Candidates clamoring to get a seat on community council
After some grassroots rallying, the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council is looking to have what could be its most lively board elections ever.
In some recent board elections, there haven’t even been enough candidates to fill the seats, the council’s director Deanna Abbott-Foster laments.
But this year, that’s changed — there are 20 candidates registered for the 11 open seats. And with all the candidates campaigning and asking neighbors to vote, the voter turnout should be much higher as well.
Abbott-Foster says the high number of candidates comes out of an effort to make the council’s board more representative of its population — with the neighborhood being 60 percent people of color, the board doesn’t reflect that population, and instead is mostly comprised of white people.
With at least eight candidates of color on the ballot this year, odds are the council will gain more ethnic diversity.
Candidates compete for seats in four separate sub-districts, as well as one at large seat for Metropolitan State University students. To view all the candidates’ profiles, visit http://www.daytonsbluff.org/meet-the-candidates/.
To get the word out, candidates have been asked to hand out fliers with information about when they can vote. And all of the candidates have been given a chance to do a radio interview on WEQY 104.7, the East Side’s community radio station. Those interviews will air every day until the night of the Dayton’s Bluff District Council annual meeting, Monday, Dec. 21.
Abbott-Foster notes that in addition to getting residents excited in local politics, the effort also can help drum up enthusiasm for the 2016 election process. She’s hoping the district will have a higher-than-usual voter turnout for the 2016 presidential election.
Dayton’s Bluff is one of St. Paul’s 17 district councils. According to St. Paul’s website, “responsibilities of the councils include: planning and advising on the physical, economic, and social development of their areas; identifying needs; initiating community programs; recruiting volunteers; and sponsoring community events.”
Polls open all week
Hoping to make voting easier for the district council board election, polls will be open for an entire week before the election — Dayton’s Bluff residents can come into the East Side Enterprise Center starting Monday, Dec. 14, to cast their vote. Voting hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Dec. 14 through 17, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18. District residents can also vote from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, Dec. 21, and at the annual meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Abbott-Foster says the council has been encouraging candidates to canvas and make lists of networks in their neighborhoods — some candidates are going a step further and making call lists to contact residents asking them to vote.
Candidates have been provided yard signs to hand out as well, and people are using social media to promote their campaigns.
For more information about the elections, visit http://www.daytonsbluff.org/about-us/board-elections-2015/.
Youngin on the council
Tong Thao, the youngest board member on the council at 25, says he’s encouraged by this year’s efforts to get a more diverse council.
He notes that he’s one of three people of color currently on the board of 13 members.
“It doesn’t reflect the community,” which is 60 percent people of color, Thao says.
“Almost nobody knows about the district council system, at least in my community,” he says. But, he figures that’s changing with this year’s push.
“This is our chance to kind of take our community and take ownership of it,” he says.
To do his part, he reached out to friends and acquaintances, in hopes of finding people he could encourage to run. He met with two people one-on-one and encouraged them to seek seats on the council, helping them understand why they and their community would benefit from being on the board. Now, they’re running for seats.
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