All posts in the topic Sierra Club Endorses Jeff Hayden for House 61B Seat (Short link)
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- There are 12 posts — by 9 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by Guy Gambill at Oct 12 23:04 UTC
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| mtoburen Toburen | Sierra Club.doc | Oct 09 18:39 UTC |
Sierra Club Endorses Jeff Hayden for House 61B Seat
Minnesota House candidate Jeff Hayden announced today the endorsement of the
Sierra Club, a non-partisan environmental organization with 20,000 members in
Minnesota.
"We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful state as Minnesota, and we must
remain vigilant to protect our air, land, and water," said Hayden. "I'm
honored to have the endorsement of such a respected organization like the
Sierra Club."
Hayden is also endorsed by the DFL Party, firefighters, teachers, and nurses
among others. To view a complete list of endorsements, visit
www.jeffhayden.org.
The following file was added to this topic:
Well, the Sierra Club will not endorse the Green Party candidate,
Farheen Hakeem?
A political party built on the principles of environmentalism and
whose core values include getting big money and corporate influence
out of our democracy. Seeing as those corporate influences are the
root causes of much of the issues surrounding the global warming
crisis we all face. I am shocked I tell you.
Next you will tell me that groups like Progressive Minnesota AKA
Take Action Minnesota would endorse people like Mayor Coleman, who
then set up secret Free Speech Committees which give the police full
authority to torture, mace, tase, gas and otherwise assault and
brutalize peaceful protesters practicing their First Amendment Right
to Free Speech and Assembly. Protecting the RNC instead.
Of course, one can so easily make the argument that the Sierra Club
is an organization of white, privileged, comfortable, middle class folks,
whose opinions are irrelevant to many of the people of 61B. In fact, given
that reality I would think that getting the endorsement of said white,
privileged, comfortable, middle class organizations would actually be a
liability to Mr Jeff Haden and the organization he represents.
We can also make the assumption that the power elite are getting a wee
bit nervous. That is a good thing.
Michael Cavlan RN
Enviornmentalist
Long Time Media, Social Justice, Trade Union Activist
Powderhorn
greenpartymike wrote:
> [The Green Party,]
> A political party built on the principles of environmentalism and
> whose core values include getting big money and corporate influence
> out of our democracy. Seeing as those corporate influences are the
> root causes of much of the issues surrounding the global warming
> crisis we all face. I am shocked I tell you. ...
The Green Party of Minnesota's vigorous and inexplicable
defense of the right of a Green Party City Council member
to surreptitiously accept envelopes stuffed with cash from
a developer weakens your claim.
Does the Green Party of Minnesota endorse this behavior for
all elected officials, or just those of the Green Party?
Perhaps, it is time for the Green Party of Minnesota to
go on record opposing corruption on the part of _any_
elected official.
> We can also make the assumption that the power elite are getting a wee
> bit nervous. That is a good thing.
On what planet?
Timothy J. Salo wrote:
The Green Party of Minnesota's vigorous and inexplicable
defense of the right of a Green Party City Council member
to surreptitiously accept envelopes stuffed with cash from
a developer weakens your claim.
I'm confused. Is it wrong to accept campaign contributions from developers?
Or, is it wrong to accept them surreptitiously? And do you hold every other
member of the City Council and other elective officials to the same standard?
The carnival atmosphere under which Dean was convicted was an abomination of
justice. The jury and the public were primed to see evil and corruption in
Dean's acceptance of a campaign contribution. If it would have been a fair
trial, the jury would have been able to see every other Council Member, every
Mayoral candidate and every other candidate for elective office accepting
campaign contributions. What was missing was context. Further, the federal
law under which he was convicted requires that there be a quid pro quo. The
developer asked that Dean vote for his project. Dean considered the
developer's proposal on its merits, and, then, voted against it. There was no
quid pro quo. Dean should never have been convicted.
Ed Felien
The Hayden family has generations of community and neighborhood activism on
their side; why wouldn't a native son get the endorsement. Isn't that what
grassroots activism is?
He is also working with Bobby Champion who I believe isn’t the endorsed DFL
candidate for 58B. That is hardly hard-line insider activity, considering Ms.
Hakeem has DFL associates as well.
61B is such a progressive district that Hayden and Hakeem are running. Where is
the gratitude in that accomplishment for the City of Minneapolis? Both the DFL
and the Greens have candidates of color and now the voters have to judge by the
contents of their characters. And not vote just because of…
I will never vote for a candidate because of color or gender. I know some fly
white guys. I do not think that white men have to pay for Millennia of
oppression in one generation.
So what is this really about? Is Ms. Hakeem entitled to the endorsement
because she is female and a Green? Just because it doesn't go your way,
doesn't mean it isn't fair. It might just mean that Mr. Hayden has run the
stronger campaign.
