What Does RCV Actually Deliver? (part 1 of 2)

Not too long ago, the Star Tribune ran an editorial by renowned political scientist Larry Jacobs to the effect of how ranked-choice voting would disenfranchise minorities.  That article attempted to hide behind the veil of academic rigor while admitting a lack of sufficient data.  It was countered by a piece in Insight News that touched on a few benefits of the new system but mainly concentrated on hopeful platitudes.  The general consensus about RCV seems to be shaping up this way:  "Ok, 2009 clearly didn't count because the non-competitive mayoral race drove down turnout.  But 2013 is when we'll REALLY see what ranked-choice voting can do."

So I decided to take a good hard look at how this system is actually affecting the 2013 Minneapolis races.  Is it even making a difference?  If so, are the elections better or worse for it?  I've examined every single 2013 city race in the context of RCV vs. a single vote and primary system.  Full disclosure, I am not a fan of our current elections model and I won't feign neutrality.  But I will try to be fair, and some of what follows may surprise ranked-choice advocates.

Let's start with the big kahuna, the 35-person mayoral race.  In contrast to 2009, RCV has dramatically altered the landscape...

The DFL Convention as a Political Event Horizon

I went into Saturday's Minneapolis DFL convention as a strong Schiff supporter, and we all know how that turned out by now.  So what follows is not neutral, although I'll do my best to be even-handed.

There is a physical phenomenon called an "event horizon," in which an object cannot be affected by an outside observer.  The object is being pulled by a gravitational force from which escape is impossible.  From an observer's standpoint, the object appears to slow down and not move at all, while the object itself experiences events in real time.  Event horizons are most commonly observed at the point of no return of a black hole, but can also be experienced by attending a citywide DFL convention.

The "event horizon" for me was when one minute turned into forty-five, which astute observers already know happened when...

Surface Parking Denied, MPS to Bring Appeal to Full Council

Post by the Hawthorne Hawkman, image is a screen grab from video of Zoning & Planning.

On Tuesday, December 4, the Zoning and Planning Committee denied the Minneapolis Public Schools ongoing request to pave over yet more land along West Broadway.  CM Goodman led the charge, asking why land was taken off the tax rolls and yet the Public School system was still asking for more.  She was later corrected about her understanding of how that acquisition happened, as the MPS had ownership of the parcels in question for some time.

Which brings me to a side point.  The back half of the existing parking lot had some absolutely gorgeous houses on them.  I remember gazing wistfully upon those homes, knowing they would be demolished, and wishing there was an alternative.  Little did I know that an alternative to demolition did in fact exist.  MPS could have put in half a block of parking behind their building, half a block on the site proposed now, and left between five and ten historic structures standing.  (And, I might add, still on the tax rolls)

I'm not the only one who didn't have the whole story.  For instance, the MPS representatives didn't even know...

Stadium Referendum Support Outweighs That of Key Proponents

Post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

Several weeks ago, the Vikings Stadium bill was described as a "Hail Mary," the last-second deep pass play in football with little chance of success.  In reality, it was more like the closing scenes of a poorly-scripted WWE wrestling match.  You might be rooting for the nondescript everyman in blue spandex, but sooner or later we know that the referee will turn a blind eye so that a hulk with a moniker like "Captain Anabolic" can knock him out with a folding chair.

So the Vikings got their hail Mary, but thanks to that blind eye from both our city attorney (no referendum, no motions) and a legislature that undid Senator Marty's amendment that would have upheld the city charter, the Wilfs and the gang of seven got the ball back too.  And just like the end of a football game when the leader has possession, these officials appear primed to sit on the ball and let the clock run out.

CMs Gary Schiff and Cam Gordon accompanied fifty or so protestors at City Hall yesterday, speaking in favor of such novel ideas as upholding their oath of office and allowing Minneapolitans to vote on stadium spending.  Only fourteen years ago, Minneapolis voters sent a message loud and clear:  When it comes to publicly financing professional sports stadiums, we do not trust our elected officials to do the right thing and negotiate deals that are in the best interest of our city.  Over 62,000 people across this city voted in favor of that referendum.  And the Minnesota Taxpayer's League conducted an admittedly unscientific poll about the stadium in four key wards.  Fifty-five percent of people who voted in the last election said they oppose the current stadium proposal.

Contrast those results with other elections, such as...