Pictures of a campaign season: TEP hard at work for you

You may have noticed that the Tennessee Equality Project through TEP PAC, our state political action committee, has been working hard for you this fall. We're doing all we can to make sure that we're involved strategically in races that will put us in a better position when the 107th General Assembly of the State of Tennessee convenes in January. Our work is almost done.

But let's rewind and take a look back at the campaign season that was. The endorsements we made are important, but there is so much more to providing the kind of help candidates need than just announcing your support and hoping voters take heed. Here's what we've been doing for the last several weeks.

The Fundraisers: Did you know that since November 2009, TEP PAC has bundled over $12,000 for candidates in state and local races? Money is still part of the game, but we had a lot of fun along the way helping Rep. Jeanne Richardson, Metro Councilman Sam Coleman, and Rep. Sherry Jones and others.



The Yard Signs: It's true that "yard signs don't vote." But in a day when our media don't adequately cover legislative races, they do help remind neighbors of the names when they go into the voting booth. We canvassed our members for "real estate" for candidate yard signs and even helped put them out in yards.



Door Knocking: You really get an education in Tennessee politics when you get in your car and knock on doors in a district for a candidate. The weather was perfect this election season and we had a good time on these road trips. Candidates value the volunteer work and most voters don't seem to mind the momentary interruption.


Dialing for Votes: We did 7 phone banking sessions this season with one more to go on Monday, mostly with the Davidson County Young Democrats, who are great partners. We called hundreds of voters. While not as personal as a door knock, you learn where unions make a difference, who cares about guns, who votes based on political party, and who keeps the yard sign in the garage so it can be put back out every two years.


The end is in sight: We don't know whether we'll be celebrating or commiserating on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, but I can honestly say that we did our part this year and actively worked to elect a better Legislature. We are grateful to all the volunteers who gave their time to support good candidates. It's now up to you get out and VOTE EQUALITY!



-Chris Sanders

Small in size, but packing a powerful punch: A lesson from unions

Today's Tennessean includes a detailed piece on the role of unions in Tennessee and Nashville politics. It has helped me extend my thinking in a previous post about the need for Tennessee's GLBT community to get more involved in electoral politics. Even though their numbers are declining, unions are adapting and stepping up their political activity. As the piece points out:

A survey of campaign finance records show unions have contributed at least $120,000 to campaigns this election cycle, including to the House and Senate Democratic caucuses; many Middle Tennessee Democratic legislative candidates; Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mike McWherter; and Dean, Nashville's Democratic mayor, who is running for re-election next year.

And what's the motivation? It will sound familiar to many members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. According to SEIU's Doug Collier:

"I think we all need to grow out of necessity," he said. "Tennessee is a right-to-work, at-will state. If people don't have a voice on the job, there are many stories across this state of people showing up to work and being terminated or sent home for no reason."

So just to make the connection perfectly clear: Unions are a small group of people in Tennessee concerned about protecting their jobs. In fact, the percentage of Tennessee workers represented by unions in collective bargaining is 6.6 according to the same Tennessean piece. Tennessee's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender population is small but growing and growing significantly in urban areas like Nashville, according to Williams Institute analysis of census data. And like unions, our community is concerned about job protections. There are no federal, state, or local laws in Tennessee protecting workers in the private sector from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Some public employers like Shelby Co government, Metro Nashville government, Metro Nashville Public Schools, the Tennessee Board of Regents, and the University of Tennessee offer these protections to their own employees. But even the vast majority of state and local government employees in Tennessee lack these protections.

Put your money where your mouth is (going to be): Unions put into practice something the Tennessee GLBT community doesn't yet do. They give large amounts of money collectively to help elect candidates who can represent their interests in the Legislature and in local government. Such activity obviously helps amplify their voice when they come to lobby officials on their issues. Since November our community has bundled about $11,000 for state and local candidates. It's a good start, but given the growth of our community and our need for job protections, to say nothing of the need for defeating bad legislation, we've got more work to do.

-Chris Sanders

Let's build on our success

It's nothing new for TEP to offer comment on the news of the day. But for the first time in Memphis (perhaps all of Tennessee?), a major print publication makes TEP the main subject in the news.

The Commercial Appeal reporter paid us a key compliment in this story:

The TEP was founded only four years ago and reported about $37,000 in spending on its 2008 tax return. But it outmaneuvered opponents by mobilizing hundreds of people in favor of an ordinance meant to block job discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in Shelby County.

Think of what TEP could accomplish with an even bigger budget with contributions from you. Make a commitment to TEP now by making a contribution.

Glasgow campaign releases financials

18th District Metro Council candidate David Glasgow has released his first batch of financials.

Also, last Friday we filed our first campaign financial statement with the Election Commission. The report covered cash and in-kind donations made before January 15. At that time we already had 35 donations totaling $5,168. Right now we have over $11,000 cash-on-hand for the next stage of the campaign, and we still have pledges out and are receiving contributions every day!

So there were a few scoffers when he announced $15,000 in pledges at the January kickoff. But the number is looking pretty good now. 35 donations by January 15 isn't too bad either, considering that the presidential race just ended and the English Only ballot measure was coming to its conclusion.

The email also indicates some upcoming events that will likely bring in more contributions.

$15,000 in pledges announced at Glasgow launch

Maria Salas and daughter Owen were two of over 60 guests who attended the launch party for David Glasgow's bid for the 18th District Metro Council seat at Provence in Hillsboro Village tonight.

Glasgow announced that he had raised about $15,000 in pledges from nearly 100 contributors already--a formidable amount early in the campaign.

One of the volunteers said that about 35 yard signs had gone up this morning and more were handed out at the event.

Half a block away at the intersection where they had been on previous days supporters of John Ray Clemmons were holding signs for their candidate.

See also Out & About Newspaper and this link to more photos from the event.

Victory Fund to hold fundraising event in Nashville

Out & About Newspaper reports that the Victory Fund, a national organization that supports openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender candidates for local, state, and federal office, is holding a fundraiser in Nashville on September 12.

All money raised during the event will directly aid the following "out" candidates: Jim Roth, who is running for corporate commissioner in Oklahoma; Mark LaFontaine, who is running for state representative, District 92, in Florida; and Lupe Valdez, who is running for sheriff of Dallas County, Texas. "We would love to raise money for a candidate from Tennessee but there isn't one running during this cycle," Taylor said. "Until we can support candidates from Tennessee, we're going to support other southern, national candidates." Kathy Webb, the first openly gay official elected to Arkansas state legislature, and Keith Durbin, Tennessee's first openly gay official elected to state [sic] office, will be at the event.

*Note: Durbin's office is actually local.

Hopefully this event will inspire other members of the GLBT community to explore running for office.

What to do with your war chest when the battle's over

Matt Wilson looks into what former State Sen. Ward Crutchfield (D-Chattanooga) is doing with his campaign fund.

No money other than about $2,000 in interest has been added to his campaign funds in the year since he pleaded guilty, records show.

Over that time, Mr. Crutchfield has used some of the funds for campaign contributions to Hamilton County Board of Education members Debra Matthews and Janice Boydston, as well as state Reps. Joanne Favors and Tommie Brown, both D-Chattanooga. His campaign contributions totaled $1,000, according to records.

The piece retains a neutral tone, carefully noting what kinds of contributions from political committees are permitted and which are not.

Rep. Joanne Favors stands by the former senator, who was brought down in the Tennessee Waltz sting, in her comments.

Rep. Favors said she saw no problem with accepting the $250 contribution, though she did not ask for the money. “It was done openly,” she said. “I still consider Sen. Crutchfield a friend of mine.”

Other recipients are less flattering: Marilyn Harrison, vice president of Allied Arts, said she was not familiar with the contribution. She said many donors support Allied Arts.

I think that response is pretty bad. Granted, it's an awkward thing to have to explain. But what message does it send to donors when you say, "Gee, I don't know. Lots of people give"? If someone with a nonprofit is asked and decides to comment, it might be best to check the database or send the reporter a copy of your donor report for the year in question. Or maybe it might be best not to discuss donors at all. But to take the money and comment that there are just so many supporters says individual contributions don't matter. I guess her organization won't be seeing much more of the $166,000 that remains in Sen. Crutchfield's account. It's a shame, too, because that would be a great use for the money. Kicking a man when he is trying to redeem himself is a lost opportunity.

At last, some good questions about the Crafton amendment

P.J. Tobia has started asking questions about who is paying for Metro Councilman Eric Crafton's effort to amend the charter to secure the embattled English language. Now we're talking. He mostly gets evasions and evolving answers. Is it being done under the auspices of a 501c3? If so, my understanding is that this is allowed since we're not talking about support of a candidate. But I believe, at least at the State level, that those funding ballot measures have to keep a separate bank account and go through some extra filings.

According to the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, here's who has to file:

1.

Who must file Campaign Financial Disclosure Statements?

Single-Measure Committees. Reports of appointment of treasurers and disclosure of contributions and expenditures are required of: (1) a group of two or more individuals making expenditures to support or oppose any state or local measure in a referendum, (2) a corporation or any other organization making expenditures to support or oppose any state or local measure in a referendum, (3) any committee, club, association or group of persons receiving contributions or making expenditures totaling more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) in a calendar year to support or oppose any state or local measure in a referendum.

Since the group's website is raising money and spending it on robocalls, post cards, and the like, it looks as if they would qualify. Presumably, if the law is followed, we will know who is contributing to Crafton's effort.

Following the money in Knoxville

The Metro Pulse continues its series on campaign donations coming out of Knoxville.

Tennessee ranks 19th in campaign contributions overall—between North Carolina at 18th and Minnesota at 20th—with $18,084,741 so far.

Out of that, $2,877,028 has come from the Knoxville metropolitan area, the third-ranked metro area in both population and contributions in the state after Nashville ($8,129,919) and Memphis ($2,963,000).

Contributions from within Knox County itself made up $2,117,656 of the region’s total. Of that, 83 percent, or about $1.5 million, has gone to Republican candidates, making it the most staunchly Republican of Tennessee’s three large urban counties.

Haslam Family Giving

The Haslams of Knoxville have been some of Tennessee's largest backers of Republican candidates. The Metro Pulse has the numbers here.

Legislature or Waffle House?

Larry Daughtrey shows the connection between legislators waffling on bills and getting money for campaigns: http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080330/COLUMNIST0105/803300380/1099