The local paper had me and the incumbent in for a joint candidate screening last Wednesday: pic.twitter.com/rtTIZXUWqJ
The incumbent treated the whole thing with an off-hand confidence, which makes sense given his position. I didn't get as much air time, but I used it effectively, IMHO.
Below is the brain dump I typed as soon as I got home (in case you ever wanted to ride along on such a thing)
I parked in what seemed to be the last slot in the Chronicle's garage. I wrapped my jacket around my manila folder of press kits and hurried through the rain across two streets and around the block to the main entrance. I signed in, answered the guard's questions, and then took a pitstop to tend my hair and jacket.
I stepped back into the lobby & went over to my opponent (Jim Murphy) to make nice. We talked about when I'd met him before (Blue Ribbon Lobby Day), my stint on my HOA BoT, and how I know his previous opponent. I told him exactly where I live and mentioned the commercial residential projects in the area.
We were escorted up the back elevator and joked about dodging the paparazzi. He called people by name and shook everybody's hand as he walked to the table. I introduced myself to each person, and joked about delaying the meeting (not willing to reach across the table or skip anyone). The young woman is an intern; she only took pictures. The young man (Evan Mintz) asked a few questions, but the middle aged man (Jeff Cohen) moderated and asked most of the questions. An older man joined us later and sat at the end of the table; he did not participate in the interview.
Cohen asked me, as challenger, to make the first opening statement, including my background, in 3 minutes or less. I started with my education, then identified my dad. I said all my kids graduated from Stratford, and mentioned my stint on the HOA BoT. I said Murphy's a good businessman and a perfectly nice person, but the voters deserve a choice. I'm a Democrat, mostly aligned with the Democratic platform, and he's a Republican, mostly aligned with the Republican platform. Murphy's opening mentioned "imbedded in the community" and following in his family's tradition.
Cohen asked how many bills Murphy filed & passed. Murphy said we can look it up but "I pass as many as anyone, and I'm not a filing machine." Cohen & Murphy discussed the bill that lets colleges ban guns, even LCH. Who can waive state laws? Is a state school a government entity? It is a property owner. Only a few exceptions, including media??? Asked which he was proudest of, Murphy expounded on something I forget what. Perfectly reasonable intricacy, as I recall.
Cohen turned to me and asked why I chose to run against that. I said, well there are other issues. Public school funding, for one. I made my claim that all those dollars being collected in the name of education need to come home to the neighborhood schools. TX doesn't exist in a vacuum; other states (hell even other countries) have better bang for their buck. We need study-based, evidence based changes to improve outcomes. When asked to rebut, Murphy said it's tough to explain to SBISD constituents that raising their taxes doesn't make their schools better; unfortunately most ISDs don't look like SBISD or even HISD.
Mintz asked me about decriminalizing Marijuana. I said MJ is a medicinal gift from God that should be regulated and taxed just like tobacco and alcohol. Then I pitched hemp as an economical replacement for cotton, to save water & reduce pesticide use. Murphy said the votes aren't there; it would never get to the floor.
Cohen asked what issues concern the constituents. Murphy stuck with education. I struck out into traffic and flooding issues caused by densification, inattention to mass transit, and developers' bad water management (rambled a bit). Murphy deflected by saying most of those are not state level issues. BUT he did say the rainy day fund is about to overflow 1 B$ for transportation, which is about 1/4 of what we need.
Fireman pensions: Murphy noted the political difficulties: Ds back unions; Rs back 1st responders & want fiscal responsibility; nobody wants to put their name on anything that could be used against them; reasonable legislation dies in committee. He thanked "media" for educating the public on the perils of overextending the city. I started with a disclaimer that I'm on the sidelines watching w/o detailed info. I stated that you mustn't write checks when your account is empty, and sometimes you have to admit you can't fulfill your promises. HOWEVER there are resources available, and people in need, and we must use the resources we have to take care of the people.
Cohen asked Murphy for a closing statement of less than 2 minutes, but he only took 30 seconds (standing on his record, confident of his voters). Since I got to close, I decided it was time for the big guns: "If you think everything is fine, that Republican leadership is taking us where you want to go, Jim's your man. But if you think access to reproductive care is being threatened, if you think Medicaid expansion dollars should be accepted so Obamacare works, then I'm here to make it right."
Jeff Franks is the older man who joined midway. After the interview broke up, he and I chatted as he tried to place where he'd met me before, maybe in 1989. I spoke of my activities at Democracy For Houston and MoveOn, and finally assured him that I'd not become politically active before that. I joked that some folks think I look like Supreme Court Justice Sotomeyor, and then I had to go. I was escorted back out by the same woman who'd escorted us in; she'd taken Murphy down while I chatted up Franks. I tidied up my materials, wrapped my jacket around them, and made it back through the rain to my car without incident.
I'm sure the incumbent "won" the screening as far as the editors are concerned, but I am very pleased that I did not screw anything up. I didn't trip, spill water on myself, have a crippling attack of anxiety, or even a hot flash to ruin my poise. Win!