Whittier Alliance Board Elections
Mar. 26th, 2014 01:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davidschrothThe Annual Meeting of the Whittier Alliance is on Thursday night. In addition to rehashing the accomplishments of the past year, there are five board seats that are up for election. Since I've made a (bad) habit of writing about candidates in local elections (said habit spurred by the difficulty encountered in trying to find out anything about the candidates in judicial elections, or the candidates for the Boards of the Soil and Water Conservation Districts), I thought I should do the same for this election.
Mind, there's slightly more to it than that. Traditionally, the current board has to do a lot of arm-twisting and begging to get enough people to run for the five open seats. At least once since I've started attending the Annual Meetings the result has been that all three candidates were elected to the board, leaving two empty seats.
Suddenly, this has all changed. There was a surfeit of candidates last year, and this year there are fourteen candidates for the five open seats. I'll grant that one of the candidates is difficult to take seriously, but why is a seat on the board of the Whittier Alliance suddenly such a hot ticket?
Well, my middle name isn't Wild Speculation, but I'll give it a shot, regardless.
I think it all comes down to Nicollet Avenue. For years, nay decades, the neighborhood and the Whittier Alliance have been working on getting Nicollet Avenue re-opened. And for years, their efforts were, basically, ignored. Recently, however, it's become clear that the city has gotten serious about re-opening Nicollet, and it actually looks like it's going to happen. And now, in the immortal words of Deep Throat, "Follow the money." When Nicollet Avenue is re-opened, that plot of land offers a major opportunity for some parties to make a boatload of money and/or the things money can buy (including political influence). That plot will be straddling a planned streetcar line, and it will be right next door to a new transit station/expanded freeway/redone Lake Street. And it will also be abutting the Midtown Greenway.
So I think a number of parties looked at this impending change, and decided that it would be prudent to either get representation on the board, or control the board, so they'd have some control over the message the community sends about what the community wants.
Like I said, Wild Speculation.
Anyway, I promised my rundown on the fourteen candidates for the Board of Directors of the Whittier Alliance (still fewer than the number of candidates for Mayor of Minneapolis!). Most of the information comes from the candidates statements at http://gallery.mailchimp.com/c0304595e72ee2e4a030c708d/files/Whittier_Alliance_Board_Candidates_2014_final.pdf.
I'll admit my major prejudice up front - I'm pretty pleased with the accomplishments of the board over the last few years. They undertook the difficult task of creating a Strategic Plan, and they've embarked on the even more difficult task of implementing said Strategic Plan. They were smart enough to recognize that the Artists in Storefronts idea was a winner, and supported the effort from the get-go. They came up with the brilliantly out-of-the box idea of saving two homes from demolition by buying them cheaply from the owners, buying vacant lots from the city to place the homes on, moving the homes, and now renovating/bringing the homes up to code for eventual sale at an affordable price to Whittier residents.
Anyway, away we go.
Abdirahman (Abdi) Abdulle
His statement is brief and to the point. Given the organization's ongoing efforts to involve the Somali community, he looks like a pretty good candidate.
Joseph Amrhein
His statement is even briefer, and there's nothing in it that would induce me to vote this person onto the board. It's not clear to me why the ability to get things done under high stress is a necessary attribute for a would-be member of the board.
Matt Brillhart
His statement looks good, but...He was elected to the Board before. He quit. And now he's back, and wants to be elected to the Board again. I'm pretty sure I prefer someone who follows through on their commitments. Nothing in his past history with the Whittier Alliance leads me to a belief that he is that person.
Grayson Carr
Where the first two candidate statements were models of brevity, this one suffers big-time from logorrhea. Two and one-half pages - 'tis a pity there doesn't seem to be equivalent substance to the verbiage. It doesn't help, in my view, that an entire sentence seems to be some kind of "dog-whistle" for those in the know. I mean, I certainly get the reopening of Nicollet and streetcar lines. But complete streets? Curbside pickup? (we already have curbside pickup for trash and recyclables, and it's clear we're not going to get a choice on curbside pickup of compostable material.) And this is the second candidate to suggest that the board is a seething mass of conflict (although I remain unconvinced that skills gained from having four parents are going to help defuse the tension that does not appear to exist).
Erica Christ
A short statement, packed with relevant information. I have significant experience with a different sort of volunteer-run organizations (science fiction conventions, thank you for asking), and one thing I've discovered is that a volunteer organization really needs skilled, committed volunteers. Which is a pretty good thumbnail description of Erica. She chaired the Business Alliance for six years, she's chaired the board for the last seven years, she's a past chair of a different Board of Directors, and she has a small theater company. This is the kind of person every volunteer-run organization needs to both have and to clone.
