Old Democrat now new Green

by Mark Connor

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Comissioner Annie Young has announced that she will seek re-election as a member of the Green Party of Minnesota. Although Young made her name as a rank-and-file Democrat for nearly 40 years and got endorsement from the Democratic Party in two out of three campaigns, it is no surprise she is campaigning this year as a Green.
Young was the MC at the first appearance of Ralph Nader at the U of M during his presidential campaign, and again at the Super Rally at a sold out Target Center just before the election. Although she was re-elected in ’97 as an unendorsed Democrat after the DFL convention failed to decide on a candidate, she has since found the Green Party agenda to be the avenue she wishes to pursue. She has shown her commitment to a new direction in American politics represented by the Green Party’s focus on environmental issues and social justice causes.
“I am looking forward to building a blue and green coalition, bringing together organized labor, environmental organizations and groups of disenfranchised people,” Young explains. “I truly believe that people have a right to organize, bargain, and be safe in the workplace, which is as important as the right of all citizens to a clear, clean and green environment. Both sets of rights are basic. Both sets of rights need constant attention.”