicans fielded a young, unmarried, hard-working and relatively inexperienced candidate in Pat Kirby. On top of these disadvantages his campaign got a very late start so his 37.97% was not a surprise. This year the Republicans are fielding an exceptional candidate in Vern Wilcox and the seat is open because Dan Larson is running for the SD63 Senate seat vacated by Jane Ranum's retirement. Vern has an exceptionally long list of experience, accomplishments and proven electoral success. This seat is VERY MUCH in play.

I'm Baaack!

OK, the move to a hosted server didn't go well. I am going to move the blog back to "Blogger" for now. I may try again with different software, but the whole attempt was generally a bust. Over the next week I will move all my posts from that other website to blogger.

Friday Fun: Geeks on Parade

The "Geek Squad" float at the Richfield 4th of July parade earned quite a few laughs with their sign.  Check it out, it is pretty good.

Some marketing guy earns their pay.

Kennedy Trims Pork

Since the KvM boys were all on top secret assignments this past holiday weekend, I was asked to represent them at a Mark Kennedy visit on Indepdence Day. As noted earlier, Mark Kennedy was a special guest of Bloomington City Councilman and 63B candidate Vern Wilcox at his home for a good ol' fashion hog roast.

Other than conventions, this is the second time Mark has attended a SD63 event with the other being our Chili Dinner in February. This visit was a much more personal visit where he stayed for about an hour enjoying the hospitality of the Wilcox campaign and the company of all the guests.

The best line of the day came when Mark took a photo op trimming the hog. It was shouted by a guest who encouraged Mark to cut the Washington pork just like he was doing on the 94 pounder in front of him. (My camera failed me for that great photo.)

Vern and special guest Congressman Kennedy

Myself and the next Senator from Minnesota

Danes Deal Out Justice for Muslim "Honor Killing"

Two days after a woman was married, she was lured by her aunt to a reconciliation meeting and was murdered by her brother.  You see the family did not approve of the marriage due to religious reasons.  The religion was the "religion of peace" of course. The killing is sickening, but the justice handed out gives helps balance those feelings.  Read below or here from more details.

A Warning to Would-Be Honor Killers

In the first case of its kind in Western Europe, a Danish court has prosecuted an entire family for the honor-killing of an 18-year-old Pakistani immigrant. Will the case set a precedent for other European countries dealing with similar incidents?

The ruling was as historic. Last week, a court in Copenhagen practically convicted an entire family for the role it played in planning and executing the honor-killing of 18-year-old Ghazala Khan. It could set a precedent for the rest of Europe as countries seek to mete out punishment for similar crimes.

The Danish court sentenced the Pakistani immigrant's father to life in prison for his influential role as patriarch in the planning of the murder. The brother who actually carried out the act of murdering Khan has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. Other family members were also slapped with long prison sentences for the role they played in the crime.

The trial rivetted Danes and also drew major international attention. Denmark's Berlingske Tidende called the convictions a "sensation," and the daily Jydske Vestkysten called it a "historic one for the entire world."

Last September, Khan died after her brother shot her, execution style with his pistol in the village of Slagelse. Her Afghan husband -- whom she had married just two days before the shooting -- survived the attack, but only after an emergency operation. The deeply religious Muslim Pakistani immigrant family disapproved of her speedy marriage because it didn't conform with their religious views.

What's most striking about the case is that the court doled out the most stringent punishment to the girl's father, who didn't actively participate in the crime. The court also sentenced the girl's aunt to 14 years in prison for luring the young woman to what she thought would be a reconciliation meeting with her family. Instead, the aunt had tricked her by inviting her neice to her own killing. The aunt will be deported from Denmark as soon as she finishes her sentence. In preparing for the trial, which was based mostly on circumstantial evidence, prosecutors untangled a crime that had been premeditated and meticulously planned by the family.

Prosecutor Jeanette Andersen described the verdict as "very satisfying. It sends a strong message to other families who may be considering similar killings that such cases will not be tolerated in Denmark." Moderate immigrant organizations also issued statements supporting the convictions. Honor killings have "nothing to do with Islam," declared the Danish organization Muslims in Dialogue. "They are cold-blooded indifference."

Kennedy to Attend Wilcox Hog Roast

On Tuesday the 4th of July Vern Wilcox will host a Hog Roast for all his supporters in his bid to represent State House district 63B. It was also just a announced the Congressman and Senate candidate Mark Kennedy will be in attendance.

