Courtney readies for a sweet night.

Visit flickr see see photos from the night and from the day's previous events!

11-4-08: Dawning of a New Day

The morning dew marked the start of the day, election day. Supporters were our in force with campaign signs throughout the city, reminding voters to support the Strong Schools Strong City referendum. Go to our flickr site to check out action.

This guy really wants people to vote yes

Do you have good visibility pictures? Email them to info@StrongSchoolsStrongCity.org and we'll put them up on our flickr site.

Want to do visibility? See the post below on how you can make it happen!

So what's this whole visibility thing about anyway?

There are a lot of races on the ballot this Tuesday. And we don't want Strong Schools Strong City to get lost in the shuffle. So we need YOU, dear reader, to hit the streets.
Here's the deal. We have sign holding shifts from 7am-9am, 11am-1pm, and 4pm-6pm Monday and Tuesday. You can come grab a sign and find out which intersection we need you at most by coming to our two action centers --

• Strong Schools Strong City Campaign HQ. 2937 Dupont Ave. S.
• Minneapolis Federation of Teachers HQ. 67 Eighth Avenue, NE

Or, you can check out all of our intersections here and take your own sign out.
Call the office with questions -- we'll be open from sunrise to way past sunset. 612-824-7712.

StarTribune Endorses the Strong Schools Strong City Referendum

Friday’s edition of the StarTribune endorses the Strong Schools Strong City Referendum.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/33607279.html?page=1&c=y

In an election season where the newspaper’s endorsements have repeatedly crossed party lines, it is fitting that the final endorsement from the StarTribune is for our campaign, which has, from Day One, built a broad-based coalition of supporters across the city. Parents, teachers, staff, neighbors, Democrats, Republicans, Greens, business leaders and local store owners, retired folks, the GLBT community, black, white, Somali, Latino, Hmong. Our campaign’s supporters cross every traditional political line.

In a year where it has been so hard to find consensus on issues that matter for our community, the StarTribune joins in backing one issue where so many agree: We must support our children and our city’s schools. Our state and federal governments have not done their jobs so we must - for the future of our children and the strength of our city.

VISIBILITY!

This little guy is already a pro at visibility. Sign up to hold signs at key intersections around Minneapolis here.

What to expect in the final days…

We don’t know if any organized opposition to the Strong Schools Strong City referendum will materialize in the few remaining days before the election. Here are a few things that have happened in other school districts at the last minute when opposition groups have appeared:

Lies and distortions:
Don’t be surprised if you see strange and distorted numbers cited as though they are facts. In recent suburban school referendum campaigns, opponents have, at the last minute, presented inaccurate numbers and statistics in the hope of scaring voters away from supporting referenda. They wait until the last minute for two reasons: First, they know that the “facts” they cite will not stand up to scrutiny – they only have to persuade people for a few days until the election is over. After that, it will be too late for voters to realize they have been duped by these false statements. Second, they hope to introduce new issues into the campaign when it is too late for referendum supporters to be able to respond.

Fear:
Expect opponents, should they appear, to fix on what they hope are voters’ fears. This may include distortions about the amount of the tax increase voters can expect if the referendum passes. Last year, in a “Vote No” campaign run by notorious anti-public school activist Paul Dorr, Robbinsdale voters received automated “robo calls” with a racist message. These fear tactics are unlikely to work in Minneapolis in this election year, but you never know what people might try.

Suburban Anti-Tax activists pretending to be from Minneapolis:
Many “Vote No” campaigns are actually funded by wealthy business owners who support a broad, anti-tax political agenda. They often attempt to disguise their efforts through front groups that have little or no supporters or members who actually live in the school district where the referendum is on the ballot. Our campaign has received the support of many business leaders in Minneapolis. Even the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, which has opposed school referendum campaigns in the past, decided not to oppose our campaign this year.

What can we do?
It is important for us not to be surprised or to panic if and when we see such tactics here in Minneapolis. Our campaign has worked for many months to speak to thousands of citizens and at hundreds of events across the city. We have shared the facts about the referendum with the citizens of Minneapolis in many different ways.

• DON’T: Attempt to respond to every lie and distortion in the opposition’s message – this gets us talking about their arguments instead of our message.
• DON’T: Lose hope or panic
• DO: Talk to as many people as you can about why YOU are voting YES on the Strong Schools Strong City Referendum
• DO: Report any opposition messages that you see or hear to us at the campaign office – (612) 824-7712 or info@StrongSchoolsStrongCity.org.
• DO: Sign up to come out and Be Visible for the referendum on Monday and Tuesday. We will be standing at intersections across the city next week to show our energy and enthusiasm to voters. You can sign up for a shift here.

We have run a campaign that all of us can be proud of. We have taken our message to the voters and we have answered their questions. No matter what happens, let’s stay focused on the important job of passing the referendum for the sake of our kids and the health of our city.

-Paul Rohlfing
Campaign Manager