Felino de la Pena
There's actually a tilde over the n in his last name, but it's too late to try and figure out how to put it there. Another short statement. He's been on the board for a while, and as I said above, I'm pretty pleased with the accomplishments of this board and, by extension, Felino.
Mohamud Isse
Almost certainly the shortest candidate's statement. Not much there beside a desire to be involved.
Christina Le
Another incumbent. Christina's family has been in Whittier for over twenty-five years, and she currently runs a business in the neighborhood. My experience with her is that she seeks out views from all sides of an issue, making sure everyone gets their say. A very good person to have on the Board.
Zach Metoyer
Another short statement. The Board, like other organizations I'm aware of, has an attendance requirement. A board member is required to attend over 75% of the board meetings. Mr. Metoyer was elected to the board last year, missed three meetings, was reinstated to the board, and continued to miss board meetings. I put him in the same category as Mr. Brillhart.
Shane Morin
A long statement without much substance. Color me Not Impressed.
Jesse Oyervides
A former Board member looking to get back on the Board. He has the advantage, in my mind, over the previous two former board members in that rather than quit or fail to attend board meetings, he was just not re-elected to the board last year. He has ties to two minority communities in Whittier, so electing him to the board would not make it less diverse.
Anton Schieffer
Well, he certainly knows how to roll out the Motherhood and Apple Pie. I'd put more stock in the creative problem-solver assertion if he provided examples, but I guess that can be excused on grounds of lack of space.
Natascha Shawver
Another incumbent seeking re-election to the Board. Her statement is extensive, and lists a lot of relevant experience (in addition to her service on the board). One of the few candidates to call out her work in implementing the Strategic Plan (note that there's no requirement to be on the board to do this work, I've been working on the Community Engagement Task Force). Like Erica, the volume of work she is doing for the Whittier Alliance provides a compelling argument for returning her to the board.
John Charles Wilson
Well, his statement is pretty concrete. Given his past runs for Mayor and City Council, I personally find it hard to take his candidacy seriously.
Ok, them are my views. Before I state my ranked preference, I'd like some help in coming up with the right word to describe four white male candidates who suggest that the board is insufficiently diverse, at the same time they're trying to unseat three female (one minority) and one male (minority and senior citizen) board members. The word I come up with (from an old joke) is Chutzpah. Does anyone else have a better word?
My choices, as I see them:
1) Erica Christ
2) Christina Le
3) Natascha Shawver
4) Abdirahman (Abdi) Abdulle
5) Felino de la Pena
Mind, there's slightly more to it than that. Traditionally, the current board has to do a lot of arm-twisting and begging to get enough people to run for the five open seats. At least once since I've started attending the Annual Meetings the result has been that all three candidates were elected to the board, leaving two empty seats.
Suddenly, this has all changed. There was a surfeit of candidates last year, and this year there are fourteen candidates for the five open seats. I'll grant that one of the candidates is difficult to take seriously, but why is a seat on the board of the Whittier Alliance suddenly such a hot ticket?
Well, my middle name isn't Wild Speculation, but I'll give it a shot, regardless.
I think it all comes down to Nicollet Avenue. For years, nay decades, the neighborhood and the Whittier Alliance have been working on getting Nicollet Avenue re-opened. And for years, their efforts were, basically, ignored. Recently, however, it's become clear that the city has gotten serious about re-opening Nicollet, and it actually looks like it's going to happen. And now, in the immortal words of Deep Throat, "Follow the money." When Nicollet Avenue is re-opened, that plot of land offers a major opportunity for some parties to make a boatload of money and/or the things money can buy (including political influence). That plot will be straddling a planned streetcar line, and it will be right next door to a new transit station/expanded freeway/redone Lake Street. And it will also be abutting the Midtown Greenway.
So I think a number of parties looked at this impending change, and decided that it would be prudent to either get representation on the board, or control the board, so they'd have some control over the message the community sends about what the community wants.
Like I said, Wild Speculation.
Anyway, I promised my rundown on the fourteen candidates for the Board of Directors of the Whittier Alliance (still fewer than the number of candidates for Mayor of Minneapolis!). Most of the information comes from the candidates statements at http://gallery.mailchimp.com/c0304595e72ee2e4a030c708d/files/Whittier_Alliance_Board_Candidates_2014_final.pdf.
