Politics

Dayton, Emmer and Horner answer Hillsider questions about Duluth’s workforce and economic recovery

Minnesota gubernatorial candidates at the Duluth Chamber of Commerce The Forum event on Sept. 7, which was held at the Duluth Playhouse. From left to right: Tom Horner – Independent, Tom Emmer – Republican and Mark Dayton – DFL. (Photo by Naomi Yaeger-Bishcoff)

In the Hillsider’s October issue, the three gubernatorial candidates were asked:

How do you perceive Duluth’s workforce meeting the required skills for economic recovery from this recession?

Here are their answers:

Mark Dayton
Tom Emmer
Tom Horner

League of Women Voters 7th District Candidate Forum Oct. 19

Meet the candidates and learn about issues that affect you and your community! We will have powerful questions for the candidates of the Senate, District 7a and District 7b races. We will be offering free refreshments too!

Tuesday, Oct. 19 · 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: Harbor City International School
332 W. Michigan St., Duluth

Free parking is available at the ramp between 4th and 5th avenues directly west of the school. We’ve got childcare available for those who need it (please make a reservation for your child by calling Anita at 218-428-7232). If you need a ride, we can also help with that! We’re offering free transportation (please call Allan at 218-428-0290 and arrange for your transportation needs).

Ford and Rubin answer our questions

Have you decided who you will vote for in the race between Melanie Ford and Mark Rubin?

The October issue of The Hillsider is out. We have a candidate questionnaire for several of the candidates running for office this November. Read all the candidates who answered by picking up a paper copy.

Here are links to the St. Louis county attorney candidates’ answers to our most recent questions.
Melanie Ford
Mark Rubin

The questions we posed:

  • What things in the County Attorney’s office would you like to see change, expanded or improved upon.
  • What is the greatest injustice that needs correction?
  • What is your favorite place in any of the three neighborhoods that we cover, i.e. Central Hillside, East Hillside or Lincoln Park.


Frank Jewell Fundraiser Oct. 7

Join us in a “Party for Change” to support Frank Jewell’s campaign for St. Louis County Commissioner. On Thursday, Oct. 7, there will be a silent auction at Zeitgeist from 7-9pm with music from Sarah Thompson and Paula Pedersen. At 9pm we’ll shift over to Luce for a concert featuring DJ Kevin Craig, Shaunna Heckman and Retribution Gospel Choir. (more…)

Northland Anti-war Coalition Statement on FBI Raids

On Friday, Sept. 24, FBI agents raided four homes of anti-war and social justice activists in Minneapolis, the offices of the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, two homes in Chicago, and others in Michigan and North Carolina.

All of the activists targeted have been involved in legal, open political work against U.S. wars and for solidarity with the people of Palestine and Latin America. None have yet been charged with any crime.

Reports indicate that this raid was more than a year in the making, and it follows on the heels of a U.S. Justice Department investigation revealing that the FBI has been illegally spying on activists in the peace and social justice movements for several years.
(more…)

Douglas County 2010 Election Results

Statewide results for Wisconsin races related to Douglas County and Duluth’s neighboring port, the city of Superior:

FEDERAL OFFICES



United States Senator, Republican Party
Ron Johnson — 500,925 | 85%
Dave Westlake — 61,303 | 10%
Stephen M. Finn — 29,005 | 5%

United States Representative, Wisconsin District 7
Democratic Party

Julie M. Lassa — 28,576 | 85%
Don Raihala — 5,016 | 15%

United States Representative, Wisconsin District 7
Republican Party

Sean Duffy — 41,032 | 66%
Dan Mielke — 21,100 | 34%

STATEWIDE OFFICE



Wisconsin Governor, Democratic Party
Tom Barrett — 210,972 | 90%
Tim John — 22,268 | 10%

Wisconsin Governor, Republican Party
Scott Walker — 360,032 | 59%
Mark W. Neumann — 237,870 | 39%
Scott S. Paterick — 16,609 | 3%

Wisconsin Governor, Independent Candidates
Jim Langer — 12 | 67
James James — 6 | 33
(This result is for Douglas County only. No one seems to be tracking this race statewide.)

