This morning I opened my mailbox and found the October edition of the Camden News.  On the cover page were responses from the 4th Ward City Council candidates, including myself.  This edition isn’t yet available online (it’s still September), but we’ll try to post a link when it is.  For now, please read my response to their question - If elected, how will you communicate with the residents of the Fourth Ward and get input from them?”

“I envision a better organized 4^th Ward, with a widely informed and involved community helping me to effectively represent and serve the best interests of residential living in North Minneapolis.  I believe that people who are affected by issues need to be involved in public decision making to address them.  I’ll champion deep community engagement on the Northside to provide truly representative government and participatory democracy in local politics.

 I’m proposing a new model of community engagement from City Hall.  We’ll build what I’m tentatively calling a Northside Community Coalition, a vast and diverse network of residents interested in holding their city government accountable.  Residents will identify the issues that concern them and when we dealt with those issues on the City Council I will inform them of what’s going on, genuinely seeking their input.  You will decide the mode and frequency of our communications and there’s no specific level of commitment required to be a member of this coalition.  Do what you can!  This will be a responsive communications system designed to foster a critical mass of resident leadership which may potentially be mobilized for strategic community improvement actions.  I’ll consistently seek common ground on which we can work together to achieve real progress.  I’ll encourage less complaining and doing more of what works! 

 It’s my intention to represent and serve the entire Ward, not just a small segment.  I’ll consistently visit your neighborhood to remain accessible and in touch with community conditions.  Northsiders will get a far more engaging Council Member with me, one who is comfortable and competent in dealing with people from all walks of life.  I’ll remain sensitive to and inclusive of all the diversity in our community: generational, cultural, economic, religious, political, etc.  Engaging the constituents in our Ward that the incumbent doesn’t have the heart to interact with is a fundamental difference between us. 

 We’ll produce an interactive website for the 4^th Ward.  We’ll publish a monthly electronic newsletter.  We’ll develop innovative constituent service software to track inquiries and complaints, so we’ll remember what was said and done and ensure that we advocate for the best possible outcomes, continually learning and refining best practices. 

 When I’m elected, I’ll make city hall more accessible to Northsiders than ever before.  We’ll convene monthly community meetings and hold weekly community office hours ‘over North’, during times when most people are not working (accessibility).  I’d love to see the City Council scheduling public hearings in our neighborhoods.  Our office will return your calls and emails and I’ll make home visits when necessary.

My grassroots campaign is going door to door, canvassing 400+ blocks!  We’re on track to survey more than 1,000 residents before Election Day (already doing more listening than talking)!  I’m going to hold a series of campaign forums in late October to present the quantified survey results and facilitate discussions about the future of our community.  The way I campaign demonstrates the kind of Council Member I’ll be.  Join this campaign for Northside change!    

Debate at Salem Lutheran Church

The first Ward 4 City Council candidate debate was fun.  When I left the church I initially gave myself a B-, confident that I had outperformed all three of my opponents, but mildly disappointed that I hadn’t been perfect.  After receiving constructive criticism and reflecting on the debate an hour or two later at home, I raised my performance grade to B+.  Being in a generous mood, I gave each of my opponents B’s. 

I admit to being a little nervous, or as an observer described me, ”shy.”  Believe it or not, I am shy!  Most people, including my wife, don’t believe I’m shy when I tell them because I’m so often emboldened to be outspoken and active!

The format was decent, but I would have preferred a more interactive format…  It would be more interesting if the attendees were given the opportunity to directly ask the candidates questions - verbally.  Having event organizers screen and filter questions written on index cards may be somewhat time-efficient, but it’s also suspect because we don’t know if controversial questions are discarded for safer questions.  We as a community must discuss the controversial issues in order to begin acting to correct neighborhood and/or city problems.  Moreover, a good moderator will limit the length of time that audience questioners speak, individually and collectively, to fit the schedule.   

The issues we discussed:

*  Predatory lending and the foreclosure crisis

*  Holding landlords accountable

*  Being tough on crime and holding police accountable

*  Property taxes

*  Small businesses

*  Job creation

*  Our visions, as candidates, for how we’ll represent and communicate with the community

The time passed quickly during the 90 minute event, and I didn’t get to publicly challenge my opponents to more than the 2 debates that have been called before November 3rd, including another League of Women Voters moderated debate tentatively scheduled on Thursday October 15th.  I wanted to ask the 75-120 people in the audience if they believed the 4th Ward deserves more than a mere 2 debates!  If voters are to make a comparison between the 4 candidates, then how can they do it if they never get a chance to see us presenting our campaigns together, debating the issues.  2 debates is not enough!

