While our event was scheduled weeks before the Ward 5 Endorsement Meeting, the candidates have expressed their need to attend that meeting. As as a result, we cannot expect candidate participation in our forum. We thought that changing the time would resolve this conflict, but ran into additional issues. Therefore, we are left with no alternative but to cancel the event.
Ward 5 Democrats Endorsement Meeting
When: Saturday, July 22nd, 2006, 10:00am-2:00pm
Where: Noyes Elementary School, 10th and Franklin Streets, NE
Notes: The Ward 5 candidates will give presentations from 12:45-1:45pm. The meeting begins with presentations by the Council Chairman candidates. All Democrats registered to vote in Ward 5 are invited and may vote to endorse the candidates of their choice in each of the following contests: Council Chairman, Council At-Large, Mayor, Delegate to Congress, Shadow Senator, Shadow Representative, and Ward 5 Council.
When: Saturday, July 22nd, 10:00am-12:00pm (the time has changed so that mayoral candidates may participate in both events this Saturday)
Where: Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th Street, NW (16th and P)
We went to the Dems meeting this morning. It was a wild atmosphere - there were tons of people outside and lots of candidates. Inside was totally chaotic and it took forever to vote. Some thoughts about the people we saw speak:
ReplyDeleteFor mayor:
Linda Cropp gave a fine speech that focused on her experience. Marie Johns I could barely hear. Some guy named Nestor is apparently running for mayor - he was very flustered as he spoke. Fenty's name was called, and surprise, no Fenty (although he showed up outside and in the room not long after that). Vincent stood up and the crowd went wild. He was shouting and passionate and the crowd loved it. People where actually standing and waving their hands (and some canes) while he spoke. It was something to see. The wife said that people who grew up in the suburbs (like we did) don't get to see this kind of speech too often.
Council:
Saw Rae Zapata, Frank Wilds, Debbie something or other, "Tommy" Thomas, Joe Harris, Kathy Henderson . . . maybe one or two more, it was hard to keep them all straight. Thomas gave a good speech, but he had no charisma at all and we could barely hear him. Frank Wilds seemed a little flustered. We talked to him outside and he came off a bit like a crazy old man, even though he's not that old. Maybe a crazy neighbor is a better description. At the same time, however, I didn't think he'd be a disaster if he won. Kathy Henderson was, by far, the most impressive. We talked with her a bit afterwards (she towers over everyone, by the way - easy to spot in the crowd) and she's got my vote.
After the council candidates, the moderator gave Fenty one more chance to show, since he had been in and out of the building for at least an hour, but he still couldn't make it to the stage. It probably didn't matter to the crowd inside - it was loaded with Vincent supporters. But Fenty really has to get his act together and show up to stuff like this. But Vincent - wow. Seriously, if you didn't see it, his speech was a wonder to behold. The man really knows how to work a room into a frenzy. If only I actually supported his positions.
Other people we saw and talked to - Michael Brown, Phil Mendelsohn, Vincent Gray, Kathy Patterson . . . it was a great turnout and lots of fun.
Later,
Dave H.
Thanks for the info! I'm definitely disappointed I couldn't make it (I'm TA'ing classes on Saturdays for the next two months - bringing improv to the masses).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked Kathy Henderson - as I've mentioned before - she's impressed me the few times I've seen her speak at meetings. At the ANC meetings I've been to in the past few months, Frank Wilds' eyes appear to glaze over just minutes into it, and he hasn't stayed for the entire time. Thomas appears to have it in him, but then again, I'm probably just dazzled by his looks (okay, that and his commitment to youth).
Fenty...wow. I'm curious what constituents are important enough to him that he'd show up on time? (for those of you who are not Dave or his lovely wife) Fenty showed up with just enough time to stump-speech his answer through the last question of the Envirnomental Community Mayoral Forum. Cropp didn't even bother.
And the response for Orange? Impressive, indeed, but you know as well as I that most of the signs up in Ward 5 for him are stapled to telephone poles and not in folks' yards. You're right, though, he can be a fiery, effective orator.
So many decisions, so little time!