Sometimes in Losing We Actually Win There are few stranger times in life, it seems, than an election night. For weeks and months, people running for office or working on campaigns live in a windstorm of door knocking, literature dropping, and envelope stuffing. There are debates to prepare for and to live through, yard signs to deliver, phone calls to make. And then somehow, it's Election Day-and time seems to stand still as we watch the polls close and the outcome of the votes rumble in. This year, that night was November 6th, an evening filled with both disappointment and victory for DPPA members. Later that same week, Bill and Georgette Hardesty extended their legendary hospitality yet again to host DPPA's second post-election party. It was a cathartic night, filled with great food, a cozy fire, and thoughts shared by volunteers and candidates alike. At-Large candidate Nancy Nelson was one of those people to share her insights that evening as she spoke about having run for City Council. Here are some excerpts: "The election is like a pass-or-fail test...it's over abruptly, and the outcome isn't always what we want. The only justification for expending so much energy is that we accomplish something simply by the act of campaigning. I did not win this election, but I know that we can't have labored so hard and so long without making an impact... a change ...a difference. I think I succeeded in making people more aware of the environment and green space and Lake Superior. I think I helped make it acceptable to talk about trees and a sense of place. And I think we brought together a broad coalition that needs to keep working together... environmentalists, labor, seniors, DFL, Greens, and others. I also know that to sit around and refuse to participate makes one mean and grumpy. One woman I called told me she wasn't interested in talking to me because she thinks that politics is "just a joke." I hung up feeling sorry for her because it seemed to me she had no hope. Politics is, indeed, screwy, but we have to try to make the world what we want it to be, even if we don't totally succeed. (SALLY "TRY" IN ITALICS, PLS.) I'm a firm believer in the importance of trying; whether or not you succeed at reaching your ultimate goal, there is value in the attempt. And I think it's important to remember that being on the City Council is only one way to make change. If we have a vision of what we want to accomplish, then we can continue to work on making that vision a reality. As Václav Havel, a writer and president of the Czech republic, said, 'When a person tries to act in accordance with his conscience, when he tries to speak the truth, when he tries to behave like a citizen even in conditions where citizenship is degraded, it won't necessarily lead anywhere-but it might. There's one thing, however, that will never lead anywhere, and that is speculating about whether such behavior will lead somewhere.'" These articles are retained on the web for historical interest and do not necessarily reflect the views or goals of DPPA today.

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