[Mpls] Reminder: 8th Ward candidate forum is Thursday

[David Brauer]

On Apr 19, 2005, at 4:09 PM, Pamela Taylor wrote:

> List Member,
> =A0
> Yes, me again!=A0 What if there is no endorsement at the convention =
and=20
> everyone decides to hang in there?=A0 Then there will be still be=20
> nine=A0left.=A0

True, but we don't know that. We can at least minimize the difficulties=20=

for the first forum.

> And, why let so many months pass in between the forums?=A0

Because there are only so many hours in the day =97 for us and for=20
voters. Most members of the public only tune in close to a vote...in=20
this case, April and September.

> The last 30 minutes, in which people will be milling around is new.=A0=20=

> It sounded much more formal before, in which we would all still be in=20=

> our seats, and=A0all=A0nine candidates would be asked questions.=A0Funny=
 how=20
> this thing is=A0taking shape isn't it?=A0 Had I not posted, I doubt we=20=

> would have known that fact.=A0=A0

I think Pam might have made an incorrect assumption. It was always=20
planned to be the way I described, in countless e-mails and newspaper=20
announcements.

>  IMHO (again), I suggest having a series of serious community=20
> roundtables,=A0which will focus on just one or two topics per=20
> roundtable, that are vital issues for the 8th Ward.=A0 It is sometimes=20=

> hard to get a=A0true read=A0on candidates when they give you rehearsed=20=

> blurbs in forums.=A0 As they are conducted now, there is no time to=20
> really get into a topic, because the moderator=A0has to=A0keep things=20=

> moving.=A0 So, everyone then tends to give=A0us variations of the same=20=

> blurb.=A0

True, perhaps. We're hoping we can break through the blurbs with good=20
audience questions and follow-ups, and good moderation. In any event,=20
the "blurb" problem is worse at a forum with many more candidates,=20
which is what Pam originally suggested.
=A0
> By having the roundtables, candidates=A0will need to possess at least =
an=20
> hour's worth of knowledge about a topic to keep our interest in their=20=

> candidacy, and will be given a chance to convince us further that it=20=

> is more than just surface knowledge.=A0 We could have enough=20
> roundtables=A0to keep them on their toes.=A0 I believe it is a much =
better=20
> way to winnow the field and get a view into their political character,=20=

> backbones, etc. than by the current methods.

Go for it! We don't have enough time to commit to that, but we don't=20
have a monopoly on forum organizing, either.

I do wonder how many people would show up at multiple hour-long forums=20=

featuring nine candidates, though.

David Brauer
Kingfield
Editor, SW Journal and Skyway News