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The W - CRZ's World - CONFESSIONS OF A MINNEAPOLIS MAYORAL CANDIDATE
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CRZ
Big Brother
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Since: 9.12.01
From: ミネアポリス

Since last post: 8 days
Last activity: 2 days
ICQ:  
#1 Posted on | Instant Rating: 9.48

Confessions of a Minneapolis mayoral candidate

by Christopher Robin Zimmerman

You can't be taken seriously until you're covered, but you can't be covered until you're taken seriously.  

Hi, I'm a candidate for mayor.  There are lot of you who still don't know that, and for that I'm sorry.  I have some other regrets I'd like to share with you which I've learned over the last 100 days...along with some non-regrets.

I'm sorry I didn't try harder to get your attention earlier.  At the time, it didn't seem silly to hold off the actual start of my run for mayor until I had actually filed, unlike some folks who have been running since last year.  Even back on August 15, I didn't think too many voters were really paying attention to this election except the ones more interested in making fun of the large pool of candidates instead of celebrating it, or starting to learn about the diverse opinions represented by the field.  I now see that those folks who were unofficially running months before the filing period were carefully cultivating their media contacts for later in the race and ensuring exclusivity while shutting out and unfairly dismissing the wrongfully designated "minor" candidates.  There has also been a steady encouragement of election fatigue, although I'm not sure to what end that helps which candidates.  Seeing it achieve results in other countries, I briefly considered setting myself on fire to call attention to myself, but it looks really, really painful and not worth the long painful rehabilitation for what would likely only be, at best, 24 hours of (perhaps not even positive!) coverage anyway.  There's also a risk of self-immolation, which would definitely cut short my campaign as I'd be dead.

I'm sorry I assumed more people felt like I did.  It was naive to think that a majority of voters were tired of living in a one party town where hundreds of millions of dollars were being squandered on a stadium we didn't need, light rail we don't need, handouts to developers to make even more money for themselves to keep, raised tax rates for most in order to pay for tax breaks for few, and that those same voters would seek out and cast ballots for a candidate of change or even just a protest candidate rather than find the candidate who best represents more of the same for Minneapolis.  It was also somewhat idealistic of me to believe that every candidate had the chance to win and to convince others that that's the case when so many others have been beating down on their audiences that only two candidates (or six or seven or eight) have that chance to win...even with Ranked Choice Voting.  At the same time...

I'm sorry I didn't get those people who do feel as I do to make more noise encouraging everyone they knew to check me out.  I still feel like there are more of us than you'll ever read about who are dissatisfied with the way things are and hungry for real, radical change in how government works...or doesn't work...not bought and paid for and later beholden to special interests, wealthy developers, unions or political kingmakers, but truly representative of ALL of the people of Minneapolis.  We're not a "silent majority" (yet) but by and large we've surely got the "silent" part down - and I understand that most people want to live and let live, keep their heads down and not be bothered while not bothering anyone, but if in the process we're leaving folks to misrepresent and unfairly misallocate the biggest pie pieces, benefitting the few when they should be working for everybody - it shouldn't go on and it can't go on with the tacit approval of our collective silence.

I'm sorry I couldn't get you interested in the stuff I care about.  My top issues are openness, transparency and accountability.  But as we've learned recently, and maybe always known, way too many people don't want to know how the sausage is made... so long as they get some of that sausage.  Curiosity only gets you into trouble.  Demanding accountability is more likely to get the demander scrutinized rather than those who need to be held accountable.

I'm sorry I didn't appear as interested in the stuff you care about.  I might have been, but I see now that it may not have appeared that way.  I DO have opinions on shutting down the HERC, closing education gaps for minorities and the underprivileged, dealing with counterproductive foreclosures, helping out bicyclists, encouraging improvement at the neighborhood level, getting the bad cops terminated, decriminalizing marijuana, and dozens of other things - many of which have nothing to do with the mayor or which the mayor can affect - but it's almost impossible for you to find out what they are unless you ask me point blank - and why would you?

I'm not sorry I annoyed my "party" to the point where they won't even mention me on their website as a candidate, much less endorse me.  Actually, I'm a LITTLE sorry about that one, but given that mayor is ostensibly a non-partisan office, I don't mind coming off as non-partisan as possible...especially given the folks in this race who ARE so partisan, no matter how well they believe they may be cloaking it.

I'm not sorry I didn't find a more media friendly gimmick.  I did make a promise to try to bring WrestleMania to the Metrodome but it didn't quite get the traction that I had hoped.  The problem with media friendly gimmicks is the friendly media makes it way too easy to reduce you to that gimmick.  Jeff Wagner has some important things to say about a variety of issues and concerns, stuff that might actually resonate with you and spur you to action, but City Pages knows that what will really bring the hits is if you can see him half-naked and hear him swear.

Having said that...even at the risk of it being a reductive gimmick, I'm sorry I didn't buy the biggest "Don't laugh...it's paid for" bumper sticker in the world and affix it to the Metrodome, then stand in front of it waiting for the press to show up.  I hear they do that when you use goofy enough props.