I felt I did a good job of holding the incumbent accountable, calling out erroneous decisions on her voting record, and her enormous disconnection with most of the ward.  At one point I cut off TP, telling him that he doesn’t know me, because he repeatedly alleged that he was the only one of the candidates who had been active in the community, essentially claiming that none of us has done any community work.  That is offensive because most of the work I’ve done in my adult life has been community work, and I’ve volunteered hundreds if not thousands of hours during my young life!  Furthermore, it demonstrates how desperate he is to get elected, and I also questioned his motivations for running.  Is it for status?  I share his positions on most, if not all the issues he addresses, but being passionate about the community and being a DFL activist since he first ran 12 years ago doesn’t qualify him for the City Council. 

With only 39 days until the November 3rd Minneapolis Elections there is little time left to schedule many more candidate debates, but I’m going to draft letters this weekend to all of the churches and neighborhood groups in the ward to encourage them to organize additional debates. 

Debate at Henry high? 

In late August I delievered a letter to the Camden Youth Engagement Project (CYEP), encouraging them to organize and moderate a candidate debate.  We also called and left voice mail but we never heard back from them.  Last week I emailed the Community Events manager at Henry high school a letter addressed to the Principal Corey Harris, encouraging them to encourage students to make a student led debate happen, at Henry.  When I made a follow-up call, I was greeted was great enthusiasm and told they would get on it.  I offered to provide as much guidance and support as needed.  As the only candidate in the Ward 4 race who graduated from Henry, this venue would obviously provide me with homefield advantage.  More importantly, fostering opportunities for youth development is one of my a major platform issues.    I worked with kids from K-12 for 7 years after high school.  I intend to be very active with the Northside youth throughout my terms in office, helping to increase youth leadership development training and mentoring opportunities.

Here is the letter I sent to Henry:

“Dear Principal Harris,

My name is Marcus Harcus and I’m a candidate running for City Council in the 4^th Ward (located mostly in and covering most of Camden).  I’m writing to propose the involvement of Henry high students in the Minneapolis electoral process this year.  Most of the students may not be able to vote in the city elections but they can definitely play an influential role in the outcome and learn valuable lessons about civic engagement and democracy in action. 

In 2005 there were 16,260 registered voters in Ward 4, but only 3,984 of those people showed up at the polls (24%) to vote to elect the Mayor, and members of the City Council, Park Board and the Board of Estimate and Taxation.  Our Council Member ran uncontested in that race.  Of the 13 City Council Wards in Minneapolis, ours had the second lowest voter turnout in the city!

It’s boring and frustrating for voters, and it is unhealthy for democracy when elections don’t have rigorous debate about important issues and a diverse set of candidates to choose from.  Fortunately this year, 2009, there are 4 candidates, myself included, running for the 4^th Ward City Council office.  The three other candidates are Troy Parker, Grant Cermak, and the incumbent Barb Johnson.

This year promises to be an exciting and unprecedented election for Ward 4.  I am striving to canvass all 400+ residential blocks in the Ward, and Troy Parker is hanging campaign literature on every door in the Ward and planting many campaign signs.  Our efforts, individually and collectively, will significantly increase the voter turnout this year! 

 

This local election year will be historic for another reason:

The City of Minneapolis is implementing a new voting system called Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).  There will be no Primary Election this year (akin to championship playoffs and held in past years on the 2^nd Tuesday in September).  On the General Election Day, held on the 1^st Tuesday in November, all candidates’ names will appear on the ballot.  Voters will rank the candidates in order of their preference, for up to 3 candidates – 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd choices.  In order to get elected a candidate must get 50% of the total votes + 1 - a true majority.  If there is no winner on the first count then the candidate with the least votes gets eliminated from the ballot and all of the voters’ 2^nd ranked choices will transfer over to the remaining candidates.  If none of the remaining candidates reaches the true majority threshold on the second count then again the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and all of the voters’ 3^rd ranked choices will transfer over to the remaining candidates.  A winner should be decided by this point. 

