[Mpls] Candidates who Question or Equivocate on Smoking BanareDefeated?

[Williams, Brandt]

I was at the marathon public hearing on the smoking ban yesterday.  CM
Gary Schiff spoke to the board and announced that new councilmembers
Remington, Glidden, Gordon and Hodges support Minneapolis' current ban.

Bloomington CM Steve Elkins also came to speak. He said of the two
contested races, both candidates who supported the smoking ban won
easily.

Brandt Williams
Mpr reporter
Jordan resident 

-----Original Message-----
From: mpls-bounces at mnforum.org [mailto:mpls-bounces at mnforum.org] On
Behalf Of Dan McGrath
Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 5:25 AM
To: mpls at mnforum.org
Subject: Re: [Mpls] Candidates who Question or Equivocate on Smoking
BanareDefeated?

David Strand wrote:
It appears, that like elsewhere in
> the country, that candidates who did not cater to revising the smoking

> ban to exclude some bars faired better in the election.
>
> This would parallel other election results in other communities and 
> other parts of the country when people have been allowed to vote for 
> candidates where this has been a hot issue or where the people have 
> been able to vote on such issues directly(the Washington state public 
> smoking which won Nov. 5th at the ballot box for example).

I would disagree with this assessment.
I think one of the big mistakes made in Shegstad's campaign was not
making the smoking ban an issue from the outset. Our committee (myself
included) determined that issues like rising crime, and expanded eminent
domain power were more pressing concerns to speak to voters about.

Shegstad was nudged out in the primary by about 100 votes.

It was only in the final days of his write-in campaign that we decided
to press the smoking ban issue, and went on a two-day barn-storming tour
of Ward 9 bars and clubs the weekend before the general election. We met
patrons, workers and owners and distributed cards focused on the smoking
ban issue.

In the end, Shegstad fared better than any other write-in candidate in
the city, Fareen Hakeem included. She received only about double the
votes that Shegstad did with 13 times as many potential voters. In ward
9, without being on the ballot, Shegstad received 432 votes out of 437
write-in votes cast, which amounts to about 10% without being on the
ballot. This is unprecedented success as far as I can remember.

I'd also mention that Dave Shegstad was received like a rock star at
every bar we visited. Patrons, workers and owners alike were thrilled
that someone was standing up against the ban. I'm certain that if we'd
tapped into that before the primary, Schiff would have been soundly
defeated. It's a bigger issue with voters than even I knew. Live and
learn.

In Bloomington, an *incumbent* council member didn't make it past the
primary. She cited her opponent's vocal opposition to the smoking ban
(which she supported) as the prime factor.

Dan McGrath
Longfellow
http://www.shegstad.us

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