I'm not sorry I didn't go out and knock on your door.  I'm still unconvinced that anybody actually welcomes a knock on their door, only to find a candidate or their representative waiting on the other side.  Nobody's ever tweeted about how happy they were to encounter a door knocker...although there sure have been a lot of tweets from people who were eager to let the world know they were interrupting everyone's day by knocking on their doors!  All these tweets and retweets seem to have come from candidates, however.  In fact, it's possible that they were only tweeting about doing it while they were REALLY staying inside their campaign office eating pizza and playing video games.  (DISCLAIMER: Bob Fine really did knock on my door.  We had a nice chat.)

I'm not sorry I didn't crash the "debates."  Nobody who attended those things would have had their opinion of me, or any other candidate, swayed either way.  I'm not sure a single substantive answer was given in any of the debates by any of the "major" candidates, and it's a shame there wasn't someone there to just say "man, this is such bullshit" at least once.

I'm not sorry I didn't spend any real money on this campaign.  This might not be the election where the candidates who spend six or, God help us, seven figures are repudiated at the polls, but I still believe that election is coming soon.  The problem is that anybody you've actually heard of through a TV commercial, radio spot, or mailed flyer has probably spent enough money for me to disqualify them as a potential mayor.  That leaves "free" online presences, which almost every candidate has in one form or another, but unfortunately the Twitter/Facebook effect on this election hasn't been as strong as I would have hoped.

I'm not sorry I ran.  I have learned way more about Minneapolis, its people, its issues and concerns, its place in the nation and the world and its unique greatness in the past three months that in the rest of my years living here.  I've also been heartened to learn that there are a lot of people doing great things and it won't matter who is elected mayor for them to continue making Minneapolis better.  Besides, I would have spent all this time playing Candy Crush Saga anyway - this was PROBABLY a better use of my time.  Probably.



(edited by CRZ on 5.11.13 0038)

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pieman
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Since: 11.12.01
From: China, Maine

Since last post: 120 days
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#2 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.30


This is AWESOME. I can't tell you how much better off we'd be with people like you in politics! Where was this posted besides here, Chris?



Mr Heel II
Lap cheong








Since: 25.2.02

Since last post: 1891 days
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#3 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.09
That could not have been more perfect.
BigDaddyLoco
Scrapple








Since: 2.1.02

Since last post: 327 days
Last activity: 327 days
#4 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.83
Do you have an over/under on amount of votes that would pleasantly surprise you?
CRZ
Big Brother
Administrator








Since: 9.12.01
From: ミネアポリス

Since last post: 8 days
Last activity: 2 days
ICQ:  
#5 Posted on | Instant Rating: 9.48
Thanks, gentlemen!

Other than at CRZ.net this hasn't been posted anywhere. I wrote it on Sunday and sent it to City Pages as a spec column for their blog, but they either aren't using it or waiting until after the election. (Their guys are notoriously - well, I won't say "lefty," but "really, really hateful of Republicans-y" so I'm not sure where they might fall on the support/dissuade scale with me as an anti-DFL entity.)

We're using ranked choice voting, and how it works is they look at first place votes and then cut the bottom folks who have no chance of collecting enough second/third place votes to pass the person ahead of them. Then THEIR second/third place votes get allocated and they start over. I'm hopeful that somehow I can survive the first round of counting tonight and head into tomorrow. If the vote is fractured enough and I'm not in, like, the very bottom, that's quite possible.

This is a new thing for us (RCV without an incumbent mayor), so between that and the super high number of candidates on the ballot, nobody really knows what to expect.



dunkndollaz
Banger








Since: 3.1.02
From: Northern NJ

Since last post: 1648 days
Last activity: 1104 days
#6 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.26
Now I'M SORRY I DIDN'T GET TO MINNEAPOLIS ON BUSINESS in the last few months so I could have campaigned for you. Ever thought of moving to NJ ? We will probably need another Governor in less than 2 years.



I know my kids are trying to kill me


CRZ
Big Brother
Administrator








Since: 9.12.01
From: ミネアポリス

Since last post: 8 days
Last activity: 2 days
ICQ:  
#7 Posted on | Instant Rating: 9.48
    Originally posted by dunkndollaz
    Now I'M SORRY I DIDN'T GET TO MINNEAPOLIS ON BUSINESS in the last few months so I could have campaigned for you. Ever thought of moving to NJ ? We will probably need another Governor in less than 2 years.
I'll see how much weight I can gain.



Freeway
Scrapple








Since: 3.1.02
From: Calgary

Since last post: 3748 days
Last activity: 3436 days
#8 Posted on
Having worked on two campaigns in the last three years, huge congrats to CRZ for even running. I've followed the campaign with great interest and I hope you do well.
TheOldMan
Landjager








Since: 13.2.03
From: Chicago

Since last post: 3285 days
Last activity: 1497 days
#9 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.19
Looks like you beat out 14 candidates in the first preference tally, not too bad at all. And this was pretty much a Warren G Harding-style "front porch campaign" here, right?

