Stonewall Dems still relevant
Stonewall Democrats continues to be an important and relevant voice in the civic life of GLBT Dallas. In fact, most candidates seek out the opportunity to interview and screen with Stonewall in election years.
If Stonewall were irrelevant, as some seem to imply from recent comments via Instant Tea and elsewhere, these candidates would not take the time to seek out the endorsement.
Whenever there is a hotly contested election, invariably one side gets upset and calls the organization “irrelevant.” That is a natural response.
Stonewall Democrats of Dallas has a fair, and open endorsement process, and any member in good standing is welcome to participate in that process.
With that said, however, I think I need to say that we don’t automatically endorse a candidate just because he or she happens to be gay. We consider each candidate in his or her entirety.
We certainly consider whether a candidate is a member of the GLBT community, but that isn’t the only thing we consider when making endorsements.
As a longtime member and former officer of Stonewall, I have seen and participated in many endorsement and candidate screenings over the years. This time it is fair and accurate to say that our Membership and Endorsement Committee was split right down the middle with regard to Angela Hunt and James Nowlin in the race for Dallas City Council District 14.
I couldn’t help but notice what seemed to be a generational divide in this particular race. What I noticed was that younger Stonewall members — under 40 — tended to back Nowlin. Those who are more mature (ok, call us old if you must) Stonewall members — over 40 — tended to back Hunt.
There were exceptions of course. But I think this is, overall, a fair and accurate statement.
While the vote on the Endorsement Committee was razor-thin, at the end of the day Nowlin received the most votes and, hence, he received the Stonewall endorsement. I personally supported Angela Hunt because I think she has done a superb job as a member of the City Council. She does her homework and knows the issues facing this city inside and out.
Another reason I personally chose to back Angela Hunt is because she’s not afraid to buck the establishment when necessary. I think it’s important to have people on the Dallas City Council who are fighters, and won’t just be a rubber stamp.
At the end of the day, Hunt won almost every single precinct in District 14, so the voters not only in the M Streets and Lakewood area, but also in Turtle Creek/Uptown, Oak Lawn, all the way up to Greenway Parks and Bluffview clearly feel like Ms. Hunt is doing a good job representing them.
I applaud Mr. Nowlin’s enthusiasm. He’s a bright and articulate young man, and I think he learned an important lesson by running, namely that it’s difficult to beat a very popular incumbent.
Jay Narey
Dallas
I’m sorry Jay, but I just because people still ask for your endorsement, doesn’t mean stonewall is relevent. The canidates just want to use the name. Stonewall has made too many bad decisions in the last couple of years. It’s almost sad. At one time, the gay community trusted stonewall, but its clear we no longer do.
Good try though Jay.
I disagree with Kevin. While he is certainly entitled to his opinion, most of the elected officials and candidates in Dallas County not only feel that Stonewall is relevant, they make time in their busy schedules to attend the meetings. Everyone from the State Chair of the Texas Democratic Party, to former Houston Mayor and candidate for Governor Bill White attended Stonewall meetings and even marched in the Pride Parade with Stonewall. So clearly a lot of ‘influential’ people feel that Stonewall is not only relevant but critical to gaining needed electoral support in the GLBT community.
Perhaps Kevin feels that Stonewall has made too many bad decisions in recent years because we may not have endorsed “his” preferred candidates; nonetheless – it’s clear that Stonewall is highly relevant in local Dallas politics and will continue to be for years to come.
Cerebral 1 just proves Kevin’s point, all those poeple he mentioned came in the PAST, none of them are coming now.
I have to agree, they have just made WAY too many bad endoresments. I’m done with them. And Im not alone.
Free vodka is what makes Stonewall relevant.