The Endorsement Process
A few weeks back (June 28 if you want to look it up), I posted about being on a committee that screened political candidates for Education Minnesota (my union) to decide if they should be endorsed for election. Bro asked "how do you decide which candidate to endorse?Is it a majority [v]ote deal, or do you need to reach a consensus?" A question to which I never responded, until now. Yesterday we interviewed (screened) two other candidates who couldn't make our original screening date. All told, we screened five candidates for three seats, two in the House, and one in the state Senate. Technically, the committee doesn't have the power to endorse candidates. We sent a recommendation to the PAC branch of the union in one of three forms: endorsement, no endorsement, or defer to the PAC. The matter in each case came to a vote; consensus would have been impossible to reach in at least some cases.
In the state senate case, we voted "no endorsement" for our current state senator, who came to us with basically the attitude, "I won't get your endorsement because I'm in the wrong party." The vote was 3 "no" and 2 to defer. (There were only five committee members present at yesterday's meeting; eight on the original date.) Her challenger in the race, we voted to defer, although there may have been some "no" votes (it was three weeks ago; I don't recall the exact vote). In one of the House races, we voted unanimously to endorse the challenger, who was knowledgable and had "good" positions on issues. It probably helped that his opponent, the encumbent, refused the invitation to meet with us. The other House race was interesting. We voted to endorse the challenger (3 votes "yes", 2 to defer). The incumbent, who we screened earlier, was deferred. The vote that day was 6 to defer, 1 "yes" to endorse, and 1 "no." (I was the lone "no" vote that time.)
I've been thinking that voting "to defer" (which, admittedly, I did at some point) is the wimpy option. It's almost like copping out, not making a decision. Of course, these are recommendations only. The PAC gets our recommendation along with notes that each of us took during the screening/interview process, and they can choose to go along with it or overturn it (which I'm told has been done for our neck of the woods in the past).
If anyone's read this far, you're probably more of a political junkie than I am.
In the state senate case, we voted "no endorsement" for our current state senator, who came to us with basically the attitude, "I won't get your endorsement because I'm in the wrong party." The vote was 3 "no" and 2 to defer. (There were only five committee members present at yesterday's meeting; eight on the original date.) Her challenger in the race, we voted to defer, although there may have been some "no" votes (it was three weeks ago; I don't recall the exact vote). In one of the House races, we voted unanimously to endorse the challenger, who was knowledgable and had "good" positions on issues. It probably helped that his opponent, the encumbent, refused the invitation to meet with us. The other House race was interesting. We voted to endorse the challenger (3 votes "yes", 2 to defer). The incumbent, who we screened earlier, was deferred. The vote that day was 6 to defer, 1 "yes" to endorse, and 1 "no." (I was the lone "no" vote that time.)
I've been thinking that voting "to defer" (which, admittedly, I did at some point) is the wimpy option. It's almost like copping out, not making a decision. Of course, these are recommendations only. The PAC gets our recommendation along with notes that each of us took during the screening/interview process, and they can choose to go along with it or overturn it (which I'm told has been done for our neck of the woods in the past).
If anyone's read this far, you're probably more of a political junkie than I am.
posted by Kootch | 11:15 PM
4 Comments:
I did read that far, but not because I'm a political junkie.
Yesterday I filled out paperwork to become a candidate for the local school board.
Though n0ot even close to being in the same league as what you were doing, I am certainly interested in politics and education.
Stix, that is so cool! I've often thought if I wasn't a teacher, I'd run for school board. Good luck. I think you'd make a great school board member.
Or we have too much time on our hands.
Stix: Yes, that is cool. I hope your school board is treated with more respect and consideration by the community and the media than the one here in Winona seems to be.
But it's a tought job, expecially when they have to make budget decisions and when they need to ask for more tax levies beacuse of the lack of funds coming from the State with that jackass governor and his "no new taxes' pledge.!
I don't know what the current situation is with the school board in Winona, but I remember the community not having much respect and consideration for the teachers.
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