O’Connor’s Workers to Aid Democrats

Mayor Maureen O’Connor has authorized the grass-roots campaign organization that catapulted her into office to work with the local Democratic Party in a get-out-the-vote effort to help elect the party’s candidates.

Duane Shinnick, an O’Connor political volunteer, and Robin Hoh, who is coordinating the Democrats’ effort to get voters to the polls, said Friday that O’Connor’s highly regarded group of volunteers will be manning phone banks and going door-to-door until the polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

“This is a targeted get-out-the-vote effort. We’ve coordinated all the phone banks and have targeted certain voters to get them out to vote for Democratic candidates,” said Hoh, who works out of the downtown Bradley-Chacon Headquarters.

The mayor’s volunteers are expected to help Sen. Alan Cranston, who is locked in a tight race with Republican challenger Rep. Ed Zschau of Palo Alto. However, the volunteers will also promote the gubernatorial effort of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley along with the reelection of local Assemblyman Peter Chacon.

Earlier this week O’Connor appointed San Diego attorney Duane Shinnick to coordinate the efforts of her group of supporters.

“We’re working for a large turnout that will probably help Cranston, but our intent really is to increase the turnout from the last (primary) election to make sure that people get out and vote,” Shinnick said.

Hoh said that O’Connor’s sister, Mavourneen, is also involved in the get-out-the-vote effort.

Mayor O’Connor, who is a Democrat, pledged to stay out of partisan politics during her successful mayoral campaign and has not campaigned for Cranston or the other Democratic candidates.

This has been a sore point for state party leaders, who complain that they have helped O’Connor in her campaigns but that she maintains a low profile when it comes to helping the party’s candidates when they campaign in San Diego County.

O’Connor could not be reached for comment Friday.