The changing face of Minneapolis elected officials

The city of Minneapolis is seeing a few new faces in its political landscape. New elected officials of color in their thirties and forties that appeal across racial and ethnic lines were elected in 2006. Keith Ellison a Muslim African American won comfortably the Democratic primary for congress from the 5th congressional District. This is a district that includes the city of Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. During his election he appealed to voters that extended beyond minority community interests. He put a coalition together of Somali, Latino and other immigrants, African Americans, environmental groups, anti-war immigrants, Labor activists, GLBT activists, progressives and others that seem to make the new winning coalition in Minneapolis. A very prominent union helping get Ellison elected was SEIU which locally has a lot of immigrant members.

Patricia Torres Ray was elected in South Minneapolis as State Senator. She is originally an immigrant from Columbia, and the first Latina to ever get elected to the Minnesota State Senate. Again a coalition of Labor activists again SEIU very active in her campaign, environmentalists, anti-war activists, immigrants, GLBT activists, and progressives provided her winning coalition for the important DFL endorsement.

Chris Stewart was elected to the Minneapolis School Board in 2006. He was one of the top vote getters at the Minneapolis DFL convention. Again he had to appeal across racial lines to get elected.

These elected officials that belong to the Gen X or the very end of the baby boomer generation do not represent minority districts. They had to appeal to white voters, who were a majority of their voters in their election.

All three have become influential since their elections. Is this a trend to come in Minneapolis? As baby boomer politicians retire in the next few years, will we see more elected officials of color in Minneapolis that cut across racial lines and become more pragmatic in solving our cities problems? Will we see new winning coalitions in Minneapolis? Time will tell

September 4th immigration marches

I've been wondering all day about the strategy of immigration rights marches the weekend of Labor day 2006. It seems these marches were not very big, and that the timing for them was not the best.

Not too many people will notice them. Those of us that believe in real immigration reform, should focus on getting Latinos to vote in this years election, and make sure that Latinos are a factor in changing the congressional majority from Republicans to Democrats. Only then we will have real political influence over congress. Republicans have had plenty of chances to get real immigration reform and have not delivered.

President George Bush supported the Senate Judiciary committee bill, which seemed like a good compromise. But he didn't push the US House hard enough to implement it.

I say lets try our best to get Latinos to vote, and change congressional majority to Democrats and then pressure Democrats to pass the US Senate immigration reform bill. If they don't deliver there will be plenty of time then for huge marches.