Guess they have to wait on the last two precincts to come in before counting can begin in earnest, but congratulations for putting yourself out there.



DJ FrostyFreeze
Scrapple








Since: 2.1.02
From: Hawthorne, CA

Since last post: 137 days
Last activity: 137 days
#10 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.59
Read it and weep, fella


Other than the possibly sarcastic/rhetorical sorry/not sorry's above, what all would you do differently next time? I might've written to your local Libertarian party and ask them why they ignored me. Speaking of which, how'd the other libs that DIDNT get ignored do?



CLICK OR DIE
Prolly time for a new sig :(
CRZ
Big Brother
Administrator








Since: 9.12.01
From: ミネアポリス

Since last post: 8 days
Last activity: 2 days
ICQ:  
#11 Posted on | Instant Rating: 9.48
    Originally posted by DJ FrostyFreeze
    Other than the possibly sarcastic/rhetorical sorry/not sorry's above, what all would you do differently next time? I might've written to your local Libertarian party and ask them why they ignored me. Speaking of which, how'd the other libs that DIDNT get ignored do?
Clark is the only real LP candidate and he's about 20 votes ahead of me. (Check the other thread)

My biggest regret is not finding a way to make more personal connections with people. I do great one on one but sometimes my - let's say irreverance and wicked sense of humour - lose something in translation when it's displayed online and all people see is "not serious, dismiss" instead of "hey, this guy's interesting/smart/asks good questions/whatever" and stick around to learn more.

Like, if I were to say "In retrospect, I'm way too smart to have ever considered running for office!" some folks might take that the wrong way even if there's a winking smiley after it. ;-)

You know how I hate making a wrestling analogy but I think the truth is I'm an ECW and "it's not for everyone." And there's almost two decades of online presence that suggest I have no desire to change. Finely honed self-confidence can come off as arrogance, though, and I try to be as self-deprecating as I can to counteract it...but then we get the "he's not serious!" problem again.

The truth is I could be happier with my performance but I'm not UNhappy. And please know that I'm TOTALLY serious when I say that this took me off Candy Crush Saga for a good three months, which can only be considered a good thing.



JimBob Skeeter
Bierwurst








Since: 2.1.02
From: MN

Since last post: 1678 days
Last activity: 1637 days
#12 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.89
I just can't take you seriously when one of your promises was to try to get WM at the Dome when they're going to start ripping it apart soon. I call BULLSHIT!


Once a week, my wife still sends me a FB invite for Candy Crush. When I receive it, I just look at her and say every time: "Why do you even bother?"


So, how many votes would you have been happy with? You're up to 192 right now, right? In the cluster that this election has become, I'd say that's not bad.
CRZ
Big Brother
Administrator








Since: 9.12.01
From: ミネアポリス

Since last post: 8 days
Last activity: 2 days
ICQ:  
#13 Posted on | Instant Rating: 9.48
    Originally posted by JimBob Skeeter
    I just can't take you seriously when one of your promises was to try to get WM at the Dome when they're going to start ripping it apart soon. I call BULLSHIT!


    Once a week, my wife still sends me a FB invite for Candy Crush. When I receive it, I just look at her and say every time: "Why do you even bother?"


    So, how many votes would you have been happy with? You're up to 192 right now, right? In the cluster that this election has become, I'd say that's not bad.
See, part of the deal is *they wouldn't tear down the Metrodome.*

I was hoping for a "top half" finish. I believe I'll finish 21st and just miss THAT, but getting over a thousand people to give me any ranking at all feels like a win.



Oliver
Scrapple








Since: 20.6.02

Since last post: 3314 days
Last activity: 3308 days
#14 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.26
    Originally posted by dunkndollaz
    Now I'M SORRY I DIDN'T GET TO MINNEAPOLIS ON BUSINESS in the last few months so I could have campaigned for you. Ever thought of moving to NJ ? We will probably need another Governor in less than 2 years.
That sounds like the line from WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT. Great movie.

In the local civic election, we had a man who was running for Mayor who attended debates wearing a leather jacket and a Motorhead shirt. He's an electrician by trade, and he won my vote simply because he said that he didn't know everything but he was willing to learn. He spent about $200 on his campaign, outside of the $500 needed to put his name on the ballot. He won my vote because outside of him being a blue collar guy (like myself), he wasn't a career politico who looked good in a suit. He was realistic about his money, he refused to take in donations, and he represented what I believe is the heart and soul of this city: the common man.

He scored about 5% of the vote. My wife and I were a part of the 5%.

What I'm getting at is that I respect you, CRZ for running. Any choice that's not the status quo is a great choice, because we all know that repeating the same bad mistake over and over and over again produces positive results. I'm being sarcastic, of course.

Sorry for the rant. I really appreciated your "insiders look" and your attitudes toward your election campaign, and I sincerely hope that this isn't the end of your political aspirations.

(edited by Oliver on 8.11.13 1933)

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Well at home in Chapel Hill we only have Timewarner. And it looks like here in Asheville, the only spanish station is Discovery Channel in Spanish. Bah. -Jag
- Jaguar, HEY CRZ (2002)
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