Greetings,
I am going to give a collective response to three e-mails here: What is wrong
with someone receiving an endorsement for public office based upon a
presumption that they are entitled by familial descent? Ah, that would be the
reason many of our ancestors fled the oppressive societies of Europe...the
landed Gentry and Aristocracy who passed on political and social power based on
lineage rather than merit...fought a little thing here about that...the
American Revolution. Ever hear of it? Out of that Colonial hissy fit we derived
a
Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Amendments, the bedrock of
our
great republic..and the ignorant are flocking in loud droves to undo all that
was accomplished at the inception.
Mr. Hayden might be the nicest guy in the world. His father, Peter, has
unquestionably
done a great deal of work and many good things in our communities. A valid
question
to ask about the many endorsements thrown Hayden's way during this election
cycle
is, "Have the endorsements been given because of what he has done or because of
the
family name and the affiliations possessed by its members?"
In the case of Mr. Hayden, during the course of this election much has been
made
of his credentials and advocacy around homelessness and housing. I find that
rather
odd. The Corporation for Supportive Housing and its Subsidiary organization,
Hearth
Connection (Mr. Hayden's place of employment) may be said to be doing many
things....
but ending homelessness? Really? They are very well-funded and they write very
nice grants...but if they were "activists" you would have run into them in the
work involved
around critical areas of focus that need to be addressed if we really want to
"End
Homelessness" or help folks with Affordable Housing. So, basing any assessment
on
"The Bible" of Homelessness here in Minnesota, the Wilder Foundation's surveys.
Let's look at that research and what it tells us and hold that up to the
assertion that
Mr. Hayden is, in any way, an "activist" in the realm of work around housing
and homelessness.
Focus areas from Wilder Research, 2006 Survey
Congratulations Jeff, this is a very impressive achievement. The Sierra Club
endorsement is definitely an asset in the SD61B race.
I was endorsed by the Sierra Club in my in 2001 8th Ward city council
campaign and it was very helpful. In my 2005 6th Ward race the Sierra Club
did not endorse me or my Green Party opponent. I'm glad to see they are
willing help elect a new strong ally to the state legislature.
This is one more example of Jeff Hayden's ability to build a broad coalition
to make life better here in SD 61. Jeff will be a great state legislator.
Peace,
Robert Lilligren
Ward 6
Phillips West
Council Member,
The ability to get elected to public office does demonstrate effective
coalition building.
But building coalitions to do what? In the case of this particular instance
neither you
nor Mr. Hayden has been involved in the past 5 years at anything approaching
the State or even the municipal level on these matters...I know this because I
have and you guys have
simply not been there, period.
In Mr. Hayden's District there are some very serious concerns involving
immigration
policy, health care and education systems access, city zoning and planning
policy,
justice reform, homeless and housing access....both of you attended the
"Minding
the Gap" and Racial Disparities Initiative research review sessions...
How is it that I have served on pretty much every State and Regional entity
around
housing and homeless legislative work, served on AFFIRM's advisory committee
for years working on immigration policy, helped write the RDI recommendations
for
the CCJ and know, chapter and verse, the Minding the Pap research from
Brookings-Itasca,
am still advising and consulting at the State and Federal level...how is it
that both
of you offer endorsements for one another based on an ability to "build
coalitions" around
these issues without ever showing up?
Honestly, here is what I see: The son of a prominent local journalist who is
supporting
the son of another prominent long-term and well-known community member based on
his "work" around a very specific set of social policy issues.
Here is what we have...a local variation of the Bush-Cheney "Coalition of the
Willing"
ready to appoint an Arabian Horse-Breeder to head up FEMA....isn't that what we
have
here?
Neither of you has been in the mix at the State---or even municipal, local--
level
fighting to ensure that the disparities and social realities so clearly
out-lined during
RDI and by Brookings-Itasca, as well as, the IRP and work-groups at our State
Legislature.
That is not an opinion, it is a fact, period...I helped write some of those
recommendations
and have served on most of the groups involved both here and at a National
level (I gave
up on you guys downtwon) and a Council Member who has not been involved
endorsing
a Candidate for State House based on building invisible coalitions...well, not
exactly
what is needed right now.
You are public servants. You do not have some sort of unspoken "right" to
public
office based on family connections....you gotta do the work and demonstrate
some
results...so I am asking again...what has Mr. Hayden done on public policy
around
the issues he is running on and how do you feel your endorsement in some way
should
matter? On most of the issues of concern you have voted in manner contrary
to what most folks in the District in queston would welcome...and your support
of this
candidate is supposed to mean something?
I have always been respectful towards you, Council Member, but your comments
here lack any semblance of validity...elected officials downtown need to quit
holding
up the current catastrophe we face as evidence that you are doing your work
well....
When I look at your voting record on a variety of issues it more closely
resembles the
record of a GOP legislator than that of a progressive policy-maker...
What is it with you guys anyway? We face a 3 billion dollar deficit, a housing
crisis without any recent precedent, a growing insolvency in business, a
decaying
transportation infastructure, collapsing public schools...an exploding
corrections problem,
some of the worst social disparities in the USA and you act as if all is
well...Are you
guys simpy that out of touch? Do you think we can't see that you are faling us?