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, Democratic Party
Tom Nelson — 107,029 | 52%
Spencer Coggs — 43,535 | 21%
James L. Schneider — 37,269 | 18%
Henry Sanders — 19,297 | 9%

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, Republican Party
Rebecca Kleefisch — 259,318 | 47%
Brett Davis — 139,211 | 25%
Dave Ross — 80,433 | 15%
Robert Gerald Lorge — 52,199 | 10%
Nick Voegeli — 21,082 | 4%

Wisconsin State Treasurer, Democratic Party
Dawn Marie Sass — 129,510 | 67%
Dan Bohrod — 62,761 | 33%

Wisconsin State Treasurer, Republican Party
Kurt W. Schuller — 169,232 | 37%
Scott Feldt — 166,148 | 36%
Jim Sanfilippo — 123,315 | 27%

Melanie/Mark, Dennis/Frank, and others … ask the Hillsider to ask them

Do you have a question you would like to ask the candidates? The Hillsider will contact them with questions. Please help give us ideas. You could comment here or you could email me at hillsider @ sundogpress.com.  I need your questions by Tuesday, Sept. 14. The Hillsider will run the candidate’s answers in its October issue.

Here are the candidates that we plan to include:

Minnesota Sixth District Judge for Court 11
Mike Cuzzo
Timothy A. Costley

Minnesota State Representative District 7B:
Tony Salls (Independence)
Travis Silvers (Republican) Facebook page
Kerry Gauthier (Democratic-Farmer-Labor)kerryforrep.com

Minnesota State Senator for District 7
Rilla Debot Opelt (Republican)
Roger J. Reinert (DFL)

District 1 County Commissioner
Dennis Fink
Frank Jewell

County Attorney
Melanie Ford
Mark Rubin

Minnesota Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Tom Horner & James A. Mulder (Independence)
Tom Emmer & Annette T. Meeks (Republican)
Mark Dayton & Yvonne Prettner Solon (DFL)

I am looking forward to some unique questions.

Fink does not seek endorsment

First District Commissioner Dennis Fink did not seek the endorsement of AFSCME or the Central Labor Body.  The two have combined and have a new name this year but will still offer two endorsements.  It seems odd to me that one group would hand out two endorsements under the false precedence of being two groups.
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Blue Laws are Stupid, Post #2

One of the questions on the 2010 House of Representatives State Fair Poll (conducted by Minnesota House Public Information Services) was:

Do you believe liquor stores and automobile dealers should be permitted to open on Sundays?

And the results …
Yes ………… 6,742 | 68%
No ………….. 2,480 | 25%
Undecided …… 668 | 7%

So, were the 25 percent who said no all from Lakeside?

(This really ought to be a series. Link to post #1 here.)

Hillsider to Fink and Jewell: Why are issues relating to mining and forestry important?

The September issue of The Hillsider features candidates running for District 1 County Commissioner, Dennis Fink and Frank Jewell, answering two questions:

  • Why are you running?
  • Why care about mining and forestry?

Click on the links below for the answers. The paper issue also contains an encore presentation of questions and answers from candidates for other offices.

Dennis Fink | Frank Jewell

By the way, St. Louis County is over 6,000 square miles — larger than three states: Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island. It has an abundance of natural resources contributing to mining and lumber industries. Why should people in the core neighborhoods of Duluth be concerned? Read up.

Gubernatorial candidates debate in Duluth

Courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio, here’s audio from today’s debate at the Duluth Playhouse between Tom Emmer, Mark Dayton and Tom Horner.

Fierce Alleycat Road Race for Reproductive Justice — Friday at Leif Erickson Park

Brought to you by your local HOTDISH militia*

Deets:
Friday, Sept. 3
4pm Registration
5-7PM Race
Meet at Leif Erickson Park
$5 minimum donation to ride
Prizes for all sorts of fun reasons

An alleycat is a bike race and a scavenger hunt combined – come find out more! Be sure to bring a bike, helmet, backpack and your best costume.

*HOTDISH stands for Hand Over The Decision It Should Be Hers.  We are a small grassroots organization mostly made-up of badass feminists who spend our time advocating for reproductive justice in the Northland while educating ourselves and others.  We have a small fund that we maintain through our fund-raising efforts to ensure that women of the Northland with lower incomes have access to abortion and other reproductive health care services.

Lorrie Janatopoulos for County Commission

Join in to support Lorrie’s run for St. Louis County Commission.

5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1
Carmody Irish Pub – 308 E Superior Street, Duluth, MN

Lorrie is running for Commission in District 5 (Virginia/Eveleth) but that official makes decisions for Duluth, too. We need new, sensible people on our County Commission, so come to the party, meet and talk with Lorrie, and give what you can.

Lorrie Janatopoulos for County Commissioner

Sixth District Candidate Forum

Sixth District House and Senate Candidate Forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters Duluth in cooperation with the Citizens Federation.

Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 6:30pm
Lakewood Town Hall, 3110 Strand Road, Duluth

Candidates scheduled to appear at the forum are: Senator Tom Bakk, Jennifer Havlick, Rep.Mary Murphy, and Keith MacDonald.

The candidates will respond to prepared questions. Each candidate will be given equal time. The forum will last about one hour. It will be open to the public at no charge.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influenced public policy through education and advocacy.

