[Mpls] Mayor/County Rep question

[Michael Atherton]

Gary Hoover wrote:

> OK, how about this?  We just have RT Rybak and Comish 
> McLaughlin switch places!  Wouldn't that make everybody happy?
> 
> Myself, I will need some convincing to vote for a DFL 
> candidate in any race now.  We are back to voting for 
> "Arne Carlson moderate Republicans is DFL 
> clothing for the most part.  The exceptions are few.

[snip]

> The DFL is like the Republicans in that the pork barrel 
> spending is almost always directed to the benefit of the 
> already wealthy and in the most short-sited projects possible.  
> The projects moving toward sustainability or environmental 
> justice are window-dressing, and are far too little far too 
> late.

I won't argue that both major parties are into pork barrel
spending, but I don't agree that because they support
special interests, that they support the SAME special
interests.

I think that there are MAJOR differences between the mayoral
candidates. Given that there are no candidates who share my
political views, I'm in the position of deciding to make my vote
count meaningfully or simply register a protest.  For what
little it's worth I'm going to make my vote count.

On the council side, I have a choice of actually selecting
between candidates from two different parties and even
though I once again have little in common with my choice,
I do get to vote for someone who I don't think owes a
huge debt to special interests.  So I'm a conservative
voting for a Green.  I hope that my vote will help clean up
the stagnant political quagmire that Minneapolis has become,
but looking across the candidates I see only isolated 
possibilities for change.  May God (or the FBI) help us all.

Michael Atherton
Prospect Park