Guy Gambill
Question: Does anyone even know whether Farheen Hakeem even sought the Sierra
Club's endorsement?
If she didn't, then the endorsement does not really mean much other than to say
that there was nothing about Hayden that Sierra Club thought made him
unacceptable for endorsement, not that he'd be any better at representing their
interests than Hakeem would be.
Mark Snyder
Windom Park
> Timothy J. Salo wrote:
>
> The Green Party of Minnesota's vigorous and inexplicable
> defense of the right of a Green Party City Council member
> to surreptitiously accept envelopes stuffed with cash from
> a developer weakens your claim.
Ed Felien wrote:
> I'm confused.
This is a claim that I will not try to refute.
Reordering:
> And do you hold every other member of the City Council
> and other elective officials to the same standard?
Absolutely!
I reject the notion that my personal friends and political
allies should be held to a lower standard of ethical behavior
than my political foes. This, in my view, is the saddest
part of this whole episode. The Green Party of Minnesota
abandoned their traditional strong stand against political
corruption when one of their own was indited and later
convicted.
If you have credible evidence that _any_ local official
is betraying the public trust, please contact the
appropriate authorities.
> Is it wrong to accept campaign contributions from developers?
This raises two interesting questions.
First, the Green Party's remaining council member wrote in
August 2006:
I have never and will never knowingly take any money from
developers, or anyone who has business pending before the
City Council, campaign contributions or otherwise. I support
changing Minneapolis campaign finance rules to prohibit
candidates from knowingly taking money from people with
business before the City.
Cam Gordon deserves a lot of credit for his well thought-out
statement of August 2006. I recommend that the Green Party
of Minnesota reread it periodically. Better yet, the Green
Party should endorse Cam's guidelines.
Second, I don't believe that the incidents of public corruption
to which you refer involved campaign contributions. There
were several transfers of envelopes stuffed with $100 bills.
No receipts. No records. And, most of the money disappeared.
After the fact, various claims were made that this
no-longer-available cash was destined for a legal defense
fund, not a campaign fund. If there aren't any laws against
political campaigns accepting large sums of unrecorded cash
(from a single source, not from your donation jar) I think
there ought to be. Never mind that the ex-council member in
question was recorded instructing the developer on how to
circumvent campaign finance laws.
Now it's my turn to be confused. Why did you want to remind
us of the details of this episode? I was criticizing the
Green Party of Minnesota for its support of these crimes,
not the perpetrator of the crimes himself. The perpetrator
has served his time. Now it is time for the Green Party to
make amends for its mistakes.
> Or, is it wrong to accept them surreptitiously?
Would you care to guess what my views are about elected
officials surreptitiously accepting envelopes stuffed with
cash (with no records and no receipts)? _Any_ elected
official.
Timothy J. Salo wrote:
“The Green Party of Minnesota's vigorous and inexplicable defense of the right
of a Green Party City Council member to surreptitiously accept envelopes
stuffed with cash from a developer weakens your claim.”
I am not a Green Party member. At the same time, I believe there may be a
difference here between information used to convict Dean Zimmermann and the
truth. Regardless of what the court decision was, I’ll go with the truth.
The basic facts, as I know them, are these:
1. A developer named Carlson, who had pending business with the city,
approached Dean Zimmermann about making a contribution.
2. Zimmermann suggested that Carlson contribute the proposed money to a legal
defense fund that was being established in connection with a redistricting
lawsuit, which was perfectly legal.
3. Carlson gave Zimmermann one or more envelopes containing cash in response
to that suggestion.
4. Zimmermann’s incriminating “money, money, money” remark was said at a
Zimmermann campaign fundraiser. He had said the same thing in public.
5. Zimmermann did not vote the way Carlson wanted in his business before the
city.
6. The FBI raided Zimmermann’s house and found the envelopes containing
Carlson’s money which had not yet been deposited into an account for the legal
defense fund. Therefore, it was considered comingled with Zimmermann’s
personal funds and was considered a bribe.
I think, at most, Zimmermann was guilty of procrastination or negligence in
handling money. He was in the midst of a demanding reelection campaign and may
not have had time to set up the separate checking account. If he did not vote
for Carlson’s project, how could the donation be considered a bribe? That’s
what my friend from Union City, New Jersey, wanted to know.
The whole case stank. The U.S. Attorney’s office under Bush has been highly
politicized. The raid directly disrupted Zimmermann’s reelection campaign. I
heard that the same thing happened to another Green candidate about the same
time.
So the feds sent Zimmermann to prison for 17 months while most members of
Congress, receiving huge amounts of money from special-interest contributors,
do, in fact, vote the way those contributors want. In my mind, they’re the
ones who took bribes. But bribery has a legal definition and those politicians
wrote the laws.