Open and closed cases: Monday night's endorsing conventions

Many of my Facebook friends posted this note yesterday:

Union staffer Liz McLoone [Dybvig] was removed from the GOP convention in Faribault Monday night. She was there to extend the invitation to their endorsed candidate to attend the labor screening for the SD 26 Special Election being held the next day. The residents of SD26 are the ones who will suffer from not having equal access to the candidates in this race.

I spoke with McLoone Dybvig while she was on her way to the screening yesterday afternoon. After registering and explaining why she was attending the convention (to invite the endorsed candidate to yesterday's screening), she was asked to leave by Steele County Chair Dave Thul.

A state GOP employee caught up with her as she left the Elks Club and explained that the Rice, Steele and Waseca County GOP chairs had decided that she should not be allowed to attend, and that the state party officers and staff at the local endorsing convention couldn't override a local decision to hold a private meeting.

She also had a chance to talk to Senator Dave Senjem (R-Rochester) about the incident. The SEMNALC (Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council) often contacts the senate minority leader about its concerns in the Rochester area where it is headquartered.

McLoone Dyvig told me on the phone that she was disappointed that local Republican officials were so unwelcoming. She also noted that she had not been asked to pay to attend. A GOP friendly site that was remote blogging the event had claimed an unwillingness to pay was the reason people were turned away. Mcloone Dybvig was in the line to sign in, but was never offered the option to pay. MCloone Dybvig writes in a later email, "no one ever mentioned the option to stay and pay a fee."

I was at the DFL convention in Owatonna, where I spoke to Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council President Laura Askelin, who is McLoone Dybvig's supervisor. Askelin noted that union members are active in the DFL, GOP and IP parties. She expressed her admiration for GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat Anderson, who had attended the screening for her AFSCME council .

Speaking about the screening, the former state auditor said:

"In both my two previous statewide races for auditor, I participated in the screening," says Pat. "I tell the board right up front that I know they are not going to endorse me, but I want to explain my positions and that's why I am talking to them. After all, their members might end up working for me again."

Anderson earned Askelin's respect with that. In a message late yesterday, Askelin said that the area labor council and AFSCME had screened DFL-endorsed candidate Jason Engbrecht and Independence Party candidate, Waseca Mayor Roy Srp. (The IP will endorse tonight, and Srp is the only declared candidate).

I also had a chance to say hello to the GOP tracker at the DFL endorsing convention, which was open to the public. No one was turned away, and he was allowed to videotape the proceedings without interference.

A press release from the state DFL expressed the party chair dismay at the contrast between the local party's behavior:

St. Paul (December 29, 2009) — Last night, citizens from around Senate District 26 held conventions to endorse their candidates in the special election. The DFL Party's convention was open to the public. The Republican Party's was not.

"A transparent electoral process is critical to a successful democracy. An open, transparent process lets voters gather information, and witness or participate in open debate, in order to make the best possible decisions when electing our leaders and representatives. But evidently the Republican Party doesn’t agree, clinging instead to back-room driven affairs where only party insiders are welcome," said DFL Chair Brian Melendez. "The question is: What are they hiding?"

The Republican Party of Minnesota screened audience members at the endorsing convention, kicking out multiple local union members, DFL staff and other politically-interested viewers. Republican staff attended the DFL endorsing convention.

"I can understand why the GOP leaders are nervous about letting the public witness what their candidates are willing to say in private to the party faithful. Some of their candidates hold pretty extreme views,” Melendez said. "But really, what are they so afraid of, and what are they trying to hide?”

The DFL convention was open to all members of the public. During the convention, held at the Elks Lodge in Owatonna, local DFLers unanimously endorsed Jason Engbrecht for the seat.

In a side note, all three party's candidates have filed for office.

Photos: Liz McLoone Dybvig (top) and the MNGOP tracker (bottom).

Correction: The post above contains corrected copy, as evidenced by the strike through. Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Federation field rep McLoone Dybvig emailed asking for a correction, as she had not yet registered when asked to leave. I had misunderstood what she had said in the earlier phone call and I apologize to her. The quote from her email is drawn from this second contact. 

Note: Massive computer problems Tuesday delayed my posting. My apology to McLoone Dybvig, who took time from her busy schedule to return my call. Disclosure: I serve as a New Media training and strategy consultant for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. However, all of the statements, opinions, and views expressed on Bluestem Prairie are solely my own, save when those attributed  to other sources (like the DFL press release or Askelin, McLoone Dybvig and Anderson comments above). This web site is not a production of the DFL, nor am I paid by the party to blog here or anywhere else. See the more detailed disclosure statement under "Important Information" in the righthand column.

Comments

[Brian Sanburn]

Hello Sally Jo.

I appreciate your commentary and read here as often as I can. I'm wondering if you would expand upon this statement you made in this post: "The residents of SD26 are the ones who will suffer from not having equal access to the candidates in this race."

How is this the case?

Also, how many delegates/alternates were present at the DFL endorsing convention?

Thank you!

[Sally Jo Sorensen]

You'll have to ask the MN AFL CIO to explain that statement, as it originated with employees of the Federation. The federation's contact numbers are readily available online.

Delegate numbers at either convention is irrelevant to the topic of this post, which concerns the policies each local party adopted toward admitting interested members of the public.

The local DFL admitted anyone interested in attending; the local GOP decided to restrict attendance by non-delegates.

[Dave Thul]

Usually the term 'press release' means released to the press. But nobody else seems to have the message from Chairman Melendez. Are you sure it wasn't an email to you alone?

[Sally Jo Sorensen]

I received the press release from DFL Communications director Kristin Sosanie, so your question is best directed to her, as I do not have access to the DFL's press list.

All DFL press releases do go out to the state central committee elist, and a friend on the state central committee said that this press release was on that elist.

Should you wish to receive DFL press releases as a conservative blogger, or have questions about their distribution, please contact Ms. Sosanie.

If you want to become a member of the DFL state central committee and thus receive press releases though that additional avenue of distribution, I think that you'll first have to resign as chair of the Steele County Republicans, caucus with the DFL on February 2, and get elected to the appropriate local party office.

Hope these suggestions help.