Vern's Pig Roast

Tuesday, 3pm (after the Richfield 4th of July Parade) Vern Wilcox's Home 8900 11th Ave. So. Bloomington, MN 55420 http://www.vernwilcox.com/

Sandahl Seeking 3rd Term

Sue Sandahl has announced that she will run again for the the at-large city council seat for Richfield. This would be her third term, she first ran and won in 1998.

Sandahl Running Again

Sue Sandahl recently announced her decision to seek re-election to the Richfield City Council. She was first elected to the at-large seat in 1998 and currently represents the entire city. Sandahl is a lifelong Richfield resident who also practices law in Richfield. "I am committed to work hard for the residents of Richfield and to keep Richfield a vibrant and livable community," she said in a media release. "This is where I live and work and I care deeply about my home town."

If re-elected, Sandahl said she wants to focus city efforts on livability issues and services that will keep the city's neighborhoods clean, friendly and attractive. She has supported a city cleanup and recycling day this fall, additional funds for expanded tree planting and adding bicycle paths. Sandahl also said in the release that she believes the city parks must be preserved. "Richfield residents love their parks and their trees," she said. As the chairperson of the Richfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Sandahl said she is proud of the upgraded commercial developments and more than 860 new housing units that have been built in Richfield in recent years. This number includes over 115 single-family homes that have replaced substandard homes in neighborhoods. "Transportation issues are also critical to Richfield's future," said Sandahl, who serves on the city's transportation commission, the I-494 Corridor Commission and the I-35W Solutions Alliance. "We need to maintain freeway access while minimizing the impact of transportation improvements." The most important thing a council member can do is listen to all the residents, Sandahl said. She may be reached by calling 612-861-4789. Sandahl is one of two council members whose current terms end this year. Richfield voters will also vote on their choice for mayor this fall. The filing period for city offices will run July 4 to 5 p.m. July 18. Since city offices are closed July 4, candidates cannot actually file on that day but may begin to collect signatures, City Clerk Nancy Gibbs said. Candidates must each provide 10 signatures of registered voters in the city who sign a nominating petition within the filing period. Packets including the nominating petitions and other information are already available at Richfield City Hall, 6700 Portland Ave. The city charges a $25 filing fee.

Laugh Out Loud Funny

I have been off my game the last week, but summer in Minnesota will do that to you. Well tonight I was reviewing the latest news on the local media and I came across a gem in the Southwest Journal that made me laugh out loud. The SW Journal had a piece about Mark Ritchie receiving the DFL nomination to run for the secretary of state position. This paragraph is the one that made me laugh out loud, but rather than just highlighting it I want to make this more interactive. I want you go guess which part made me laugh.

Ritchie, a 54-year-old ECCO resident, has lived in Minneapolis for 25 years and has spent the past 15 years working on nonpartisan voter registration, election protection and get-out-the-vote campaigns. He organized a grassroots voter registration drive in 2004 called November 2. His work during that election cycle and the frustration he felt with the secretary of state's office compelled him to run.

Left your guess in the comments area, I'll monitor the guesses and update the post in a day or two.

Blogging for Minneapolis City Council

The Minneapolis city council passed a resolution allowing the council to use city resource to maintain blogs as long has they follow some set guidelines.  See the Southwest Journal article for all the details.

Guidlines

Under the new resolution, councilmembers who choose to maintain city-sponsored blogs do have to follow a list of regulations. Any blog that uses city staff or resources must include a disclaimer that lets readers know that the blog is a limited public forum sponsored by the city and that things such as defamatory comments, profane language, sexually explicit remarks, comments that promote discrimination, and any remarks related to political campaigning or soliciting for charities are not allowed. Councilmembers must allow all comments that are within the guidelines set by the city and must retain records of any rejected comments, along with the reason why they were rejected.

Concerns

But the list of regulations wasn't enough to convince Councilmember Don Samuels (5th Ward) that the blogs are a good idea. He said he worried that people would use the blogs to attack councilmembers and that monitoring the comments posted would be difficult.

“Freedom of speech that is unbridled Š can do more harm than good,” Samuels told his colleagues during the City Council meeting. “There's no doubt about that.”

Council President Barb Johnson (4th Ward) and Councilmember Sandy Colvin Roy (12th Ward) also said they have concerns about the city's liability when it comes to blogs, noting that people could sue the city because of material placed on the blogs or if they felt their voice had been blocked and their First Amendment rights had been violated.

For the record, I think it is a good idea, but I think they should turn off the comment feature so that city staff do not have to waste time monitoring the comment section.

Friday Fun - Volcano from Space

How can you not find this picture amazing. Enjoy!

We Have Moved!!!

Please udpate your bookmarks, etc. This blog has moved to this new site, www.sd63.info.