 

Ranked Choice Voting serves the following purposes:

-          to save the City money by eliminating the Primary Election, which most voters typically don’t participate in

-          to provide the voters with more candidate options in the General Election and the ability to have their vote count for the winner, regardless who wins
(If not your 1^st choice, then either your 2^nd or 3^rd choice candidate will be elected)

-          to provide outcomes that are decided by a true majority vote of 50% + 1
(e.g. no election winners with 40% of the vote)

Last year’s presidential election got a lot of youth across the country excited and interested in politics as never before.  I would love to see this excitement carried on into local politics, and engage a generation of young people to encourage active political involvement in their community.

There are a few ways I envision the Henry students getting involved:

-          Organize and moderate a Ward 4 City Council Candidate Debate.  This would be powerful!  I believe such a debate should be held at Henry high school and address many issues that concern Northside youth.  Students in the audience should be allowed to ask the candidates questions.

 

-          Help educate the community about Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) by partnering with the City of Minneapolis’ RCV Outreach efforts.  I intend to do my part to educate the community, so if any individual Henry students are interested in independently helping me to distribute RCV educational literature door to door you are welcome to join me.

 

-          Participate in activities to Get Out The Vote (GOTV) leading up to, and on Election Day: Tuesday November 3^rd, 2009.     

 

It is my desire to engage the youth in our community, both during my campaign and after I’m elected.  If your group is open to advising me on how I might effectively recruit Northside youth to help me make history during the final 6 weeks of the campaign, then please inform me. 

 

Thanks for your attention and consideration.  I enthusiastically await your reply!

 

Sincerely,

 

Marcus Harcus

 

 

 

 

North Minneapolis

Wednesday, September 23^rd, 2009

 

Peace”

 

 

 

 

Candidate Debate

I’m preparing for a 4th Ward City Council candidate debate this upcoming Tuesday, September 22nd – 6:00pm – at Salem Lutheran church, 4150 North Dupont Avenue.  The League of Women Voters will moderate.  I’m excited!  If you’re reading this blog in time, please show up to support me!

The Victory Neighborhood Association recently invited me to another candidate debate on Thursday October 15th at Loring Elementary, so save the date and stay tuned!

It would be great if more community organizations would step up to organize additional candidate debates, at least one in each of the 7 residential neighborhoods in our ward.  Two debates are not enough and I’ll be certain to make this point on Tuesday, questioning the community members present if they agree and urging them to demand it.  Candidates canvassing, door knocking, lit dropping, and hand-shaking at community events does not give residents enough opportunities to see the candidates present their cases in direct competition with their challengers.  If we’re competing for votes, I believe voters should have numerous opportunities to make comparisons with us all present.  Blog readers – please show up to support me!

 

A Prayer

A couple weeks ago I was meeting with a great church woman, whose name I won’t disclose…  When she learned that I was running for City Council in Ward 4, and campaigning to unseat BJ, she immediately grabbed my hand and started praying.  It was deep.  There is such widespread discontent with the incumbent, and I’m talking about people from throughout the Northside and all across the Twin Cities metro area – that all it takes is for the disaffected to get organized, and that’s what I’m doing, as well as reaching out to those voters who may be confused and satisfied with the status quo.  I’m glad all of the challengers of the incumbent are mobilizing Northside residents who are ready for new blood on the City Council which has proven to be undemocratic and irresponsible too many times during the past 12 years.  Please pray for me and join this campaign for Northside Change!

 

Sign Wars

My campaign signs are finally proliferating now.  I’ve still got a couple hundred in my garage.  Many of my supporters don’t host political signs in their yards, which confirms my belief that while the signs are useful marketing tools to generate candidate name recognition (branding, damn it, branding), yard signs are not the decisive factor in determining the winner of electoral races.  Signs most definitely don’t indicate the best candidate.  Moreover, addressing issues doesn’t indicate one’s ability to do anything about it other than vote a particular way on City Council Actions. 

Thank God and my parents.  I’ve got the most memorable name by far and believe this is an advantage that will benefit me in the ballot boxes with undecided voters, so the quantity isn’t too important so long as the visibility of the signs is sufficient and more importantly, as long as enough community members are connected to the movement. 

