Three Way Race Still?

Minneapolis Just before I left for Edinburgh, this appeared in the Opinion section of the Red Star. How does this affect the race? I will admit I do not know Minneapolis enough to provide any reliable comment, however I suspect this will prompt a significant write vote for Hakeem. Clearly Hakeem does not think much of either of the remaining candidates and from my vantagepoint it appears the "boy mayor" and McLaughlin do not offer much to separate themselves from each other, so if you are a Hakeem supporter why not "vote your conscience" even though Hakeem cannot win.

Farheen Hakeem: Instead of voting for a clueless candidate, write in me for mayor Farheen Hakeem September 24, 2005 First, as a Green Party endorsed candidate, I would like to thank all who supported me in my efforts to run for mayor of Minneapolis. Second, I am not endorsing or supporting R.T. Rybak or Peter McLaughlin. I met with Peter last weekend, where he tried to convince me that I have more in common politically with him than with R.T. So I decided to make a quick analysis of whether this is true. Let us take the four issues that I focused on in my campaign. First is sustainable economics. My vision for the city is to become financially independent from state and county funding by creating more revenue. This included organizing community members to start a Wind Energy Cooperative, which would be managed by the city. This has been extremely successful in many cities throughout the United States, and makes sense given that Minnesota is the second highest wind-producing area in the nation. Peter stated that he has started co-ops in the past. Cooperatives, by definition, can not be started by an individual; rather they are a creation of community-based economics made up of community members. I have never witnessed R.T. Rybak say anything about cooperatives. Second is a living wage. I fully support the living wage ordinance and will continue to fight for this outside of City Hall. Peter has shown up at events where a living wage is the topic of discussion but has yet to make a commitment. I do not know his record on the county level, which is worth investigating. R.T. stated in his Democracy for Minnesota screening that there was no issue with a living wage, and we have a living wage policy. Third, is affordable housing. I have no idea if Peter has worked on any of this as Hennepin County commissioner, but do know that his good friend Jackie Cherryholmes is a lobbyist for developers. R.T. is clueless about the potential crisis we are heading toward. Neither of them have talked about how homelessness and affordable housing are linked, how 30 percent of the people who live in Minneapolis cannot afford any type of housing, and certainly not the many overpriced condominiums that are randomly being built. Last, there was an anti-racist approach to public safety. The nicest way I can put this is both of these candidates just don't get it. The federal mandate, the shooting of Abu Kassim Jelani (R.T. still can't pronounce his name correctly), and the fact that only one of the 40 discipline recommendations given to Police Chief William McManus by the Civilian Review Authority was acted upon, shows R.T. is completely incompetent in this area. Peter wants to increase the police force, has not stated anything about reforming the police, and does not see the difference between diversity and racism. In his own words, he explains that if we diversify the police force, then we are fighting racism. I know plenty of situations where there is diversity and rampant racism (like the South African apartheid). Those of us who have worked hard for years to fight racism find this approach to be frightening. To be honest, all three of us are guilty of not mentioning one important point, for which we have Marcus Harcus to thank: police accountability. In the history of Minneapolis, no police officer has ever been indicted for excessive force. Yet, we've paid millions of dollars in settling lawsuits against the city. So in the final analysis, politically, I don't think that I have too much in common with either of the two DFL candidates. As for whom I will be voting for as mayor, I am writing in myself. Anyone who is willing to spell F-A-R-H-E-E-N H-A-K-E-E-M is welcome to do the same. Most important, please remember to vote! Don't let the usual suspects assume they have power they have never earned. Every person who lives in the city is the boss to the mayor of Minneapolis. Your vote enables you to be part of the hiring committee. My candidacy proves that people are thirsty for the issues and want to see action and results. So please, vote on Nov. 8, and watch for me in next year's elections. The movement has only just begun, and I'm not done yet. Farheen Hakeem received 14 percent of the vote in the Sept. 13 primary.

Source: Star Tribune, September 24, 2005