Well, that was interesting.Last night was the first RTM meeting and it got off to an odd start. I
5 thoughts on “Mr. First Nighter”
So when you run for RTM, do you run with your party affiliation? The reason I ask is that it doesn’t work that way here in Brookline. When people run for town offices, the ballots don’t list our party affiliation, just our names. There’s also no primary or anything like that. Party affiliation kicks in only with state level offices.
Yes, our charter calls for party affiliation to be a factor in all things, so our RTM committees have to allow for minority representation. On town boards, it can’t be entirely one party or the other so our Board of Ed, for example, is 3-2, Republican to Democrat.
Interesting. What if someone who’s not a Republican or a Democrat runs for office? Would a hypothetical Libertarian or Green party member be entitled to be on every committee, for purposes of minority representation? (I have a feeling I’m asking a question that’s never come up.)
I’ll await Bob’s reply, but when I lived in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, the only elected Republican on the New York City Council represented Staten Island and our part of Brooklyn. By law, it was amazing the perks she received, because she was automatically the minority leader, the minority whip, the ranking minority member of each committee, etc.It was good training, too: She got elected to the US House of Representatives where she made a stir by marrying a Republican congressman from the Buffalo area.
Sorry it was frustrating, but that’s politics, I guess. I hope you’ll be able to focus on getting some real good done as you wade through the b.s.
So when you run for RTM, do you run with your party affiliation? The reason I ask is that it doesn’t work that way here in Brookline. When people run for town offices, the ballots don’t list our party affiliation, just our names. There’s also no primary or anything like that. Party affiliation kicks in only with state level offices.
Yes, our charter calls for party affiliation to be a factor in all things, so our RTM committees have to allow for minority representation. On town boards, it can’t be entirely one party or the other so our Board of Ed, for example, is 3-2, Republican to Democrat.
Interesting. What if someone who’s not a Republican or a Democrat runs for office? Would a hypothetical Libertarian or Green party member be entitled to be on every committee, for purposes of minority representation? (I have a feeling I’m asking a question that’s never come up.)
I’ll await Bob’s reply, but when I lived in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, the only elected Republican on the New York City Council represented Staten Island and our part of Brooklyn. By law, it was amazing the perks she received, because she was automatically the minority leader, the minority whip, the ranking minority member of each committee, etc.It was good training, too: She got elected to the US House of Representatives where she made a stir by marrying a Republican congressman from the Buffalo area.
Sorry it was frustrating, but that’s politics, I guess. I hope you’ll be able to focus on getting some real good done as you wade through the b.s.