Call or email me for a campaign sign or to volunteer:

o   (612) 600.0155 or

o   marcus@marcusharcus.org 

A woman called me a month ago and initially asked my wife for a Troy Parker sign.  The woman sounded confused and asked if my daughter went to Jenny Lind, which she does.  The phone was passed to me and after I explained who I was the caller asked me to deliver a campaign sign.  A day or two later I planted it in her yard.  When I canvassed her block a week later and arrived at her home this woman met me at the front door.  She told me that she had received the wrong sign because she had already met Troy Parker and promised him her vote.  I told her about the new Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system and how she can vote for up to three candidates, in order of her preference.  She told me that I could get her second ranked vote and that I could keep my sign in her yard as long as I called TP and asked him to deliver one of his signs to her.  Two days thereafter I called TP and left a message, describing the situation as I’ve written it here.  TP never called me back, but a week or so later I found my sign removed from the woman’s yard and placed outside of my front door.  I don’t believe TP was honest with the woman.  My sign was also scratched up and the rods were unnecessarily removed.  I reconstructed it and posted it in a supporter’s yard, directly across the street from TP’s house (lol).

When I recently asked someone to place a campaign sign in his yard I was informed that TP had posted two signs on the fence without permission.  I was granted permission to post mine as long as I removed TP’s, which I did.  I’ll soon return them to his front door, as a courtesy.  TP is campaigning tenaciously in terms of lit dropping and sign-raising, but I think he’s going too far.  Yesterday I witnessed one yard with at least 4 signs on the fence and early this summer I saw a sign on the parkway, although it was quickly removed (illegal). 

 

Campaign Finance Reports

BJ has an entrenched incumbent’s campaign bank account: She’s raised $39,319.17 this year and spent $31,055.23.  I noticed some big money names listed as donors on her campaign revenue statement, like Bill McGuirre (former United Health CEO) and Pohlad family members.  It seemed like many, if not most of them lived outside of the Northside or Minneapolis alltogether.  Yes, there’s no competing with her with fundraising, but I can do much more with much less! 

If everyone who is truly ready for change in our community’s representation in the 4^th Ward City Council office would contribute the minimum amount you can invest, we will do so much more than the incumbent with so much less because I’m running this race in a hardcore grassroots manner that resonates widely and deeply with the majority of Northsiders I meet, from all backgrounds. 

Please donate what and when you can.  If you can’t, please remember that volunteering is priceless because money won’t win this race – organizing will!

TP has raised less money than I have, $2,631.68, but his personal loan to his campaign of $4,958.37 has provided him with more than twice the amount of money I’ve raised, $3,111.  At the time of the report his remaining campaign cash balance was $301 and mine was $469.  I suspected he’d mostly self-financed his campaign since he ran for this office in 1997, shortly after moving to the Northside.  That was the same year BJ first ran for the seat vacated by her retiring mother, the late Alice Rainville, the first woman Council president and previous CM since 1975.  BJ began this campaign year 2009 with $13,017.19 and she has a remaining balance of $21,281.13.  She’s spent literally 10 times the amount of money that I’ve raised - $31,000, but she’s not door knocking and although her base of supporters are organized, they are far outnumbered.  These campaign finance numbers were submitted by our campaigns to the Hennepin County Campaign Finance Office in the 2009 Pre-Primary Campaign Finance Reports due on September 8th.  Don’t be confused or disillusioned because all of that money won’t  be enough.  The incumbent can’t afford to buy a re-election.  The 4th Ward tells me that 3 terms is enough for her! 

A great supporter recently motivated me and helped to organize a fundraiser at my home on September 17th.    Thank you AG!  I was reluctant to do this in my home, but we had an amazing potluck, good music, good conversation, a masseuse and good weather.  I was pleased to meet and get to know several neighbors that day!  Thanks to my wife and her sister from New Orleans; your support is appreciated!  (She told me, “you’re welcome.”)  It was a great event and we raised $1,350, including donations from people who couldn’t attend.  Prior to the event I had only $103 because it’s easy to spend money when you don’t have much.  What a difference a day makes! 

Even if YOU cannot afford to give a dollar, please consider raising modest amounts of money from your network to make a collective contribution / host a house party? 

Ward 4 in North Minneapolis needs, and the vast majority of people want a new face, with a youthful voice, high intelligence and a compassionate spirit representing them.  Northsiders want a Northside native who deeply cares about the community and will faithfully serve the community’s best interests.  I will work on the City Council with the community to improve the quality of residential living, champion sustainable economic development, foster opportunities and save taxpayer’s money.  I’ll work harder and smarter with a coalition of community members to demonstrate the kind of collaborative, visionary, equitable, engaging and progressive political leadership that the City of Minneapolis needs.