I'll admit my major prejudice up front - I'm pretty pleased with the accomplishments of the board over the last few years. They undertook the difficult task of creating a Strategic Plan, and they've embarked on the even more difficult task of implementing said Strategic Plan. They were smart enough to recognize that the Artists in Storefronts idea was a winner, and supported the effort from the get-go. They came up with the brilliantly out-of-the box idea of saving two homes from demolition by buying them cheaply from the owners, buying vacant lots from the city to place the homes on, moving the homes, and now renovating/bringing the homes up to code for eventual sale at an affordable price to Whittier residents.
Anyway, away we go.
Abdirahman (Abdi) Abdulle
His statement is brief and to the point. Given the organization's ongoing efforts to involve the Somali community, he looks like a pretty good candidate.
Joseph Amrhein
His statement is even briefer, and there's nothing in it that would induce me to vote this person onto the board. It's not clear to me why the ability to get things done under high stress is a necessary attribute for a would-be member of the board.
Matt Brillhart
His statement looks good, but...He was elected to the Board before. He quit. And now he's back, and wants to be elected to the Board again. I'm pretty sure I prefer someone who follows through on their commitments. Nothing in his past history with the Whittier Alliance leads me to a belief that he is that person.
Grayson Carr
Where the first two candidate statements were models of brevity, this one suffers big-time from logorrhea. Two and one-half pages - 'tis a pity there doesn't seem to be equivalent substance to the verbiage. It doesn't help, in my view, that an entire sentence seems to be some kind of "dog-whistle" for those in the know. I mean, I certainly get the reopening of Nicollet and streetcar lines. But complete streets? Curbside pickup? (we already have curbside pickup for trash and recyclables, and it's clear we're not going to get a choice on curbside pickup of compostable material.) And this is the second candidate to suggest that the board is a seething mass of conflict (although I remain unconvinced that skills gained from having four parents are going to help defuse the tension that does not appear to exist).
Erica Christ
A short statement, packed with relevant information. I have significant experience with a different sort of volunteer-run organizations (science fiction conventions, thank you for asking), and one thing I've discovered is that a volunteer organization really needs skilled, committed volunteers. Which is a pretty good thumbnail description of Erica. She chaired the Business Alliance for six years, she's chaired the board for the last seven years, she's a past chair of a different Board of Directors, and she has a small theater company. This is the kind of person every volunteer-run organization needs to both have and to clone.
Felino de la Pena
There's actually a tilde over the n in his last name, but it's too late to try and figure out how to put it there. Another short statement. He's been on the board for a while, and as I said above, I'm pretty pleased with the accomplishments of this board and, by extension, Felino.
Mohamud Isse
Almost certainly the shortest candidate's statement. Not much there beside a desire to be involved.
Christina Le
Another incumbent. Christina's family has been in Whittier for over twenty-five years, and she currently runs a business in the neighborhood. My experience with her is that she seeks out views from all sides of an issue, making sure everyone gets their say. A very good person to have on the Board.
Zach Metoyer
Another short statement. The Board, like other organizations I'm aware of, has an attendance requirement. A board member is required to attend over 75% of the board meetings. Mr. Metoyer was elected to the board last year, missed three meetings, was reinstated to the board, and continued to miss board meetings. I put him in the same category as Mr. Brillhart.
Shane Morin
A long statement without much substance. Color me Not Impressed.
Jesse Oyervides
A former Board member looking to get back on the Board. He has the advantage, in my mind, over the previous two former board members in that rather than quit or fail to attend board meetings, he was just not re-elected to the board last year. He has ties to two minority communities in Whittier, so electing him to the board would not make it less diverse.
Anton Schieffer
Well, he certainly knows how to roll out the Motherhood and Apple Pie. I'd put more stock in the creative problem-solver assertion if he provided examples, but I guess that can be excused on grounds of lack of space.
Natascha Shawver
Another incumbent seeking re-election to the Board. Her statement is extensive, and lists a lot of relevant experience (in addition to her service on the board). One of the few candidates to call out her work in implementing the Strategic Plan (note that there's no requirement to be on the board to do this work, I've been working on the Community Engagement Task Force). Like Erica, the volume of work she is doing for the Whittier Alliance provides a compelling argument for returning her to the board.
John Charles Wilson
Well, his statement is pretty concrete. Given his past runs for Mayor and City Council, I personally find it hard to take his candidacy seriously.
Ok, them are my views. Before I state my ranked preference, I'd like some help in coming up with the right word to describe four white male candidates who suggest that the board is insufficiently diverse, at the same time they're trying to unseat three female (one minority) and one male (minority and senior citizen) board members. The word I come up with (from an old joke) is Chutzpah. Does anyone else have a better word?
My choices, as I see them:
1) Erica Christ
2) Christina Le
3) Natascha Shawver
4) Abdirahman (Abdi) Abdulle
5) Felino de la Pena
