The Net & Elections in Minnesota
- Panel 1
David Erickson - Panel Moderator
- Publisher, MNPolitics.com
David
Erickson is the publisher of MNPolitics.com, a Web site that covers Minnesota
politics and an associate publisher of Politics in Minnesota: The Directory,
a 700 page directory of the state's elected officials. He has written extensively
on Minnesota's online politics scene. MNPolitics.com was launched
in 1998 with Erickson's co-publisher, Blois Olson. In 2001, Erickson and
Olson teamed up with Sarah Janecek, a lobbyist and political commentator
to publish Politics in Minnesota: The Directory and to put the book online.
David's political observations have
been featured on MSNBC, Slate, Congressional Quarterly, Campaign &
Elections, Orvetti.com, Minnesota Public Radio, the Star Tribune, Pioneer
Press and the St. Paul Legal Ledger. He has hosted a radio show covering
Minnesota politics. Erickson is also the founder and president of e-strategy.com,
an Internet marketing and public relations firm.
Bob Collins - Online News Editor,
Minnesota Public Radio
Bob
Collins is the online news editor at Minnesota Public Radio. He's been
in charge of the news site at http://news.mpr.org since January of 1999
when the site was first put under the direction of the news department.
Prior to his online role, he was the political editor of MPR, designing
coverage for the 1998 elections. He also covered the Democrat and Republican
national conventions in 1998. His specialty online is political coverage
and tools for campaign coverage to engage the online audience. He is MPR's
longest serving editor, having joined MPR in 1992. Previously he was vice
president of programming for Berkshire Broadcasting in Massachusetts, where
he specialized in the art of small market news coverage. He was editor
of the former RKO Radio Networks in New York during the Reagan years and
was an editor at WHDH in Boston during the Carter years. He has, as far
as he can recall, never voted for a winning candidate.
JC Quirin - Director of Online
Organizing, Wellstone for Senate
J.C. Quirin was the Director of Online
Organizing for the Wellstone for Senate Campaign. A 2001 graduate
of the University of Minnesota at Morris, J.C. joined the Wellstone campaign
as an intern in the summer of 2001 and was brought on as a full-time staffer
in September of that year. Though politics and technology were both
longtime passions for this native Minnesotan, the Wellstone campaign was
the first time that he was able to meld the two. He is currently
doing web site consulting work for non-profits and political organizations.
Brian McClung - Republican
Candidate for Minnesota State House in 2002
Brian
McClung, 29, received slightly over 45% in his race against 14-year incumbent
House Minority Leader Tom Pugh last year. His website, www.brianmcclung.com,
featured video of a story KARE-11 did about the campaign and was one of
only a few at the legislative level to accept online contributions.
McClung also utilized an e-mail group to update supporters and solicit
volunteer help. In real life, McClung is Director of Government Affairs
for the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce and had previous stints as Director
of Communications for the Senate Republican Caucus, Communications Coordinator
for Governor Arne Carlson and as a television reporter at KCCO-TV in Alexandria,
MN.
Rob Davis - Co-Founder and
Promotion Pawn, BushBoy.com
Rob Davis is co-founder of the Norm
Coleman satirical web site, BushBoy.com. Davis has been praised by MNPolitics.com,
called "a gravely determined change agent" by the Minneapolis/St. Paul
City Pages and labeled "an ignorant pinko commie" by Coleman supporters.
Outside of politics, Davis is a marketing and business development director
for a Twin Cities wireless software firm. Davis is an alumnus of Macalester
College where he founded the Macalester Internet Underground, one of the
country's first student-run web servers.
Online Advocacy and Lobbying in
Minnesota - Panel 2
Linda Jean Kensicki, Ph.D.
- Panel Moderator - Assistant Professor, School of Journalism & Mass
Communication, University of Minnesota
Linda
Jean Kensicki is an Assistant Professor at University of Minnesota's School
of Journalism & Mass Communication. She came to the university with
a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and 10 years of professional
experience as as a graphic designer and visual communicator. Her research
examines the representation of marginal groups (particularly social movements)
in the media and the agenda setting role of media in creating social change.
She is presently conducting a year-long study of non-profits and their
use of the Internet. E-mail: kensicki@umn.edu. Web: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~kensicki
Robbie LaFleur - Director,
Minnesota Legislative Reference Library
Robbie LaFleur is the Director of
the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. She has been a part of the
team of legislative staff from both bodies and several legislative offices
that has coordinated the Minnesota Legislative Web Site since its inception
as the Legislative Gopher in 1994. She remembers the days when you
had to walk to the Capitol if you wanted to read a bill! E-mail address:
rlafleur@lrl.leg.mn Minnesota Legislative Web Site: http://www.leg.state.mn.us/
Minnesota Legislative Reference Library: http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/
Marcia Avner - Public Policy
Director, Minnesota Council of Non-Profits
Marcia
Avner is Public Policy Director with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits,
a statewide association of nonprofits with over 1300 member organizations.
Her work includes training, education and lobbying on issues that are important
to nonprofits and the people they serve. MCN is dedicated to building the
capacity of the nonprofit sector and individual organizations to engage
in strategic public policy work.
Avner is also an Assistant Professor
at Hamline University and teaches management, fundraising and lobbying
courses and coordinates the Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management program
there. Avner has authored The Lobbying and Advocacy Handbook for Nonprofit
Organizations: Shaping Public Policy at the State and Local Level, published
by Wilder Publications in January. 2002. Prior to her work with MCN,
Avner served as Communications Director for U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone,
Executive Assistance to St. Paul Mayor Jim Scheibel, Executive Director
of the Minnesota Project, Assistant Commissioner of Energy for the State
of Minnesota, and Legislative Director with the Minnesota Public Interest
Research Group.
David Strom - Legislative Director,
Taxpayers League
David
Strom is the Vice President and Legislative Director of the Taxpayers League
of Minnesota, as well as Communications and Research Director of the Taxpayers
League Foundation. He is a graduate of Carleton College, and holds a Masters
Degree in Political Science from Duke University. He has taught political
philosophy at Duke University, North Carolina State University, Carleton
College, and the University of St. Thomas. David is frequently found at
the Capitol lobbying for the taxpayers' interests, and his columns on public
policy have appeared across Minnesota.
Brian Elliott - Political Coordinator,
Clean Water Action Alliance
Brian is currently the Political
Coordinator for Clean Water Action Alliance of Minnesota (CWAA), the state's
largest citizen-based environmental organization with over 55,000 member
households statewide. In this role, Brian is responsible for coordinating
both CWAA's legislative and electoral activities, which focus on activating
and mobilizing CWAA members in targeted regions of the state to lobby their
own elected officials and support environmental candidates in state, local,
and federal elections. Brian is also currently serving on the board
and as the Political Chair of Progressive Minnesota, an independent community/labor-based
political organization with 4,000 individual members and supporters and
a number of affiliated groups that has run several successful local, legislative,
and referenda grassroots campaigns.
Christine Nelson - Former Director
of Citizen Outreach, Governor Ventura's Office
Christine
Nelson, former Director of Citizen Outreach for Governor Jesse Ventura.
She coordinated constituent services for the Governor's Office, led the
Active Engaged Citizen Initiative, and coordinated the Governor’s Judicial
Selection process. She is Co-founder of Civics Inc., one of the metropolitan
area’s most important civic leadership programs. Civics Inc. builds
the capacity of young professionals to be effective civic leaders in their
communities and workplaces. Christine is currently a candidate for
city council in the 2nd Ward of St. Paul.
