Statesman Endorses Leffingwell, Shade, and Cravey

Whoa... (0.00 / 0)

I honestly thought it was a 50/50 guess on which way the Statesman would go in Place 3, but Cravey in Place 4? That is a major coup for his campaign. That race just got a lot more fun.  

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Sun Apr 27, 2008 at 05:02:06 AM UTC

yeah, major surprise (0.00 / 0)

I thought the line about Galindo, "who has a single-minded focus on urban planning and downtown issues", would be the reason they endorsed him, given their past history. Great pick-up by Robin, who is getting some late momentum for this race.

I thought place 3 was as expected, given the acrimonious history between the rag and CM Kim.  But the line, "has demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the city and its challenges", is surprising given the fact that Shade's self-admitted lack of familiarity with certain city issues seemed to be the #1 criticism of her that I've heard.  Maybe they meant to say, "she agrees with us that those dirty hippies don't know what they're talking about." :)

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by: Kedron Touvell @ Sun Apr 27, 2008 at 19:02:21 PM UTC

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I agree (0.00 / 0)

I had expected the Statesman to endorse Galindo.  

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by: David Mauro @ Sun Apr 27, 2008 at 19:39:25 PM UTC

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AWESOME!!! (3.00 / 3)

This is excellent news for these three fine candidates. We've all had our disagreements with the Statesman in the past and I am pleasantly surprised to see them hit the nail on the head with these endorsements.

Though the endorsement of Lee was a bit lukewarm (blindly cowtowing to the public safety unions? he's a bit more astute that that), I'm glad they made the right decision. Lee is such a warm, savvy and funny guy to be around and I could easily see him as our mayor.

The fact that they showed some courage in endorsing Randi and Robin is just incredible. Both of these races are unbelievably close and this could be the boost that these two need. The Chronicle copped out by not endorsing anyone in Place 3 and just went with the perceived wave of support for Laura in place 4. The IVR poll last week showed that anything can happen in both of these races. Randi and Robin both have courage and conviction and have shown a deep and wide reach by not really been pigeonholed into single-issue campaigns (Laura=no development, Cid=downtown, Jennifer=no toll roads/subsidies).

Randi will be able to get things done for all of us - I am surprised almost daily at the number of people who know Randi from something they worked on together in the past. She has a deep, diverse resume and has built solid relationships with folks all over our city and state. We need people on the Council who we can feel comfortable approaching, who can shoot us straight, and build consensus. Mike Martinez is among those who has these skills and we need more like that who can listen, learn and lead.

And as I said here a few days ago, Robin Cravey is the candidate in Place 4 who has the most in common with our values in the progressive community. He walks his talk and is one of the most humble, hardworking and honest people you'll meet. And if I'm not mistaken, he was the only candidate who was hangin with us at the BOR party the other night! He has struggled to raise money though, and I really hope this endorsement helps him with momentum. You can help him out here.

Congrats to all three candidates!

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by: Amy Everhart @ Sun Apr 27, 2008 at 05:29:38 AM UTC

Yes it's great news (3.00 / 1)

Congratulations to them all.  I'm especially happy about the endorsement for Robin Cravey!

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by: sonia @ Sun Apr 27, 2008 at 20:13:16 PM UTC

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Snakesman (1.00 / 3)

Leave it to the Snakesman to point out the local special interest candidates every time. Thanks Snakesman, you never let us down.

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by: salsal @ Sun Apr 27, 2008 at 05:42:36 AM UTC

Cravey a special interest candidate? (3.00 / 2)

Huh?

"I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually."- James A. Baldwin

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by: Timothy @ Sun Apr 27, 2008 at 06:26:31 AM UTC

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Wow! Place 4 endorsement helps Cravey, Galindo, hurts Morrison (0.00 / 0)

Stateman's endorsement mainly affects political watchers and loyal readers who trust the editorial board w/ sometimes little-known council contenders. Name familiarty sometimes greatly influences the vote.

Cravey has little recognition city-wide. This endorsement should help. Galindo has the most money and has run the most local TV ads. Fmr. Austin Neighborhoods Pres. Laura Morrion is the 2nd place monied candidate but whose support proably most hangs on center-city voters, vs. wide-scale (via TV) and Hispanic support for Galindo. Cravey and Morrison will vie largely for the same voter pie. Leaving Cid Galindo probably on top looking towards a later runoff...

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by: tates5a @ Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 06:27:08 AM UTC