For more information contact LWV Voter Services co-chairs:
Gay Trachsel (218-728-5478) or Elizabeth Olson(218-343-4281).

There’s something about this book cover that makes me want to spend all day making alterations to it in Photoshop

I think I’d start with putting a Superman outfit on him. It’s a good thing I don’t have any Photoshop skills.

A superficial — and less superficial — look at the candidates for Minnesota governor

Setting aside the issues and personal party affiliations for a moment, which candidate for Minnesota Governor has the best website in terms of appearance and functionality?

Farheen Hakeem (Green)
Tom Horner (Independence)
Tom Emmer (Republican)
Mark Dayton (Democratic Farmer Labor)
Ken Pentel (Ecology Democracy)
Linda S. Eno (Resource)
Chris Wright (Grassroots)

As for substance, all the candidates seem to like to provide an “issues” section with a few paragraphs of philosophy about a handful of topics. So far, I’ve only seen two somewhat detailed position papers on the state budget:

Minnesota Works: Horner-Mulder Budget Outline
Mark Dayton’s Deficit Solution

Primary Election Sample Ballot for Douglas County, Wisconsin — Sept. 14, 2010

Wisconsin is keeping it old school, with a traditional September primary. Here’s what’s on the ballot:
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Negative Coverage?

Does any photo published in the DNT even exist on celluloid? I would have thought not, but this suggests otherwise. Or read in your own perceptions of bias. From the home page this morning.

Duluth 2010 Primary Election Results

With 4,136 of 4,136 precincts reporting:

FEDERAL OFFICE



United States Representative, Minnesota District 8 Independence Party
Timothy Olson — 2,515 | 100%

United States Representative, Minnesota District 8
Republican Party

Chip Cravaack — 26,602 | 100%

United States Representative, Minnesota District 8
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

James L. Oberstar — 56,369 | 80%
W.D. (Bill) Hamm — 13,836 | 20% (more…)

A special primary election day message from the guy in Cotton who reminds us we’re all a bunch of toys

Yeah, this sign is from the 2008 election — and has been posted on PDD before — but it’s still up, and the “I told you so” has been added since then.

Whether you’re a toy or not, you still have the right to vote and bitch. You even have the right to not vote and still bitch. So take that for what it’s worth.

Sample ballot posted here.

Oil and Congress Don’t Mix: Campaign Launch

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
SEPARATE OIL AND CONGRESS NOW
CITIZENS FOR CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY

What:  Campaign launch, presentation, discussion.

When: Wednesday, August 4th at 7:00 p.m.

Where: “Friends Meeting House,” aka “Quaker Church” 1802 East 1st Street, Duluth, MN

Please RSVP by following the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=107013446019531&ref=ts

It’s time to party and the candidates’ answers

See the Hillsider electronic newsletter here for links to where the National Night Out parties are located and candidate questionnaires for the upcoming election.

Many people are especially interested in the judicial candidates. At our last board meeting we decided to ask the judicial candidates:

What could you do in your position to prevent the disproportionately high number of children of color that are in the juvenile justice system? Are there alternatives to juvenile detention by focusing on solutions rather than punishment?

Target Corp Gives $150,000 for Republican Tom Emmer

Some Minnesotans seem upset about Minneapolis-based Target giving money for Republican Tom Emmer’s campaign for Minnesota Governor, as Target is usually not associated with conservative politics. Minnesota-based BestBuy also gave $100,000. National News has picked up the story. (more…)

Will Walleye-gate Matter?

The attempt by St. Louis County Commissioner Dennis Fink and State Senator Satveer Chaudhary to circumvent the standard Department of Natural Resources process for changing fishing regulations on the Fish Lake Resevoir has already cost Senator Chaudhary his DFL endorsement and may likely cost him his job. The question is what impact will the Fish Lake scandal have on Commissioner Fink’s bid for re-election? (more…)

St. Louis County Primary Election 2010 Sample Ballot

Some notes on the Aug. 10 Primary Election:

* This is an election in which you have to choose a party. You can’t, for example, vote for a Republican governor and a DFL congressman. On the partisan side of the ballot you have to vote for the same party in all races. That’s how it works, whether you like it or not.

* Your party choices are Republican, Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Independence. Yes, there are some candidates representing other parties — Constitution, Green, Ecology Democracy, Resource and Grassroots — but those candidates do not have any opposition within their parties and therefore move on to the General Election automatically.

* If you live in Duluth, you won’t see the County Commissioner races that are listed on the sample ballot — those are for districts outside of Duluth. Pretty much all of the Duluth-relevant nonpartisan county races have only two or one candidate, so you won’t get to vote on them until November. The exception is the Sixth District Court Judge 11 race, which has eight candidates.
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