[LIVE] DC4D Candidate Meet N' Greet

Tonight, at 6:00pm (EST) we are fortunate to be filming DC for Democracy's pre-endorsement candidate meet n' greet with numerous candidates for DC's Democratic Primaries. You can find bios on all the candidates that will be attending at our 2010 DC Primary Elections page.

Candidates confirmed to attend include:

U.S. Congressional Delegate

• Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (incumbent)
Norton is the longstanding incumbent for the position of D.C. Representative. For several decades, she has focused her political drive toward securing full representational rights for the District of Columbia in Congress... read more

• Doug Sloan
Sloan is the current Democratic challenger for the U.S. Congressional Representative seat for the District of Columbia. A native Washingtonian. He owns a public affairs consulting firm, Sloan Consulting, LLC... read more

Mayor

• Mayor Adrian Fenty (incumbent)
Adrian M. Fenty was elected the fifth Mayor of the District of Columbia in November 2006... read more

• Council Chairman Vincent Gray
Mr Gray was first elected as the Council Chairman in 2006 running on a campaign message of "One City"... read more

• Leo Alexander
Leo Alexander chaired the public relations committee for the DC Federation of Civic Associations. Since 2005, he has served as an executive board member of the Development Corporation of Columbia Heights (DCCH)... read more

Council Chair

• Councilmember At Large Kwame Brown
Kwame Brown was first elected to the City Counsel in 2004. He currently chairs the Committee on Economic Development... read more

• Vincent Orange
Former Councilmember and current VP of Pepco, Vincent Orange is attempting to get back into politics... read more

Councilmember At-Large

• Councilmember At Large Phil Mendelson (incumbent)
Phil Mendelson was first elected to the City Council in November 1998. He is the Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary... read more

• Clark Ray
Clark Ray has served as Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation for DC, the Director of External Affairs for DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, a Neighborhood Services Officer, and in several offices in the Clinton/Gore administration... read more

• Kelvin Robinson
Kelvin Robinson has held various senior-level positions within state and local government in Florida... read more

Ward 1

• Councilman Jim Graham (incumbent)
Jim Graham was first elected in 1998, and re-elected in 2002... In his first term on the Council, Mr. Graham chaired hearings and an investigation that uncovered major fraud and theft at the Office of Property Management... read more

• Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith is a a D.C. native and long time resident of Ward 1, was an elected School Board Member and in 2007 became the Executive Director of DC VOICE... read more

• Bryan Weaver
Bryan Weaver is a long-time community activist, an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) serving in his fourth-term, and a communications professional... read more

Ward 5

• Councilman Harry Tomas, Jr. (incumbent)
Councilman Tomas was first elected in 2006 and is Chair of the D.C. City Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, and Recreation... read more

• Kenyan McDuffie
Kenyan McDuffie worked as a trial attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice... read more

Shadow Representative

• Shadow Representative Mike Panetta (incumbent)
Mike Panetta has been the District of Columbia shadow representative since 2007. He started the District of Columbia Olympic Committee... read more

• Nate Bennett-Fleming
Mr Bennet-Fleming was a staff assistant and intern in Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's office and has worked on numerous campaings... read more

• Jon Kuhl
Mr Kuhl works as the Speaker and Congressional Affairs Manager at the Congressional Youth Leadership Council... read more

DC Residents to Vote for AG?

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Earlier today, the City Council for the District of Columbia voted to let DC residents decide on a possibly change in the way it chooses the Attorney General, according to WTOP.

Currently, the Mayor selects the AG for the state. In November, DC residents will vote on whether or not the AG seat should be on the ballot. The majority of states choose their Attorneys General by vote, with only nine states and the District appointing the AG (14 if you include American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands).

Here is the list of appointed Attorneys General, according to the National Association of Attorney's General (NAAG):

Alaska
*American Samoa Attorney General
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Kansas
Maine
New Hampshire
New Jersey
*Northern Mariana Islands
*Puerto Rico
South Dakota
Tennessee
*Virgin Islands
Wyoming

Description from the about NAAG page:

[The AG] is appointed by the governor in five states (Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming) and in the four jurisdictions of American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In Maine, the Attorney General is selected by secret ballot of the legislature and in Tennessee, by the state Supreme Court. In the District of Columbia, the Mayor appoints the Attorney General whose powers and duties are similar to those of the Attorneys General of the states and jurisdictions.

One has to wonder if this will have any impact on turnout in the DC election. Statehood is a top-of-the-list issue to DC voters, and they will likely find excitement in measures that are perceived as more power for your vote.

CNN Turkey: Israeli Flotilla Attack

CNN Turkey's coverage of the Israeli attack on a flotilla. They give some great background on this issue. I set the video to finish when the English part ends: