[Mpls] Density Bonuses
Two good questions from David Brauer, and a good response from Steve Cross on the 15 year requirement. In terms of enforcement, we're lucky because in the vast majority of these cases there will be financial agreements with the MCDA, Met Council or Minnesota Housing Finance Agency that already have contractual teeth to them. We hope and expect that the bonus will also increase the number of instances where a developer can finance the development of the affordable housing project completely independent of public assistance. In these cases the city has authority associated with the required conditional use permit to impose such conditions . . . and require such guarantees as it deems reasonable and necessary to protect the public interest and to ensure compliance with the standards and purposes of this zoning ordinance . . . Although some options have been explored in conversation, I can't say at this point what form this guarantee will typically take. There may be some experimentation to see what is most effective while not placing unreasonable demands on the developer. Tom Leighton City Planner Seward -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 9:33 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Mpls digest, Vol 1 #1149 - 15 msgs Message: 11 Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 16:55:01 -0600 From: Steve Cross [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Minneapolis Issues [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Mpls] Density bonuses...a tactical and substantive mistake David Brauer asked: would the zoning change if the affordability ever goes away? In other words, if the city permits a 24-unit building where the non-affordable standard is 20 units, and then a few years later the affordable units become market-rate, would the owner be required to keep 4 units vacant? The ordinance definition of affordable includes this language: continuously for a period of not less than 15 years to qualify as affordable housing However, it's not clear to me what happens if affordable homes are converted into market-rate homes within the fifteen years. It MAY mean that once it's affordable, it can't be converted for 15 years. But, once the units are physically built, if they are then converted to market-rate, I doubt that the city is going to say, well that's okay but you now don't have the density bonus so you have to tear down whatever portion of the units make the units not in compliance with the standard density requirements. I suspect that a plea of hardship will be made allowing it to remain with all market-rate units as a non-conforming use. David also asked: how is affordability monitored by the city? Do property owners send in rent reports? Are they audited? Or is it pretty much the honor system? The ordinance language I saw had no particular monitoring provisions. So finding someone who violates the affordability requirements depends on zoning enforcement requirements that are provided elsewhere in the zoning code. That probably means that if someone reports someone for violation, then someone from the city comes out to inspect, and then the standard zoning violation procedure follows. Also, ostensibly, a lot would have to be zoned to otherwise permit multi-unit housing of at least five units before the density bonus could apply. So, if a lot were zoned R-1 or R-2, it would have to be down-zoned to about R-5 or R-6 to be able to build units qualifying for the density bonus. In theory, a rezoning is tough to get. In reality, if a developer comes in with a proposal to do about anything, they seem to have little trouble getting it. Others asked about whether there was neighborhood input into the Planning and Zoning Committee action on the changes in the TMP and the zoning ordinances. Several people from Prospect Park were at the prior Planning Commission meeting. Representatives of several other neighborhoods were also there. The Commission members listened to us politely for about two hours and voted (with one dissent) to pass the proposal on to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Among the comments that were made to us was to the effect that there are about 85 neighborhoods in Minneapolis and only 4 or 5 are here so it's fair to say that most of the neighborhoods approve of these changes. A comment from a developer who also attended impugned the motives of those neighborhoods who did attend. Again, I need to state a disclaimer. Neither I nor, I think, anyone else is opposed to affordable housing. But I'm not so sure that this proposal will do right by those good people who need affordable housing. At a minimum, this proposal hasn't been well studied -- at least by those people who might have reservations. Steve Cross Prospect Park ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post
[Mpls] Council member charges untoward coercion on I35W ramps
From the Strib article: The debate over a proposed Interstate Hwy. 35W access project in south Minneapolis took a volatile turn Thursday night when a City Council member alleged backroom deals and political pressure by project backers. Council Member Robert Lilligren alleged that, despite a facade of public participation in project decisions, heavy pressure is being put on opponents to support corporate interests favoring the $153 million effort, which would add ramps at Lake Street and shift others. Read the entire Strib coverage of last night's 35W Access Project Open House: http://startribune.com/stories/462/3433190.html Also the second part of the Spokesman-Recorder's series on the Access Project: http://www.spokesman-recorder.com/News/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=18645sID=4 ** There's one last Open House Saturday November 16 - Fifth Precinct - 3101 Nicollet Avenue -10:00 a.m. to noon This is probably the last time the taxpayers of Minneapolis can get an idea of what an expensive, ill-conceived boondoggle this Access Project is. Ask lots of questions...if you think you're getting evasive answers, keep asking questions. This is your money they want to spend. The impression I got at the meeting last night was that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg as far as what this project will cost. Ken Avidor http://www.stride-mn.org Kingfield . ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Former council member testifies in Biernat trial
Former council member testifies in Biernat trial Pam Louwagie Star Tribune Published Nov. 14, 2002 A former Minneapolis City Council member testified Wednesday that a plumbers union official had written to her about frustrations that two seats on the city's plumbers examining board weren't filled. As a professional courtesy, Lisa McDonald told her council colleague Joe Biernat, who chaired the committee that oversaw the appointments, she testified in Biernat's public corruption trial Wednesday. Biernat and McDonald both served on the Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee. http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3430372.html Shawn Lewis, Field Neighborhood -- ___ Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup Single ready to mingle? lavalife.com: Where singles click. Free to Search! http://www.lavalife.com/wp.epl?a=2716 ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Mpls Property Taxes
List; To those who debate a voter approval for any tax increases. The DFL'ers will never grant you that authority. Try put it on the charter change committee'sschedule. You'll get faced. This is similar to asking the State wide DFL for Initiative and Referendum. Not going to happen if the Left of Center party has anything to say about it. The Council is raising our taxes this year by a large amount. They can do this because the next election is just about 3 years away. By the time the election occurs you will forget what happened. It's a tried and true method. Your memory is too short. I would quit grousing about it. The sooner we take are forget pillsand get on with blaming the legislature the better off we will be. Craig Miller Former Fultonite [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 7:39 AM Subject: [Mpls] Re: Property taxes. Should there be a requirement for referendums for any property tax increases that exceed the rate of inflation which I believe was 2.2% for this year?(http://www.bls.gov/cpi/home.htm#data)Neal E. SimonsProspect Park
[Mpls] Snowmen Statues
Oh, come on City Council members, lighten up! This morning's paper carried a story about a Council Committee's rejection to participating in the Snowmen statue program for some reasons I truly didn't understand. Now as a person who has had Statue Envy of St. Paul because of their wonderful program with the Peanuts characters, I thought this statewide Snowman Statue program would surely be one that Minneapolis could embrace. But nooo, this Council sees it differently. Okay, the statues aren't great art, but for a City that brought you some pretty ugly buildings, is art really its strong suit? So if the Council doesn't like the Snowmen, how about coming up with a program that will give residents a sense of pride and perhaps a chance to smile now and again. Given the Council's penchant for losing lawsuits, I suspect if the Snowmen organize and hire a good lawyer (Frosty), they could probably win too. Jan Del Calzo Lynnhurst ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] zoning questions
Hello everybody, Could someone please tell me where I can find an explanation of what it means to have a zone 1 or 2 or higher classification and where I could find a map that has the zoning charts for our fair city? Thank you, and pardon my mystification. Emily Wright Bottineau -- USFamily.Net - Unlimited Internet - From $8.99/mo! --
[Mpls] 35W access project
Rybak and Ostrow's portrayal of council member Rober L's crtiticisms of the access project as "not based in reality" are ridiculous. Lilligren is saying what many of us know to be true. This is truly a boondoggle for the benefit of politicians and corporations. It will further rip apart our neighborhoods (poor negibhorhoods by the way). I hope Lilligren keeps on speaking out... Margaret Hastings Kingfield
Re: [Mpls] Mpls Property Taxes
Craig writes: The Council is raising our taxes this year by a large amount. They can do this because the next election is just about 3 years away. By the time the election occurs you will forget what happened. It's a tried and true method. Your memory is too short. I would quit grousing about it. The sooner we take are forget pills and get on with blaming the legislature the better off we will be. Me talking: I think this is far too cynical and gives the current council and mayor far too little credit for guts and honesty. Unlike our gov-elect, who irresponsibly promised no new taxes for state overspending (bail me out, Sviggum and Hottinger, he says privately), our city leaders told the public this year they'd raise property taxes 8 percent - and for the next 8 years thereafter, to pay off city overspending. Like an annual drumbeat, there will be a reminder in our tax statements each year, including 2004 and 2005 an election year. Say what you want about city spending in years past or present - it remains THE great city discussion but the current crop IS paying the past due bills. They deserve credit for their boldness and honesty, not cheap scorn. David Brauer King Field ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Blame the legislature for the big residential tax increases
It is my understanding that much of this change (INCREASE) is because the previous mayor, and charge-as-you-go council members didn't and don't know how to manage the city credit card! I am 100% sure of the fact that dfl machine hacks are oblivious to real dfl values! Or maybe real dfl values now stand for these big-business givaways. I would love to hear from for Salyes-Belton, Cherryhomes, Campbell, Johnson, Colvin-Roy, Thurber, Biernet (oops he's busy), Herron (uhh, he's busy too)when these developers bail and will bail on their financial obligations. Unfortunately, we and our children are left holding the bag. Wade Russell ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Re: Property taxes.
Property tax hearings should not be held in difficult to access locations. The City Hall and Government Center locations are too restrictive for property tax hearings. More functional locations would be at centrally located park or school buildings where there is adequate and adjacent free parking and where public transportation is also available. Neal E. Simons Prospect Park
RE: [Mpls] Blame the legislature - Darwinian Economics comes to Minneapolis
Certainly, it is easy to say the chicken has come home to roost, but, do these same people want Minneapolis to become the vast wasteland that many other inner cities have become? Sure, they'll feel safe out in the concrete-encrusted burbs for a while... but will they then come into town to attend shows or to work? Anyone besides me ever driven through Detroit? Minneapolis is a beautiful city because of NRP and similar programs. This wave of Darwinian (survival of the fittest) fiscal policy sweeping the nation... and now coming home to roost in Minneapolis... scares me to death... it is so cold and uncaring about anyone but oneself. How far will it go? If we don't help the less fortunate to have even basic needs met... then, too, do we not care when they are forced to send their children to work in factories like in 17th 18th century industrial days? Where is the line drawn? Do they really think that people who are desperate and resort to crime for income won't visit the burbs where there is more to steal? -Original Message- From: Michael Atherton [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 9:01 PM To: Mpls List Subject:Re: [Mpls] Blame the legislature for the big residential tax increases Sheldon Mains wrote: It is my understanding that much of this change (INCREASE) is because of the property tax law changes made at the legislature. They (and I hold both the house and senate responsible) significantly reduced property taxes on commercial/industrial property. They also said they reduced property taxes on rental residential property. The same property tax funds have to be supplied somehow. This means that homeowners pay more--much more. It also turned out, at least for us, that there was NO reduction in the tax we pay on the duplex we own next door--the taxes on that property went up to. So, if I'm right, don't blame the city--blame the legislature that has been bought by the business interests. I believe that part of the justification for shifting taxes from the state to the local level was that voters outside of the Metro area thought that if we in the city wanted to fund projects like the NRP then we should do so ourselves. The chickens have indeed come home to roost. Personally, I don't mind paying taxes. However, I do object to wasteful ineffective spending and pointless subsidies for businesses. Michael Atherton Prospect Park ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Proposed Speed increases on highway 55
= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Patrick Peterson [EMAIL PROTECTED] TEL:612.379.4722 AIM:a11235patrick MSN:patrickepeterson -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ Do You Yahoo!? Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] some thoughts on the 35W Access Project
I appreciate Antonio's post, especially the emphasis on understanding the process of imposing this expansion project on the people of the metro area. The political paradox involved in this is a local expression of a pervasive problem in politics today. I encourage list members to check out the article by Robert Jenson entitled "The American Political Paradox: More Freedom, Less Democracy" at: http://www.counterpunch.org/jensen1012.html The sections of the article entitled "What does Democracy Look Like?" and "American Propaganda" and "Beyond Parody" are especially relevant. Here is the central question Jenson asks: "This is the paradox to come to terms with: How is it that as formal freedoms that allow democratic participation have expanded, the range and importance of debate and discussion that is essential to democracy has contracted? How is it that in the United States we have arguably the most expansive free speech rights in the industrial world and at the same time an incredibly degraded political culture?" With regard to the I35W expansion project, it is clear that an elite public/private alliance is attempting to "spin" this project into reality by a carefully crafted campaign which provides for limited "free speech" by presenting a very narrow menu of options regarding the transportation options for this part of the metro. The options presented are done so to coerce one conclusion only -- the "preferred build" option over the "only" alternative -- the "no build" option. The $150 million (plus) freeway expansion project is presented as a solution to congestion and pollution problems when in fact (See the recent Strib articles on transportation, especially the example of Atlanta, GA) this project will increase both congestion and pollution. The expansion project proponents have not presented the facts about the public health impacts our current approach of over-reliance on the car has in our region. Here is an excellent website summarizing impacts of "mobile source pollution" on our air, water, soil, and human health in the metro area: http://www.scorecard.org/community/index.tcl?zip_code=55409 Note that Hennepin County is amoung the dirtiest/worst 10% of US counties in terms of noncancer hazards from air pollution, and that people living in HC have a cancer risk 100 times greater than if we had air quality meeting the EPA standards. Also note that 66% of the air-quality-caused cancer risk is from "mobile" sources. This is a huge public health problem. Why do you suppose media and the government are so quiet about this? Why are we being spun an I35W freeway expansion project as an "access" project that will ultimately make "access" more difficult due to increased congestion and pollution? There is more: most of the watershed in our county is listed as "impaired or threatened" by the EPA. Much of this is -- not all -- is caused by run-off of toxins released by cars and trucks, which are washed into our lakes and streams. The more we pave, the worse this problem will get. The proponents of the I35W expansion project neglect to mention this as a part of their presentations. Another good source of info expands on this: http://www.tlcminnesota.org/health.html And check out this site: http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update17.htm Note that the World Health Organization estimates that 3 times as many people are killed by air pollution each year (3 million) than by car crashes (one million). Again, mobile sources are not the only source of air pollution, but are a major source -- 66% or more in our metro region. Do we need to add more cars right now? Could we spend that $150 million to run a rail line in the I35W corridor, or simply to put more and cleaner-running busses in a dedicated lane on the I35W corridor to give people a better transit choice? Could we spend some of that money -- even a few million dollars to educate folks about the consequences of our lifestyle choices and to help develop the most workable transit options? There is more, but I'll include only one more website to check out for now: http://www.epa.gov/epahome/trans.htm This EPA website contains links to articles to help us understand and reduce pollution from transportation sources. Note that the EPA site tells us this: "Driving a private car is probably a typical citizen's most "polluting" daily activity." It is possible to develop a lifestyle in the Twin Cities that requires use of a car less than once a month for a family of four. I know, because I have done it. With forward-thinking transportation development we can this more possible for more people. We can make our city healthy again. I believe that most people would vote for that. However, we do not see transportation options put forward that make public health and urban livability a priority for the I35W corridor. We have a freeway expansion project which will cause more illness and death, and which will degrade the metro area. Clearly,
[Mpls] Zoning Changes, The Sounds of Silence
I'm told this morning from a very reliable source who has met with the Mayor recently that zoning changes regarding 1/4 mile spacing of supportive housing will be introduced NEXT MONTH. The Shelter Advisory Board has had direct access to the Mayor and the help of his staff. Have any neighborhood groups enjoyed this kind of special treatment? Has any neighborhood group even been told this is being worked on? Has any neighborhood group been asked about what it thinks about supportive housing clusters? Has there been any opportunity for citizen comment at all? It appears this deal is being completely cooked before the public even knows about it. So much for relaxing 'cause nothing is going on. Tom Berthiaume Whittier, Stevens Square, Loring Park, Navarre ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Mpls Property Taxes
Craig Miller suggests the Council is raising taxes because they have three years before they are up for re-election and hope we will forget by then. Actually the Council is raising taxes now because the longer we wait the bigger the problem will be. And they are not raising taxes to fund some new and exciting projects - they are raising taxes to pay off past debt and to get the city's revenues in line with spending. In other words, the city has not been giving us the full bill for services for the last 10 years. So, now we are paying for services we received in the past. The majority on this Council did NOT create the financial problem that is causing our taxes to increase. They are, however, showing courage in dealing with this now and not continuing to push the problem further into the future. Michelle Mensing Armatage - Original Message - From: Craig Miller To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 6:59 AM Subject: [Mpls] Mpls Property Taxes List; To those who debate a voter approval for any tax increases. The DFL'ers will never grant you that authority. Try put it on the charter change committee's schedule. You'll get faced. This is similar to asking the State wide DFL for Initiative and Referendum. Not going to happen if the Left of Center party has anything to say about it. The Council is raising our taxes this year by a large amount. They can do this because the next election is just about 3 years away. By the time the election occurs you will forget what happened. It's a tried and true method. Your memory is too short. I would quit grousing about it. The sooner we take are forget pills and get on with blaming the legislature the better off we will be. Craig Miller Former Fultonite [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 7:39 AM Subject: [Mpls] Re: Property taxes. Should there be a requirement for referendums for any property tax increases that exceed the rate of inflation which I believe was 2.2% for this year? (http://www.bls.gov/cpi/home.htm#data) Neal E. Simons Prospect Park ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Taxes, NRP, Lawsuits
Jim Graham seems to be repeating what I've been saying: Thta our city government has a perverse tendency to march blindly into costly legal actions. This is where I wonder at the quality of legal advice they get. Does no one wave red flags? Or do they believe that taxpayers care more about what they do than the lawsuits it brings down the road. I haven't forgotten LSGI, so to me it does matter. The stream of lawsuits is one of the reasons I supported an election bid by a libertarian. Not that I think libertarian ideas can work, just that questions needed to be forcefully raised. In my diehard DFL neighborhood, the libertarian candidate managed a third of the vote, showing me I was not the only voter disgruntled by this trend of suit after suit. My take on the cases Jim raises is that sometimes the politicians simply have to say No when they don't want to. Our pocketbooks cannot afford their need to be pleasers. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Don't we re-elect CM's next November? Neal, I agree with you on locations. We need to get the message to whoever will listen that doing things downtown is a hardship on citizens. I went to the Citizen's Fair, and the space requirement was so tiny it could have been held in any of the park buildings around the city. It was like holding a cardgame in the Metrodome. Think, government, think!!! Wendy, I wouldnt try to scare anyone with increased crime or a deteriorating city. The political system has rewarded privilege from the moment that the founding fathers started working on it. Look at how slavery got grandfathered. It striked me as odd right now that the legislation banned tax-increment financing. Look at how many good old boys got gravy from it. But nonetheless it is a fact. So, as they said at our community meetings, the challenge is to arrive at a different source of funding. Maybe the city could charge more for parking? Increase its parking violation fines? I haven't been up that long at the time I write this, so my brainstorming isn't as good as it sometimes is, but it seems to me that there must be ways to raise money to keep rehabilitating the city so it will remain the kind of place even suburbanites will want to visit. I applaud the substance of Gary Hoover's post on democracy and freedom. I think the crux of it is that so many people care so little about democracy and the spin doctors know it. By wearing people out with spin, the insiders can make special-interest projects fact before the engines of resistance get going. I guess this is what Norm Coleman would label getting things done. There is some truth in the saying our government is the kind we, as a society anyway, deserve. They repeat what worked before. I just computed my year-to-year property tax change. It is .1699. A bit high, though absent Ventura and the House GOP, it probably wouldnt have been that high. But, again, my INSURANCE COMPANY will sock me with a premium that is 65 percent higher. I wonder why there's no complaints about this, considering the causes are quite similar. And this raises another question. A lot of foolish financial decisions were made based upon rosy predictions by economic experts. Given HOW WRONG they seem to have been, what will happen with their forthcoming predictions? Will they now state all the reasons things could turn out different? Number 1 reason, as always Human Stupidity. Why did so many investors bet on a hand that held only a pair of treys? Thanks Michelle Mensing for the honest truth about the tax situation. I'm wondering if there are ANY of the people complaining now who actively fought any of the exorbitant handouts to business in the Sayles Belton-Cherryhomes regime? I know I objected every single time, starting from the attempted Richard Burke ripoff (give me $7 million so I can have an acceptable profit margin). And I burned my CM's ears about it, too, going to candidates meetings and being the only one willing to bring up the uncomfortable truth. I never believed we had money for this sort of thing. For that I got scornful catcalls of oh, now we're told if we give money to business BABIES won't get to eat! It was a pretty lonely battle for most of the decade. The one exception I remember was the 70-30 vote to require a referendum for certain deals. And for THAT, we got threats of all the terrible things that would happen to us BECAUSE we didn't cough up on signal. THIS is what we're paying back for, our unwillingness to be a piggy bank for billionaires. Never let anyone tell you anything different. Jim Mork Cooper Neighborhood __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more:
Re: [Mpls] Snowmen Statues
I have to agree with David here... Though there are more pressing issues to be passionate about, the Peanuts statues are lame, and have made me thoroughly sick of one of my favorite cartoons. (Thank God that St. Paul hasn't picked on Linus yet.) The whole thing has been a corporate, self-promoting non-event--see the Lucy statue! Now pay $$ at the state fair to buy Lucy statue replicas, Lucy statues t-shirts, etc. Anytime anyone wants to go see a generic snowman, take a drive down Highway 36 and stare at that huge beaming behemoth in North St. Paul. It never melts. I had to look at it for years. Kristine Harley Sheridan ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Inner city kids need to be educated, not separated
During the past two years I must have talked to dozens of teachers who said to me you don't know what these inner city kids are like, you can't expect them to keep up with the rest of the kids. Parents who say the same thing about 'those' kids (pick any 'at-risk' ethnic group) usually go on to say that 'they' should go to their own schools (or classrooms) because they are holding 'our' kids back. And the failure of the district to see that all children get effective instruction reinforces the belief that 'those children' can't learn, aren't college material, etc. I happen to know what those inner city kids are like. I know what happens to the kids (and their parents) when they are identified as 'low-ability' learners and put in separate groups and classrooms for reading instruction. 'Low-ability' learners generally do not receive effective reading instruction in grades K through 4. If they were receiving effective instruction they would be catching up, not falling behind. Somehow the kids who are designated as 'low-ability learners' get the idea that they are stupid, and quickly give up. Some withdraw and others act out. The answer is not to put those kids in their own classrooms or schools. They need to be educated, not separated. -Doug Mann http://educationright.tripod.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Council member charges untoward coercion on I35W ramps
Read the entire Strib coverage of last night's 35W Access Project Open House: http://startribune.com/stories/462/3433190.html Good for Robert on this one. He's finally standing up and being counted, and acting like the person who ran for office that I supported strongly. from the strib article: Lilligren also alleged that pressure had been exerted to serve corporate interests such as Abbott Northwestern Hospital, which initiated the traffic studies in 1997, Honeywell, and later Wells Fargo, which bought Honeywell's Phillips neighborhood complex. He said that at one meeting this year, Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin urged officials to support the project, saying there had been a handshake deal, an obligation to corporations to make the project happen. McLaughlin, who spoke at Thursday's meeting after Lilligren, didn't directly respond. But he said afterward that Lilligren keeps changing his account of what McLaughlin told him and is just making the stuff up. EY: Well lots of folks have similar accounts about this as Robert. The question is: who is more credible -- Robert Lilligren or Peter McLaughlin? The article continues: Lilligren also alleged that Mayor R.T. Rybak and Council President Paul Ostrow pressed him to sign a letter seeking state funding for the project when they attended a Virginia emergency preparedness meeting early this year. He said he was told that several council members wouldn't sign unless he did. Lilligren said that when he refused, Rybak told him commitments were made, and Lilligren replied, Not by me. EY: I would be interested to hear Mayor Rybak specifically address the commitments were made discussion. Rybak called Lilligren's allegation of pressure ludicrous. He added, For many months I've been trying to get a sense of where Robert is at on this very complicated project. When he's backed into a corner, he tends to make comments that don't have a lot of root in reality, so I'm not sure what he's talking about. Said Ostrow: I did not pressure him. EY: Well that could be -- but perhaps Lilligren and Ostrow have a different definition of pressure. Also the second part of the Spokesman-Recorder's series on the Access Project: http://www.spokesman-recorder.com/News/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=18645sID=4 ** More on He Said, He Said with Peter McLaughlin in the Spokesman article. McGreevy, who says that more than half of his clients are low-income people on Medical Assistance, also tells of an experience with Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. He recounts a July 2001 meeting at which McLaughlin was present: During the meeting at St. Mary's, Commissioner McLaughlin stated that he had told Wells Fargo that if they were to acquire the Honeywell campus he would try to get them access. McLaughlin said 'How would the county look to other businesses looking to come into our area if we can't deliver on this?' My perspective of the project and motivation for the same changed at that meeting, McGreevy says. I believe that the primary reason for the project is not as McLaughlin had said at our first PAC (Project Advisory Committee) meeting. The primary reason for the project is access to big businesses. In rebuttal, McLaughlin says, I have never made the statement attributed to me...nor anything resembling it... I have made no deals and do not apologize in any way for exploring the potential for better access to and from South Minneapolis for residents and workers. To suggest that I then got Wells Fargo to make a multi-million dollar purchase based on an access ramp is absurd. I wish I had that much influence over private capital investments. EY: Ofcourse McLaughlin keeps on denying, but more and more people are coming forward with this one. McLaughlin certainly is capable of making deals at the expense of his constituents. There's one last Open House Saturday November 16 - Fifth Precinct - 3101 Nicollet Avenue -10:00 a.m. to noon This is probably the last time the taxpayers of Minneapolis can get an idea of what an expensive, ill-conceived boondoggle this Access Project is. Ask lots of questions...if you think you're getting evasive answers, keep asking questions. This is your money they want to spend. The impression I got at the meeting last night was that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg as far as what this project will cost. Ken Avidor http://www.stride-mn.org Kingfield . I'll be at the Saturday meeting. I think the Spokesman article put it very well -- is this a 35W Access Project -- or is it a 35W Expansion Project? What's the problem with adding a northbound on ramp from Lake Street, and a Southbound offramp to Lake Street -- and moving the 35/36 street ramps to 38th. Forget the flyover and the HOV lane? Eva Young Near North Minneapolis [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic
[Mpls] Shelter Advisory Board
I understand this is a good place to learn what's actually going on at city government. I hope that's true. I'm looking for solid information regarding plans by the Shelter Advisory Board to make substantive changes to zoning governing the siting of supportive housing in the city. We already have a 1/4 mile spacing law that is largely disregarded. Now I'm hearing that not only is there a proposal to do away with that law, but also with other zoning ordinances that would make it even easier to place further concentrations of supportive housing facilities in neighborhoods that are rapidly falling off the map of liveable places. What can responsible leaders be thinking? How can the greed of developers and those in the supportive housing industry so completely overshadow common sense? We're talking about vulnerable people who need help, protection and safe places to live, not herding, and we're talking about good, caring people in urban neighborhoods simply asking for the chance to build and maintain safe, attractive places to live and raise families. Give us that chance. Cathie O'Rourke Whittier resident -- -- PressCheck Printing Graphics Inc. ph 952-888-5011 Providing high quality multi-color printing, including short-run 4-color. Remember: "If you want a thing well done, get a couple of old broads to do it." -Bette Davis ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
RE: [Mpls] Inner city kids need to be educated, not separated
Well, I must say that I'm fairly impressed with our local public grade school, Anne Sullivan Communications Center. They have to deal with several challenges. There's a wide socioeconomic disparity in the families of the childre who attend, from dreadfully impoverished to amazingly well-off. There are large immigrant communities, many of which provide children with no English at all. And of course, ASCC is a special public school that handles many of the deaf/hard of hearing children. And they make it work. My twins are in 6th grade (pause while I check that and discover how old I'm getting), and my youngest is in 2nd. The latter, in particular, has been sharing class with some kids who started kindergarten with no english whatsoever, and others who cannot hear. These kids don't hold back other kids. In fact, their special needs have presented opportunities for demonstrations of compassion and leadership on the part of their classmates. My son in particular has come home on several occasions to describe how one kid or another learned new words, overcame challenges, or encouraged his leadership or compassion in various ways. My biggest complaint at ASCC has been that its principal's position seems to be some kind of career stepping stone, leading to a new principal every two years. Some have been mere careerists with no interest in the school. The latest fellow seems like a devoted principal, and I have hopes he'll remain longer than his predecessors. When people try to point at a group and direct blame, all I see is fear trumping common sense. Unfortunately such persons tend to voice their pain quite loudly. Life can hand you setbacks or challenges -- they're the same events, and the difference is how you look at them. Bob Alberti, President Sanction, Inc. Data Security http://www.sanction.netCusp of Longfellow and Seward A Tempest! Grab the teabag and hang on for your life! -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:mpls-admin;mnforum.org]On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 11:50 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Mpls] Inner city kids need to be educated, not separated During the past two years I must have talked to dozens of teachers who said to me you don't know what these inner city kids are like, you can't expect them to keep up with the rest of the kids. Parents who say the same thing about 'those' kids (pick any 'at-risk' ethnic group) usually go on to say that 'they' should go to their own schools (or classrooms) because they are holding 'our' kids back. ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Easier access to our web archives - Need technical volunteer(s)
Receiving the Mpls Award with David was a great honor last night. The forum wouldn't mean much without the active participation of our many subscribers. The forum also will never mean much to most average web using Minneapolitans if the content of our discussions remain difficult to find, navigate, or read from the web. Right now we have a very simple archive that many people use: http://www.mnforum.org/pipermail/mpls/ Our goal is to make posts accessible in real-time from list's home page http://www.e-democracy.org/mpls and as part of a collection of recent subject line collection to all of our forums so people can quickly compare what the hot topics are in different cities/topics. These enhancements will make it much easier for people to tune into the list in their preferred manner. The bigger the audience, the more powerful the forum. The more powerful the forum, the more people will take it seriously. So what we need is someone who can help us build/install a MySQL database-driven e-mail list archive with RSS syndication to automatically call up current subject lines. We are also interested in tweaking Mailman http://www.list.org to allow a subjects feature as a digest alternative that would send subject lines with web links to access full posts. We have other technical ideas, but we need to start somewhere. To volunteer, send an e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks, Steven Clift Minnesota E-Democracy ^ ^ ^^ Steven L. Clift-W: http://www.publicus.net Minneapolis- - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - -T: +1.612.822.8667 USA- - - - - - - ICQ: 13789183 ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
RE: [Mpls] Blame the legislature - Darwinian Economics comes toMinneapolis
Wendy, you speak the truth Minneapolis leaders refuse to acknowledge. Certainly, it is easy to say the chicken has come home to roost, but, do these same people want Minneapolis to become the vast wasteland that many other inner cities have become? Sure, they'll feel safe out in the concrete-encrusted burbs for a while... but will they then come into town to attend shows or to work? Anyone besides me ever driven through Detroit? Been to Detroit, Philly, etc. I went through St. Louis and Memphis last week. That's where we're headed, the cycle is obvious. As jobs disappear, crime takes over inner city neighborhoods. The middle class is disappearing, and the working class is hi tailing it to the 'burbs. Given current trends, by 2020 Minneapolis will look like Memphis- a few islands of gentrification downtown and along the river gorge and lakes in a largely abandoned city. Who can blame the working class for leaving- when the city won't do anything to shut down the drug house on your block but hands you double digit rax increases? Minneapolis is a beautiful city because of NRP and similar programs. NRP is all but gone. And while multi million dollar subsidies are given to big developers, the city still hasn't put in a curb cut for my driveway that has been here for decades. This wave of Darwinian (survival of the fittest) fiscal policy sweeping the nation... and now coming home to roost in Minneapolis... scares me to death... it is so cold and uncaring about anyone but oneself. How far will it go? If we don't help the less fortunate to have even basic needs met... then, too, do we not care when they are forced to send their children to work in factories like in 17th 18th century industrial days? Where is the line drawn? Do they really think that people who are desperate and resort to crime for income won't visit the burbs where there is more to steal? Yep, that's what Minneapolis will look like a couple decades hence. Except that we'll have crack houses instead of sweatshops. I suspect our only chance for survival as a city may rest with the Republicans in power at the state and federal levels. In a perverse way, if they follow through on their agenda and repeal the Minnesota Human Rights Act and harass immigrants, Minneapolis may again be a sanctuary for folks fleeing bigotry. Minneapolis pioneering and sweeping Civil Rights Ordinance brought many GLBT and minority folks here who invested in and stabilized many neighborhoods. Dyna Sluyter from Hawthorne -- ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Snowmen Statues
Hello Folks: I will not make my decisionto support an elected official based primarily on the snowmen issue. Thank goodness they opposed this poor copycat idea. I think we should have local youth make their own unique statues that represent their communities. Not from factory molds. Created byour young people andrepresenting the diversity and spirit of our city. Ken Bradley Corcoran Neighborhood 612-726-7568 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Oh, come on City Council members, lighten up! This morning's paper carried a story about a Council Committee's rejection to participating in the Snowmen statue program for some reasons I truly didn't understand. Now as a person who has had "Statue Envy" of St. Paul because of their wonderful program with the Peanuts characters, I thought this statewide Snowman Statue program would surely be one that Minneapolis could embrace. But nooo, this Council sees it differently. Okay, the statues aren't great art, but for a City that brought you some pretty ugly buildings, is art really its strong suit? So if the Council doesn't like the Snowmen, how about coming up with a program that will give residents a sense of pride and perhaps a chance to smile now and again.Given the Council's penchant for losing lawsuits, I suspect if the Snowmen organize and hire a good lawyer (Frosty), they could probably win too.Jan Del CalzoLynnhurst___Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-DemocracyPost messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mplsDo you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site
Re: [Mpls] News Flash- David Brauer Humbled
Congratulations to David and Steven. Excellent choices. Ken Bradley Annie Young [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It was fun to be in the Mpls Issues crowd watching David and Steven get their awards. It was awesome that 4 of the 5 MVP's of last year were there. And it was really cool when Steven asked how many in the audience were on the e-list and a lot of people raised their hands - 1/3 maybe. And it was wonderful to again be part of acknowledging ten people who have given tirelessly to work here in Minneapolis as volunteers, citizen leaders and just plain great people. And, this list really has been a god(ess) send to knowing a lot more about what is happening in Minneapolis from many perspectives. I get more and more Park Board correspondence now both on and off the list.It was a beautiful night in Minneapolis,Thanks again David and Steven,Annie YoungEast PhillipsAt 09:30 PM 11/14/02 -0600, Ron Lischeid wrote:At the recently completed Minneapolis Awards presentation held tonight at the Minneapolis Convention Center, List Manager and private citizen, David Brauer, was the inaugural winner of the Mayor's Award, along with co-conspirator, Steven Clift.In his best imitation of Calvin Griffith (you remember the line about Butch Wynegar- "I love that boy"), David admitted that "he loves Minneapolis" and that he was "humbled" by the award [quite a mouthful for a guy who regularly kicks malcontents off the list :o)].I bring up this award only because I know that David Brauer, private citizen and David Brauer, List Manager, is really too humble to toot his own horn. But it was a well deserved recognition for both David and Steven. Congratulations!!Now, while the List Manager gloats for the next 24 hours, is the best time for list members to try and get away with 3 posts or more per day and discussing 'non-Minneapolis' issues. But be careful, because 'our' Cinderella will turn back into an overworked, underappreciated cleaning lady before we know it.Once again, David and Steven, "Congratulations!"Ron LischeidLucky enough to be the Presenter for fellow Award winner, Dave Parker, a fellow Windom resident___Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-DemocracyPost messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mplsDo you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site
[Mpls] Minneapolis Police Chief Lays out Mediation Schedule
You don't supppose that there are going to be any mentally ill people (that would be tooo scary -right??) or mental health advocates in this group that Chief Olson picks out? I'm raising my hand frantically but I don't think he can see it. Too many important people in front of me. Renee Jenson [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [Mpls] Blame the legislature - Darwinian Economics comes to Minneapolis
Aren't Dyna and Wendy going over the top a little. The Minneapolis of the 1990s and 2000s in not the Newark, Detroit or Philadelphia of the 1960s and 1970s. First of all, don't many statistics tell us that more people are moving into downtown Minneapolis? Doesn't Minneapolis have a high percentage of home ownership? I have lived here for seven years and find Minneapolis is a great place to live on a middle class income. We have a great civic life (as evidenced, in part, by this forum), our DT core is booming (Nic. Mall, First Avenue, different types and prices of housing, even Block E) and the convention center business is pretty good, even in a slower economy. Newark, Detroit, et. al. were products of their times (fiscal crisises, high concentrations of poverty, corrupt city governments). That ain't Minneapolis past, present or future. Do people in this area move to and live in the suburbs? Yes. Do Republicans talk to their concerns? Yes. What that means to me is that maybe the DFL should start talking to their concerns too. Living in the burbs' isn't inherently evil. Progressives in and out of Minneapolis have to stop bashing the suburbs if we ever want to have the opportunity and power to make things better in the future. Maybe if more moderate Democrats ran Minneapolis in the past we wouldn't be facing continuing increases in property taxes. I never could figure why property taxes in the city were always going up during the years of surpluses. Obviously past administrations could never say no. Why should legislators (Rs or DFLers) take all the blame? -Original Message- From: dyna [mailto:dyna;mail.unions-america.com] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 12:44 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [Mpls] Blame the legislature - Darwinian Economics comes to Minneapolis Wendy, you speak the truth Minneapolis leaders refuse to acknowledge. Certainly, it is easy to say the chicken has come home to roost, but, do these same people want Minneapolis to become the vast wasteland that many other inner cities have become? Sure, they'll feel safe out in the concrete-encrusted burbs for a while... but will they then come into town to attend shows or to work? Anyone besides me ever driven through Detroit? Been to Detroit, Philly, etc. I went through St. Louis and Memphis last week. That's where we're headed, the cycle is obvious. As jobs disappear, crime takes over inner city neighborhoods. The middle class is disappearing, and the working class is hi tailing it to the 'burbs. Given current trends, by 2020 Minneapolis will look like Memphis- a few islands of gentrification downtown and along the river gorge and lakes in a largely abandoned city. Who can blame the working class for leaving- when the city won't do anything to shut down the drug house on your block but hands you double digit rax increases? Minneapolis is a beautiful city because of NRP and similar programs. NRP is all but gone. And while multi million dollar subsidies are given to big developers, the city still hasn't put in a curb cut for my driveway that has been here for decades. This wave of Darwinian (survival of the fittest) fiscal policy sweeping the nation... and now coming home to roost in Minneapolis... scares me to death... it is so cold and uncaring about anyone but oneself. How far will it go? If we don't help the less fortunate to have even basic needs met... then, too, do we not care when they are forced to send their children to work in factories like in 17th 18th century industrial days? Where is the line drawn? Do they really think that people who are desperate and resort to crime for income won't visit the burbs where there is more to steal? Yep, that's what Minneapolis will look like a couple decades hence. Except that we'll have crack houses instead of sweatshops. I suspect our only chance for survival as a city may rest with the Republicans in power at the state and federal levels. In a perverse way, if they follow through on their agenda and repeal the Minnesota Human Rights Act and harass immigrants, Minneapolis may again be a sanctuary for folks fleeing bigotry. Minneapolis pioneering and sweeping Civil Rights Ordinance brought many GLBT and minority folks here who invested in and stabilized many neighborhoods. Dyna Sluyter from Hawthorne -- ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Welcome Cathy, and Let's demand the Mayor and Council Shed a little light on their true intentions
Welcome Cathy, This is a good place to start looking for answers. We will all be a little better off if the Mayor and the City Council members bring this issue out into the light. The public has been kept completely in the DARK, behind a wall of silence from our elected politicians. Under the guise of Affordable Housing some City Council Members and possibly staff from the Mayor's office maybe preparing to further the already existing pattern of discrimination against poor and minority neighborhoods and communities. Lets all light the small candle of information we have, and lift our voices to demand an end to the silence! Like the old religious show on Sunday morning use to say, If Everyone Lit Just One Little Candle What A Bright World It Would Be. To light one of those candles Paul Weir is planning to post minutes from some of those SAB meetings at www.pnn.org Everyone should look at them and you decide if a little undercover work has been going on, while keeping Neighborhoods in the dark about it. That info may be up this weekend, but may not be posted until Monday so be patient. Thank you Jim Mork, for being able to see the potential folly of some City Council actions. A good key for the Council to follow is that if the action you are taking is not something you do for everyone, IS against the wishes of the impacted community, AND against the advice of your professional staff there exists a good chance it is something that could generate a lawsuit. Anytime the City Planning Staff resists political pressure enough to oppose granting a variance for a politically powerful Non-Profit you can be sure it may cause a dozy of a political explosion and untold Collateral Damage. The application for a total exception to City Ordinance on off street parking Regulations for PPL is just such a situation with untold collateral damage to the Minneapolis. The City should learn that if it gets bit every time it tries to slap the dog it keeps behind a fence, it might be a good idea to STOP petting it. Of course in this case it is the public's hand that the Council People are thinking of sticking through the fence. Sorry Jim, they changed the law so that the Council and Mayor have Three more years to go. You do not really expect or think they would be acting this way if they were running for office next year do you? We need to go back to Council people being elected every two years. They were a whole lot more responsive and less arrogant when they were. Council people will tell you that you get a lot more Professional Council this way. My question is who wants Professional politicians at the lowest level of elected office? I want someone representative of my community, who actually REPRESENTS my neighborhood. I think of Scott Benson and Barbara Johnson and think about how level headed and representative they are, and I think that is just the right level of Professional to me. I bet they would have no problem getting elected every two years. Lets go back to that system, it also limits the value of quasi-bribes (contributions) that are given by large developers for four years of Service. Start a referendum, I will vote for it. By the way, I believe it is very unprofessional to claim you support Neighborhood Empowerment and involvement and then keep quiet about such an important issue as continuing a pattern of discrimination by concentrating supportive housing. The attempt to do this under the guise of Affordable Housing has hypocrisy fairly dripping off of it. Saying that the City doesn't want to concentrate supportive housing, then removing the 1/4 mile ruling and making it so the units can ONLY situated in communities Zoned for multi-family impacted areas also fairly drips with hypocrisy. So every one respond, and light that one little candle. Jim Graham, Ventura Village - and spending less time in that State of depression since Jim Mork, Cathy, Barb, Tom, and others have started lighting those candles ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Ped/bus/auto circulation along Hiawatha Corridor
Forum members may be interested in this meeting as recent posts have debated the speed limit on Hwy 55 along the Hiawatha light rail corridor. Hiawatha LRT Community Advisory Committee E M E R G E N C YM E E T I N G Traffic engineers will respond to the CAC's recommendations of 9-25-02 (see letter posted below). They have also been invited to offer other suggestions to increase pedestrian and bicycle safety along TH 55 in the Hiawatha Corridor. Wednesday, November 20, 2002 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nokomis Community Center, Multi-Purpose Room 2401 East Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis AGENDA 6:30 - 6:35 Welcome, Meeting Overview (Carol Kummer, Chair) 6:35 - 6:45 Communications Update (Jennifer Lovaasen, Met Council) 6:45 - 8:15 Pedestrian/Bus/Auto Circulation along Hiawatha Corridor (Amr Jabr, MnDOT Traffic Engineer; John Hotvet, Minneapolis Public Works; Arlene McCarthy, Metro Transit) 8:15 - 8:25 Public Invitation to Speak (issues not on agenda) 8:25 - 8:30 Next Agenda / January 22, 2003 8:30 Adjourn The park is fully accessible and can be reached on #19 buses. For Metro Transit schedule information, call (612) 373- or try the online trip planner at www.metrotransit.org. For additional information or directions, call Jennifer Lovaasen Outreach Coordinator Metropolitan Council 651-602-1493 *** LETTER FROM CAC TO MnDOT. October 7, 2002 Acting Commissioner Douglas Weiszhaar Minnesota Department of Transportation Transportation Building 395 John Ireland Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155-1899 Dear Acting Commissioner Weiszhaar: The Hiawatha Light Rail Community Advisory Committee (CAC) discussed pedestrian safety and bus circulation at its September 25th meeting. Originally the issue centered on the 38th Street and 46th Street crossings, but quickly evolved into a general discussion of the excessive speed and dangerous conditions that exist along the light rail line where it parallels Highway 55. Highway 55 is also a serious impediment to potential development identified in the Lake Street and 46th Street master plans. Experience around the country shows that the pedestrian friendliness of areas along a light rail corridor, especially stations, is critical for the success of a light rail line. It enhances foot and bike traffic, encourages greater ridership and transit-oriented development. Traffic traveling 50+ mph just yards from light rail stations poses danger for pedestrians, bicyclists and bus riders who want to cross Hiawatha to any of the stations south of Lake Street. Developers will view the highway as severing half of their potential markets; only auto-oriented developers will see the highway as bringing potential customers to their businesses. In 1976, the Hiawatha Avenue Design Advisory Committee recommended building Hiawatha as a four-lane boulevard. That recommendation has been stretched to the limit with the current design speed of 50 mph. Using the 85th percentile may be appropriate when a corridor is designed exclusively for cars. But to maximize our investment in LRT the corridor itself must safely accommodate multiple modes, not just cars as it does today. Thus, various features must be redesigned to bring about more reasonable speeds. Engineers who successfully design roads for 50+ mph can also design roads for lower speeds and we challenge them to do so on Highway 55. To promote transit-oriented development and pedestrian safety, the CAC has in the past made recommendations to MnDOT - most of which have been ignored. Free right turns that pose significant hazards to pedestrians and bicyclists, median strips that are too narrow to protect pedestrians in winter from the spray of passing cars and trucks and inadequate marking of crosswalks have all been issues raised previously. The CAC again requests that MnDOT end free-right turns, widen the medians and enhance the marking of the crosswalks. New recommendations include: - maintain a speed limit of 35 mph, - strict enforcement of that 35 mph speed limit, - rumble strips before a car arrives at an intersection, - speed bumps attuned to a car going 35 mph (but no more) just before reaching a crosswalk, - bump outs at crosswalks, and - longer crosswalk times. Without these changes on Highway 55, much of the potential of our investment in light rail will be lost. The station area plan for 46th Street calls for 500 units of new housing. These families, children and seniors will have to cross 46th Street and Highway 55 to access the light rail station. An auto throughput chart must not jeopardize their safety. Highway 55 should not be a transportation benefit for cars alone at the expense of light rail and those who live near it. Minnesota's first light rail corridor presents an opportunity for MnDOT to think outside the auto-oriented box. Please ask your engineers to consider and report back on the CAC's recommendations. We
[Mpls] A compromise idea? (Was snowmen)
This may be a weird idea, but here goes: What about living statues? Other fundraisers, including corporations, have used real people as statues for various events, which would employ local actors/artists/volunteers to put on a costume and stand in a public place at a much lower cost. Therefore, instead of copying St. Paul, we could one-up our rival city by suiting up as all the minor characters from Peanuts--Franklin, Shortstop, Rerun, The Red Baron, Marcia, Faron (the cat), and Miss Othmar (the art teacher who quits teaching and gets married because Linus continually forgets to bring the egg shells to school). Someone could even dress up as the School Principal and speak through a voice distorter: Mwah-mwah mwah, mwah mwah! It could raise money for charity. It would definitely be a publicity event--and it would be a lark and much more fun, I think, to lampoon the years-long commercial taking place in St. Paul that has made Snoopy and Lucy into something even more gooey and fluffy than those Dolly Madison cakes. I would be willing to do it. Kristine Harley Sheridan ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] cub foods/dare we hope?
Here we go... Atherton writes: I think that its fine to do the many small things we feel will change the world (I do mine as well), but I also think that we need to introspect a little about how much these actions will affect the lives of others and the extent to which they are our own emotional conveniences. I found your previous post less a call for introspection and more a call for those who wish to reduce their impact on the world to move to China. In fact, the types of action you criticized Wendy for engaging in - proactive, intelligent choices about consumption - are the result of the very process of introspection you here advocating. The dominant cultural forces working on each of us every day argue *against* spending money with any kind of moral strings attached, or for any purpose other than self-interest. Unless you think liberalism is so rampant - indeed, omnipresent - in Minneapolis that it drowns out the chorus from the television, radio, billboards, etc. that scream at us: thirst is everything - obey your thirst. If that is what you think, I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree. I believe it's hard to counterbalance 3000+ ads a day. Otherwise, our selfish rationalizations may actually do more harm to the intended beneficiaries than good. The welfare and educational systems are just two examples liberal good intentions gone bad. Please give an example of how *individual* decisions to consume sustainably can do more harm to the intended beneficiaries than good. The examples you gave - welfare and liberal education, your same old bugaboos - are obviously government programs, and therefore miss the point entirely. Neither Wendy nor I advocated that Minneapolis city gummint ban dirty old Cub foods from operating in our fair city. We supported the decisions of those who care about the environment and workers' rights to shop elsewhere of their own volition. I'd think someone so critical of liberal collectivization would applaud our approach, rather than attempting to paint us with that tired old pinko brush. Why do we have such a responsibility? Because, put simply, we are the beneficiaries of systems of dominance that effect others' lives in negative ways. And because we are the only group of people with the access to the sheer economic power that can change those systems of dominance. Now, it's a waste of my time to try to convince someone who does not share my belief in either of these two points. I thought I was pretty clear that I was speaking to and for the converted, on that front. If someone doesn't care what happens to the guy who picked her/his bananas, and will look for the cheapest price per bunch, world-be-damned, then my exhortations aren't worth the carbon dioxide exhaled. But if someone shares my values, I will simply not allow you to steamroll her/him with cynicism without a response. My purpose in the last post was not so much to prove that we have a responsibility to the other people in the world (as you seem to agree, based on your avowed little acts to change the world), but to argue that actions supporting values are not meaningless, as you stipulated, if not total. How do you define social justice and why should I, or our government be involved in it? The Constitution states that government should provide for justice and the general welfare, I don't recall it saying anything about social justice. If I recall correctly that's the foundation of Communism, not American Democracy. Red herring (pun intended). First of all, my purpose was not to convince you to be involved in social justice. My purpose was to defend Wendy's decision to be involved in social justice. I personally wish to be involved because I think it's morally correct. I think there are plenty of people who agree with me, and I was writing to counter your claim that they should take their good will and stifle it, sit on it, choke it back, because they can't change the world by themselves. Now, this may alienate some members of the strict-reading set, but I believe the Constitution is a piece of paper, written by men, some of whom owned other human beings as property, who believed that the franchise should not be extended to women or the poor. Are there good ideas in it? Absolutely. But the lack of a given phrase should not prevent us from talking or thinking about said phrase - or even acting upon it. I try to buy sustainably produced products which were manufactured by people who were being paid a livable wage. I do this because I think it's the right thing to do, and because I believe it's in my best interest, in the long term, to do so. I think the city of Minneapolis should do likewise, for the same reasons. I realize fully that there are those who disagree with me, and I'm fine with their choice to consume as I wouldn't. I also accept that they will try to push city policy in the opposite direction from where I'd like it to go. But that's the role of the electoral
[Mpls] Re: student performance and class size
Dear List members There have been gains - a track record of gains - in student achievement across race and socio-economic indicators over the past four years at MPS. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and to voice it strenuously in this forum. For those interested in data on student achievement at MPS please vist the hotlink http://mpls.k12.mn.us/curriculum/test_scores.shtml Review the major findings in the district achievement report. This covers 1999-2000 and should be updated soon to include 2001. The District Achievement Report does include a Major Findings summary for those who do not wish to wade through chart after chart. We are not satisfied with the gains. We have not closed the gap between the achievement of white students and the achievement of students of color. We believe we can improve and a key strategy will be investing in improving the quality of teaching. On the issue of class size there will be a report to the board shortly on where we stand but suffice it to say we take the referendum class size promise seriously. We budget to meet class size allocations based on student enrollment projections, school choice preferences of students and families etc. I can affirm that anyone can find a class size that is over the referendum promise but I will assert and we should have data shortly to confirm that overwhelmingly, across the district we are hitting our referedum class size targets. Where we miss, and again I can guarantee that there are cases in MPS where there are more students in a classroom, it is due to the difference between budget and enrollment projections and reality. Folks, its a dynamic equilibrium. If we could perfectly predict in spring exact student enrollment projections for the next fall, and perfectly factor in the impact of changes in transportation service, and perfectly project the result of family choices for the next fall's enrollment, we could get closer to perfectly meeting the class size referendum commitment. Students and families making school choices do not behave like soldiers marching in regiments on parade! School buildings and classrooms are known quantities and are relatively inelastic given the class size commitment. The variables affecting enrollment are quite dyanmic and less than predictable. Two quick examples. First 9/11. The US closed its borders until January 02. Immigration in has yet to reach the pre-9/11 levels. We had to throw out our English Language Learner enrollment projection and just guess how many new arrivals we would have. Second, hurrricane Mitch hitting Central America some years ago dislocated thousands who over time began to arrive where? Yep... Minneapolis and MPS. I would ask folks to consider the following: Does MPS monitor and publicly report data on this issue. Answer: Yes! Is MPS substantially compliant with the referendum class size promise. I believe the report to an early December Board of Ed meeting will reveal that the Answer is: Yes! Does MPS intervene on the basis of data to bring non-compliant sites into compliance. Answer: Yes! Jim Grathwol MPS Director Gov't Relations 612-668-0223 11-2 begin:vcard n:Grathwol;Jim tel;cell:612-990-3459 tel;work:612-668-0223 x-mozilla-html:FALSE adr:;; version:2.1 email;internet:[EMAIL PROTECTED] fn:Jim Grathwol end:vcard
[Mpls] Open letter to Burnsville apologizing for the 35W Access Project
(David Brower, this post complies because though it addresses Burnsville, it is fundamentally about Minneapolis.) This was the letter I sent to the Burnsville City Council about the I-35W Access Project. If I were them, I would be infuriated that Minneapolis is dragging its feet, lagging way behind Burnsville on transit. What is going on here? Dear Mayor Kautz and Burnsville City Councilmembers, Extraordinary challenges require extraordinary measures. Our current transportation quagmire necesitates partnership, and not antagonism, between the inner city and the suburbs. Haphazard transportation funding has propelled the Twin Cities to an embarrassing distinction of most gridlocked metro area in the midwest. I35W, Burnsville's primary link to Minneapolis, must be revamped in order to accomodate growth projections over the coming century. With unparalleled foresight, Burnsville has taken steps in the right direction. The Burnsville Transit Station is second to none. Clearly, you take seriously the need to provide alternatives to the automobile in order to alleviate congestion. Minneapolis, on the other hand, is considering a far inferior alternative which will hamper your efforts at moving people and goods through the metro on 35W. The $155 million 35W Access Project proposes an expensive and superfluous flyover ramp to 28th Street, only three blocks north of existing access at 31st Street; $40 million to widen bridges for future HOV lanes - note, no construction of transit lanes now or any time soon; a southbound exit and northbound entrance at Lake. The project has been driven by the interests of a few large corporations, who stand to benefit immensely from easy access, to the detriment of you and us who stand to suffer the fallout of another freeway expansion, with little heed to long-term alleviation of congestion. The city of Minneapolis is very skeptical of the project, though MnDOT and a coalition of private interests are pursuing it aggressively. A resolution in opposition from Burnsville would send a strong message that, contrary to the jaded opinions of some city residents, suburban dwellers really do demand transportation choices. Would your city council consider a resolution demanding a new project, with more consideration of the whole transportation needs in Burnsville? A dedicated busway - buses only - to be constructed now, not later, would eliminate congestion for commuters from Burnsville to downtown. Please see our website, www.stride-mn.org for more information on the 35W Access Project. Sincerely, Jeff Carlson, Minneapolis __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access tomfoolery
Of course Lilligren would come under fire for exposing even a crumb of evidence incriminating the process behind the 35W Access Project. Further investigation into the dealings behind the scene, that have allowed this boondoggle to advance thus far, are surely forthcoming. It would not surprise me if shady deals have been contracted here. That might be the only way to ram such an unpopular project down the throats of resisting neighbors. I, too, wondered why Jim Graham voted yes to a project that so damages his neighborhood. Why, on Tuesday's Open House, were several business owners signed up to speak in favor of the project unbeknownst to them? These questions can't match the greater inquiry underlying the whole, misguided project: why are we expanding a freeway and dumping more cars into our neighborhoods when we could be spending that money on the public transportation we so desperately need? The answer may be found in the corporate back-room deals that may be undermining our democratic process. Jeff Carlson, Whittier __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] 35W access project
I agree- this project went on for years and when the neighborhood said NO no-one listened. Good for you CM Lilligren !!! We speek up and we get shot down, he's right. Something is going on that I can figure out. Becky Olson Whittier ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Zoning Changes, The Sounds of Silence/Not by Me!
The 1/4 mile spacing should never,ever be removed. Lets keep working for a Balanced City not a lopsided one that will go down the tubes. Becky Olson Whittier ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Welcome Cathy, and Let's demand the Mayor and Council Shed a littl...
Jim- I have a BIG light to set the city blazing. Can't our officials THINK about what they are doing?? I thought that I could keep going for a few more years with the Mayor and Counsil, but boy it's hard,hard hard...people are moving out of the City.. Shine that lite at City Hall to wake them up. Becky Olson Whittier ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Snowmen Statues
Hear, Hear! Good post Jan. I felt exactly the same way. I also felt a little disgusted because I thought it smacked of elitism and makes smaller communities even more disappointed with "the big city." In the words of the Art Council it's "not art." Well, excuse me, can't we just have some fun once in awhile? Karen Collier Linden Hills
Re: [Mpls] Proposed Tax Strike in Mpls! (fwd)
See above for John Kolstad's email address. Hello David: John does not have any contact info on his request making it difficult for residents to respond. David Shove [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Fw, with his permission, from my friend John Kolstad. Please reply here or to John, not to me personally. --David Shove Roseville Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 17:29:12 -0600 From: John Kolstad/Mill City Music Subject: Proposed Tax Strike in Mpls! PROBLEM: Out of control property tax increases by City and State. Caused by Gross Fiscal Mismanagement on the state and City level SOLUTION: I am proposing that we the Citizens of Minneapolis organize a legal and proper tax strike. Find out how to Escrow our tax payments and act collectively until we get some sensible fiscal public policy out of this DFL controlled City. It is time that all of those that have been getting public subsidies finally start paying their share. Commercial and Residential Property owners should work together on this, otherwise they will try to have us fight each other. I have a commercial building and a private home too and they are doing it in both places. What do you think of the tax strike idea? Do you have a better one? I am open to other strategies, I just think one of them should Not be to do nothing or say nothing. We need to send a message to elected and public officials. I think this particularly stinks that this all came out right after the elections are over. I'm sure it is just a coincidence. John Kolstad/ President, Mill City Music ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls - Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] A little light for Becky's spotlight on City Hall
Here is a little light for you, Becky Olson. I just copied this off of the February, 2002 minutes of the SAB meeting, posted at www.pnn.org , add it to your spotlight. Shelter/Supportive Housing Lawsuits Tom Fulton stated that there were several other projects, besides Lydia House and Love Power, which were also facing lawsuits. Previously neighborhood resistance was enough to effectively kill a project. Now elected officials see the need for affordable housing and have approved projects based on the need. The first line of defense is to have sufficient resources to mount a vigorous defense. The city needs to eliminate any restrictive codes and ordinances that provide a hook for people to sue. The board discussed a concern that the neighborhood review process may result in discrimination against protected classes. The board indicated a desire to talk to the city about this (JG) Tom Fulton seems to have a knack for saying what the purpose of this group is and how they have feelings that neighborhoods and residents are the Enemy. The question is which elected officials is Tom Fulton speaking about? They must have been talking to him. My question is where have the RT Rybak and Council we elected on neighborhood Empowerment and Input issues gone? If they have been truly participating in this effort? What Mr. Fulton seems to have no knowledge of, or even worse, no consideration for, is the fact that the Neighborhoods who he is so willing to have sufficient resources to fight are the very ones who made affordable housing the central issue in the last election. It is truly sad, Fulton and his group are now treating those neighborhoods as Enemies. A question for Fulton and for RT and the Council is where exactly you think you are going to build affordable housing if you so alienate your friendly neighborhoods. You folks cannot possibly be so lacking of development acumen as to feel you can stuff this down NIMBY Fortress Neighborhood throats without allies can you? No, that's why you pick on poor neighborhoods with high percentages of minority people. Oh that's right, I forgot, you folks are so self righteous you don't have to consider what poor people think, if they were as smart as you they wouldn't be poor. Which poor neighborhood does Mr. Fulton say he lives in? Next question for Fulton and politician cronies: After seeing how you reward FRIENDLY neighborhoods for their hard work to create affordable housing, you don't really think Fortress Neighborhoods are going to be willing to accept EVEN affordable housing, do you? I can think of no action taken in the last 20 years that has been so destructive and detrimental to the interests of creating affordable housing than these actions by the people who were charged with creating affordable housing. Continuing a pattern of discrimination against poor minority impacted neighborhoods is hardly the way to create a willingness to create affordable housing. As one of the people who worked for years to sensitize people, neighborhoods, and politicians to the need for more affordable housing, I personally resent the highjacking of the issue, which the Supportive Housing advocacy groups have resorted to. If affordable housing dies as a viable issue it will be on these folk's heads, for having so discounted and alienated the neighborhoods. Neighborhoods that could have been their allies. Everyone should go to that site, www.pnn.org , and read the minutes. Maybe I am just overreacting, but when I hear about the Mayor's staff going to bring this out for action this month, without public input, and combine that information with their Sound of Silence, I get suspicious. I am waiting, and would love for Tom Fulton and the Mayor to come out and say it is just a terrible misunderstanding, and they want affordable housing, and for the good of Minneapolis and the residents of those projects, and they want to de-concentrate Supportive Housing . But I am not going to hold my breath, and I am not going to believe, until they prove it just aint so. The Mayor, the Council, and even Fulton can have such an opportunity at the Neighborhoods Forum On Concentrated Supportive Housing. I asked for such a meeting of Neighborhoods several weeks ago on this List. I hope it comes off. Jim Graham, Ventura Village Everyone together now, one time for Becky, This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] 35W access project
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Rybak and Ostrow's portrayal of council member Robert L's criticisms of the access project as not based in reality are ridiculous. Lilligren is saying what many of us know to be true. WM: That's not accurate. Lilligren is repeating or the author of a belief, the truth of which is unknown and the likelihood of knowing anything is dubious at best (there may be nothing to know). There have been over four years of meetings concerning I35W. In all that time no one has come up with anything that could even be laughingly construed as evidence that any deals or skullduggery have taken place. Since I was one of the people who asked for this (and there had to be quite a few of them because I sure could not have done it alone), I can tell you that this was a grass roots initiative. I personally asked Honeywell to lobby for us. Other people probably did too. I lobbied my representative for it (Linda Wejcman at the time) and my city councilman (Brian Herron) just before the last election each of them won. I lobbied Linda Berglin as well. Central Neighborhood wanted amelioration, I wanted more than just a new suit on an awkward notion (freeways). That there has been a project access committee working for the last 4 years shows that a whole lot of people must have lobbied for this as well. This is truly a boondoggle for the benefit of politicians and corporations. WM: Yes, this project will benefit corporations--corporations that have invested tons of money over long, long many years in Phillips Neighborhood. Both Abbott and Northwestern Hospitals were created in Phillips: Abbott by one Dr. Abbott, Northwestern as a hospital for poor, mostly immigrant women. Honeywell (erstwhile Minneapolis Heat Regulator) had it's first building on the Southwest corner of Portland and Lake wherein the fabulous damper flapper was created. Later patented, it was the beginning of Minneapolis Heat Regulator. R.W. Sweatt, first #1 guy at Honeywell, built his house in Central and lived there much of his adult life. These institutions are as woven into the fabric of these neighborhoods as is anyone living here today. The same could be said for dozens of much smaller businesses like Ingebretsons or Portland Lake Motors or Hirshfield's or on and on. So, if we're going to go through all the trouble to shake loose money from the feds, they have as much right to benefit from improvements as anyone else, including the 100 year old man in my neighborhood who's lived in the same house his whole life. Over the years thousands of residents in these neighborhoods have worked at Honeywell, Sears, Abbott, Children's, the bus co., all the factories (Minneapolis Moline, Twin Cities Rapid Transit, the railroads) that were once where Hi-Lake Shopping Center, Target, and Cub are (27th and Lake.) have all been part of the fabric of these neighborhoods and are the reasons they originally existed. To treat them as though they were two-headed aliens from Mars is what is twisted. It will further rip apart our neighborhoods (poor neighborhoods by the way). WM: When all the businesses now gone were operating at full tilt, people around here had jobs in those businesses, they built their houses and led their lives and most grew and prospered and some did not. The greater parts of South Minneapolis were working class neighborhoods where the working classes were actually working. It really sank into increasing poverty with the building of 35W and 94. That process was followed by red-lining in these neighborhoods. Banks would not give loans for home owners, insurance companies jacked up insurance rates or would not insure. The city of Minneapolis began to neglect this area (wasn't bringing in any revenue). Then the city closed Nicollet. Both the freeway and the closing of Nicollet barred this area from tons of commerce on any small business scale. WizardMarks, Central I hope Lilligren keeps on speaking out... Margaret Hastings Kingfield ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Lake Street Getting HUGE
Hello, What's this I hear about Lake street going 8 lanes? How abou the local businesses? I work at Figlio, and would be unemployed while they moved everything back if this is the case. Anyone have any specifics on this? -Mike Jones Uptown _ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Snowmen Statues
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On Friday 15 November 2002 17:44, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well, excuse me, can't we just have some fun once in awhile? I don't know, can we? Personally I don't think there's anything fun about fiberglass replicas of snowmen (not snow-persons?) in a place where there's usually enough snow to make thousands of REAL snowpersons. And gee, snow is free. It literally falls from the sky. :) What I think would be cool would be an annual front-yard or public area/park snow-sculpture contest-- perhaps the winning family/individual/group could have their sculpture photographed for the cover of the annual Mpls calendar and taken for a free lunch at Basil's with the Mayor (just to brainstorm some inexpensive and fun ideas for prizes). I'd much rather tool around the city looking at the handiwork of families and other creative types than blinking lights or factory-produced blobs. In fact, seems to me that WCCO radio used to have a contest like this (in conjunction with that other city's annual winter carnival)... do they still do it? -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQE91awO4ClW9KMwqnMRApzvAJ4svJHvnV+TLr8+IbnKFidwpA/vYQCfV2iS 7JHZgB0Q7WujYPJy8vDFa1g= =ew+/ -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
(forgot to sign) Re: [Mpls] Snowmen Statues
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 Apologies for the unsigned post! I am: Michael Libby of the Cleveland neighborhood in North Mpls. On Friday 15 November 2002 20:22, Michael C. Libby wrote: On Friday 15 November 2002 17:44, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well, excuse me, can't we just have some fun once in awhile? I don't know, can we? Personally I don't think there's anything fun about fiberglass replicas of snowmen (not snow-persons?) in a place where there's usually enough snow to make thousands of REAL snowpersons. And gee, snow is free. It literally falls from the sky. :) What I think would be cool would be an annual front-yard or public area/park snow-sculpture contest-- perhaps the winning family/individual/group could have their sculpture photographed for the cover of the annual Mpls calendar and taken for a free lunch at Basil's with the Mayor (just to brainstorm some inexpensive and fun ideas for prizes). I'd much rather tool around the city looking at the handiwork of families and other creative types than blinking lights or factory-produced blobs. In fact, seems to me that WCCO radio used to have a contest like this (in conjunction with that other city's annual winter carnival)... do they still do it? ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls - -- signature nameMichael C. Libby/name email[EMAIL PROTECTED]/email web-sitehttp://www.ichimunki.com//web-site public-keyhttp://www.ichimunki.com/public_key.txt/public-key /signature -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQE91a8m4ClW9KMwqnMRAhlkAKCOQHKEsDPBGPlSgrXr16A4c5dSrQCeL7B6 cgRx+TK11kh8JnGqOZzjQYc= =LaBT -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Recent posts on education reform and taxes
Teachers must continually take classes to learn about the latest research and best practices. Staff development is the keystone to increasing student achievement through effective teaching. My guess is that Minneapolis has not spent enough money to train teachers. Do you really think that graduating with a bachelors degree is the end of a teachers education??? A majority of teachers go on to get MA degrees (paying 100% of the cost mind you) and attend workshops throughout the school year and summer. Demand, advocate, and support teacher training at your child's school! Terry Erickson Whittier (teacher) - Original Message - From: dain lyngstad [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mpls Issues List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 9:56 PM Subject: Re: [Mpls] Recent posts on education reform and taxes There has been no significant increase in childrens' test scores in mps, or did I read the point incorrectly? The schools are low on money but they can pay teachers to attend classes to increase student performance, isn't this the object of educational college? The referendum passed to keep classes small has been disregarded at least in two cases I personally know of,both in the middle grades. One, a geography class has 32 students. I(once again) guestion the school administration's honesty and commitment to our kids. Dain Lyngstad Phillips/edina --- Jame F. Grathwol [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In response to some questions about MPS and school reforms vis a vis what has taken place in Charlotte-Mecklenberg: I was unable to article in the hotlink but readers should know that MPS has: Standardized curricula across the district Defined district content expectations at each grade level Use curriculum based assessments (CBM's) Broken down the data and told the story Advanced All-Day K as a primary tool Sought to increase minority enrollment in AP/IB Significantly boosted test scores In addition we are reforming teacher compensation to reward teachers who train in and acquire the skills labor and management both agree are the key skills needed to accelerate student achievement. Almost 40% of our teachers have signed up to participate in this program in it's first year. I should note that Dr. Johnson and Dr. Smith know eachother and share notes on success. One should also note that Charlotte-Mecklenberg is a county wide school system resulting in lower concentrations of poverty over-all and a higher base from which to average student improvement from. Perhaps that is a model we should explore. On the recent comments regarding school taxes. I have to admit I am a bit baffled about Brauer's particulars on his house but I can speak to a few trends, check some facts and perhaps repost with an aswer to David's specific mystery. Fact #1. Voters approved an increase in the School excess operating referendum. Thanks to all Minneapolis voters for their support! You approved an eight year operating referendum that increases annually over the course of the eight years to address the inflationary increases in the cost of maintaining class sizes. We actually incur additional costs over referendum revenue to maintain the commitment. Fact#2. The levy impact hit homeowners in taxes payable in 02 and scales up annually. Fact#3. The TNT statements that just hit everybody's home have an error on the Minneapolis Schools' operating referendum line. The state's levy sheets which are used by the county to prepare the TNT notice erroneously attibuted another district levy authority in addition to the school operating referendum authority. The bottom line on school levies is accurate; the number and percent increase figures for school operating referendum are wrong due to a misallocation of yet another distinct district levy authority to the voter approved school operating referendum line on the TNT form. Fact#4. The decrease in the other school referenda number is primarily attributable to a decrease in the school district alternative faciilities levy which funds deferred maintenance and many of the school facility improvements you've seen over the past 14 years. This program is phasing down as we have caught up with many years of deferred maintenance. That's for all now begin:vcard n:Grathwol;Jim tel;cell:612-990-3459 tel;work:612-668-0223 x-mozilla-html:FALSE adr:;; version:2.1 email;internet:[EMAIL PROTECTED] fn:Jim Grathwol end:vcard __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to:
Re: [Mpls] Zoning Changes, The Sounds of Silence
My partner and I are seriously considering moving from our home in Whittier due to this panic driven initiative to build affordable housing at any cost. Supportive housing advocates are clearly taking advantage of this current climate to push for changes to city zoning code that will negatively impact our city for decades to come. I have seen this same panic mode several years ago when crime was at an all time high in Minneapolis. I attended many neighborhood meetings and listened to one bad idea after another was proposed to resolve gang killings and street crime. Many elected officials also attended these meetings. During that time, conservative, throw them in jail and toss away the key advocates were in their glory. I see the same thing happening with the affordable housing issue and just like anti-crime initiatives, it can be polarizing and divisive. We live right next door to a Beverly nursing home and are very worried that this facility will also close some day and be reused as something like a Lydia House. With our elected officials offering no relief from this tide of supportive/transitional housing for our neighborhoods, our only option for our family is to move. Please Mayor Rybak and council representatives, come clean on the issue of the 1/4 mile spacing. Where do you stand and why? Terry Erickson Whittier - Original Message - From: Tom Berthiaume [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 10:22 AM Subject: [Mpls] Zoning Changes, The Sounds of Silence I'm told this morning from a very reliable source who has met with the Mayor recently that zoning changes regarding 1/4 mile spacing of supportive housing will be introduced NEXT MONTH. The Shelter Advisory Board has had direct access to the Mayor and the help of his staff. Have any neighborhood groups enjoyed this kind of special treatment? Has any neighborhood group even been told this is being worked on? Has any neighborhood group been asked about what it thinks about supportive housing clusters? Has there been any opportunity for citizen comment at all? It appears this deal is being completely cooked before the public even knows about it. So much for relaxing 'cause nothing is going on. Tom Berthiaume Whittier, Stevens Square, Loring Park, Navarre ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Inner city kids need to be educated, not separated
Grouping kids in a classroom by ability is the most effective and proven method to helping kids become better readers. This is called differentiation in education lingo. It is BEST practices. Grouping kids allow the teacher to best meet the needs of each student. (Not a separate classroom but within the same classroom.) Elementary classrooms have a very wide range of reading abilities. My third grade classroom has some students reading at a first grade level while others are reading at a fifth grade level. Those students reading at a first grade level are still learning to decode words and need instruction on phonics. Those students reading at a fifth grade level need instruction on learning words in context or understanding word origin. Much different instructional needs! How would you propose to do that in a heterogeneous group Mr. Mann??? Terry Erickson Whittier (teacher) - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 11:50 AM Subject: [Mpls] Inner city kids need to be educated, not separated During the past two years I must have talked to dozens of teachers who said to me you don't know what these inner city kids are like, you can't expect them to keep up with the rest of the kids. Parents who say the same thing about 'those' kids (pick any 'at-risk' ethnic group) usually go on to say that 'they' should go to their own schools (or classrooms) because they are holding 'our' kids back. And the failure of the district to see that all children get effective instruction reinforces the belief that 'those children' can't learn, aren't college material, etc. I happen to know what those inner city kids are like. I know what happens to the kids (and their parents) when they are identified as 'low-ability' learners and put in separate groups and classrooms for reading instruction. 'Low-ability' learners generally do not receive effective reading instruction in grades K through 4. If they were receiving effective instruction they would be catching up, not falling behind. Somehow the kids who are designated as 'low-ability learners' get the idea that they are stupid, and quickly give up. Some withdraw and others act out. The answer is not to put those kids in their own classrooms or schools. They need to be educated, not separated. -Doug Mann http://educationright.tripod.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] A little light/Nor Our Neighborhoods at RT's Table
From The List Archive I reprint my query/plea to RT. He never answered me, yet his exclusion of private sector landlords spoke volumes. Now the other shoe falls as neighborhood consensus is also left out, and not brought to the table: [Mpls] Housing/ RT, can WE come to the table? [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Dec 7 11:35:01 2001 In a message dated 12/7/01 11:21:09 AM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: As far as the coverage of my actions, this is true. But it's not the case. This afternoon I'm meeting with David Fey and our affordable housing task force, which has been working very hard over the past few weeks to lay out our proposed agenda. It's very strong work so far and I expect it to get better. We are going to refine it today, air it before council members and legislators early next week and then bring it forward probably late next week. I am also going to be talking about this when I meet with Gov. Ventura in about an hour. Keith says; Dear RT, Welcome to City Hall. Since the policies and prizes are being passed before Jan. 2, I wish to ask you a question about affordable housing initiatives you are formulating. Which people from the private sector, small businessmen called landlord, have you selected and appointed to this affordable housing roundtable so far? I have a fear that all nonprofit and no bottom line experience means spending more money with less thought. Our tax money is short, let the idea list grow long. Thank you. Keith Reitman Near North In a message dated 11/15/02 5:42:19 PM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: (JG) Tom Fulton seems to have a knack for saying what the purpose of this group is and how they have feelings that neighborhoods and residents are the Enemy. The question is which elected officials is Tom Fulton speaking about? They must have been talking to him. My question is where have the RT Rybak and Council we elected on neighborhood Empowerment and Input issues gone? If they have been truly participating in this effort? Keith says: I am still looking for the RT who spoke clearly of the need for the private sector in the circle of affordable housing providers. He left us, the small businessman called landlord, the only providers of ACTUAL affordable housing,out in the cold. Clearly we are supposed to join our former tenants under the new flyover. Now, I sit around the campfire, along with those left out in the cold. I am surprised to be joined by our neighborhood/community leaders/activists. The rest of the community will be here soon. But I'm not worried, we can just throw another tax levy log on the fire. The Mayor's office will continue to provide us with drivel, the NonProfiteers at the Mayor's Table get the fine wine, meat and potatoes. Keith Reitman NearNorth ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Minutes of the Hennepin County Shelter Advisory Board
List members can go to http://pnn.org to see the minutes of meetings of the Hennepin County Shelter Advisory Board. Simply click on What's New in the main menu, and then on the indicated item. The board of the Phillips Neighborhood Network (PNN) does not take positions on matters of public policy. These minutes have been made available as a public service in response to requests from many interested people. Paul Weir Phillips ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access and Lake Street Businesses
I am posting for the first time on this list. My name is Scott Smedberg and I live in Whittier. I am dismayed by the level of financial involvement by both government and private business in the 35W Access Project process, all to hoodwink us into road building. At Phelps Park on Thursdaya Republican invokes this "project"as a Wellstone kind of a project, a Public Relations law firm is paid to convince us that we want what they are paid to sell us and a small business owner waves a list of 38 small Hispanic business owners who support the project. Speaking to this business owner after the meeting, I had a chance to look at her "petition". It said "Sabri Properties" on the top and there was no statement, just a hand-numbered list of signatures. The only thing it tells us is how many Hipanic tenants Sabri has who will sign a piece of paper when pressured by their landlord or his representative. This process is not for the benefit of the community.People are being pressured and influence is being pedaled. I have spoken with dozens of small businesses on Lake Street that do not even know of this "Pack" process, including many Sabri tenants. We have a Lake Street that is revitalizing and I spend a lot of time there. Bus ridership is skyrocketing, new businesses open weekly, and just when success is being achieved Allina and Wells Fargo hire someone to sell us an access myth. Now that Robert Lillegren has so bravely spoken, let us continue to build what we need: Light Rail, the Midtown Greenway, small scale infill along Lake Street, and most importantly,the vibrant urban community that will never be built by a Public Relations Law Firm. The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] cub foods/dare we hope?
Garwood, Robin wrote: I suppose the central disagreement between us is on this question: dare we hope? Sure let's hope and some of us can even try to make changes, but we should think about whether our actions result in measurable positive effects or are only as I said, emotional conveniences, as they were for Hoffman, Rubin, the SLA, etc. Michael Atherton Prospect Park ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 35W Access project/ Is this Cook County Illinois or Hennepin County Minnesota?
I am the Chair of the Nicollet Lake Business Association. In June of 2002 the main speaker for our luncheon meeting was John Wertes. John works for the city of Minneapolis and was to present the results of the traffic study for the 35W Access Project. The board decided not to ask Tom Johnson, the 35W project manager to our meeting. We wanted the attendees, local businesses and neighborhood residents, to have an opportunity to ask questions without being intimidated or bias comments. I received a call from Mr. Johnson the Friday before our scheduled meeting. He wanted to know why he hadn't received an invitation. When told he lost his temper, threatening to bring this up before the PAC at our next meeting. Monday before the meeting I received a call from Mr. Johnson. He said that he had been out of line. I agreed. He offered to set up a meeting with the S.E.H. engineer of the project to discuss what could be done during construction to lessen the impact on business. I told him that I would go back to our business association to discuss this offer. Mr. Johnson then said "No I mean your business." I refused. Wednesday forty-five minuets before the meeting I received a call from Jim Grube. (Jim is a county transportation employee and a man of integrity. He was asked and did attend our meeting.) He said that Peter McLaughlin wanted Tom Johnson at the meeting and that he would be there but would not speak. Not only did Tom Johnson attend without an invitation but McLaughlin's aide, a woman from the Wells Fargo Corporate office, a fellow from the Phillips Partnership and Peter Mclaughlin all came without an invitation. We do have attendance records and minuets if anyone is interested. The tax payers of Hennepin County deserve better from their elected officials and those doing business for the county. Tom McGreevy Former 35W PAC member
Re: [Mpls] Property taxes. I've sent the e-mails to the city, will they listen??
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On Thursday 14 November 2002 09:43, Terrell Brown wrote: From: Michael C. Libby What we really need, at all levels of government, is some form of line item taxation, where your rate is set at x%, but each citizen can earmark their contribution for specific areas of government. [TB] Really? That would probably be good for public safety advocates. If, for example, we had a few more beat cops we might not have read in this mornings paper about a rape at a downtown bus stop at 5:30 last Friday evening. Well, I don't think using a recent extreme example is likely to do much other than fan flames and incite hysteria in the public... so I'll ignore this-- except to say: how the heck does this happen in the middle of downtown during rush hour??? it's not a question of where are the Police, but where was anyone with half a clue?! How was it no one was around who could step in and take action? The police simply cannot watch every corner and alley and sidewalk where good citizens might run across the Bad Guys. It's a law of physics or nature or something. Now back to a discussion of taxation... The Fire Department would probably get lots of money. Maybe. Maybe not. I doubt I would earmark much of my own contribution for them, unless they were constantly under-funded and the city was experiencing a real problem with fires. What wouldn't get much money? Would we still be cleaning up and then developing brown spaces? Would we defer infrastructure repair until the streets and sewers literally fell apart? Would we clean anything? I dunno. I doubt I'd earmark much of my own money for the roads that everyone else uses a lot more than I do, but I'd certainly earmark funding for environmental clean-up (although personally I'd prefer to see the people who MADE the mess forced to clean it up). I'd gladly earmark money for people who might pick up trash-- especially if they were given the ability to ticket litterers. Would we see paid advertisements for and against various spending programs along the line of what we see during election campaigns? Probably. We already see plenty of similar stuff. But this is a free speech issue... as long as the money being spent isn't from the budgets of the departments seeking funding what's the problem? Other than that it seems more efficient to just give the money directly to a department you care about rather than spending money on advertising. Talk about silly. Maybe: This Northeast Minneapolis neighborhood (pan to picture of new storefront with upper level affordable apartments) has seen millions of YOUR redevelopment dollars go into Don't earmark anymore money for Northeast send it to Bryn Mahr? OK. You almost have a point. Except that programs like NRP or agencies like MCDA have a city-wide focus and you either contribute to the agency or you don't. And even if you had a geographical earmark you could do, it's likely that people would simply earmark their own geography... so it's not like there suddenly wouldn't be any money in NE. Your counter-example flies in the face of logic. Then maybe we should just get rid of the City Council and start having Town Meetings. What is this? The slippery slope? Sorry, but this isn't an argument against line-item taxation, it's simply hyperbole. You seem to be arguing against citizen involvement in government, so I'll just extend that to conclude that you'd support my alternative suggestion: rotational, constitutional monarchy with both the monarch and the legislative body chosen by lottery. I don't know if you paid any attention to the results of the last election, but the City of Minneapolis is not a single person making the same decision all over... it's a fairly diverse place. We have a lot of different opinions... with line-item taxation I'm not sure we'd see things change that much, but I think it'd be a far sight better than getting to vote on referenda to support libraries and schools because all of the regular revenue was handed to developers who haven't (as far as I can tell) actually improved the City much for all that spending. In fact, several of those expensive projects have failed pretty miserably. While obviously this whole notion is a bit underdeveloped, I would envision that the earmark forms would still have some summary information about council-recommended levels and brief mentions of how this worked out last budget cycle in terms of total volume and whether the department came in under/over-budget, etc, and there could still be elected-official oversight to prevent an over-funded agency from simply paying everyone six figures or equipping each office with a La-Z-Boy-- basically the money must be used to pursue the mission of that agency in a reasonable way. What's so hard about that? -Michael Libby (Cleveland/North Mpls) -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (GNU/Linux)
Re: [Mpls] 35W access project
Wizard, you certainly have described well the demise of Nicollet from the time that the city was gutted to build 35W to when they closed Nicollet for K-mart. And somehow, you want me to believe that making 35W even bigger with cement ramps pouring into my neighborhood and a giant Lake Streetis going to make things better for me and those small mom and popbusinesses? Ever been to Houston? Seen University Avenue lately? How about Broadway? It certainly is your right to support the project and I respect that. However, 60 or better people in my neighborhood attended a series of meetings and decided NO THANK YOU! And I suspect a whole lot more people outside my neighborhood aren't happy about it either. Not that it really matters. When the 35W people realized they had a boat anchor hanging around their necks they decided to attach themselves to the sailing ship. The re-opening of Nicollet and the Sherman project.In my opinion (and this is only my opinion) whenSherman tried to stay out of the 35W debate because there was nothing to gain by getting into it, the head cheerleader of the expansionaires offered to help them close their financing gap as long as someone from Sherman would show up at these meetings andhelp sell this losing project. Further evidence of these "backroom" offers was to the Ventura Village PAC rep. when they offered to build a big fat landbridge on Franklin so housing could be built on top of it. Of course, none of these offers were made in the lightof public and certainly not in writing. I don't know what your definition of scullduggery is, but the above scenario fits pretty closely to mine. So..now I hear 35W is a "done deal". I have been told Tim Pawlenty is on board (boy, he didn't waste time), all the County Commissioners, andR.T. So, the expansion of 35W is on the tracks. Oooops! They forgot the train. Oh ya, I was also told they didn't care what the City Council thought and they sure don't care what we think. Ya see, we have these liberal fringe city council people representing us in these inner-city neighborhoodsso we are really easy to marginalize and discount. Did you read the comments made about Robert Lilligren in the strib today? Ya know, I would have accepted this whole thing and hada lot more respect for the powers to be had theybeen honest from the beginning. "Hey folks, we are going to expand 35W whether you like it or not. We will throw you a bone with a couple nice exit ramps and we will try to make the bridges and walls look pretty. But, don't make us lie to you and make you think you really have a choice here because you don't.We are going to ram this down your throats just like we did when it was built 40 some years ago."That message I could have accepted andwhether I liked it or not at least respected their honesty. And while your all complaining about your property tax hikes, try to calculate what percentage of it is going to pay for the $150M freeway expansion. H Barb Lickness/Whittier (probably in big trouble now!) "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret MeadDo you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site
[Mpls] Focus Minneapolis Status Report
Focus Minneapolis Status Report An Item from the City Council's Web Site: 2002 Meeting Schedule Standing Committee of the Minneapolis City Council Community Development Committee Agenda Regular Meeting Thursday, November 14, 2002 3:00 p.m. - Room 317 City Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota Committee Members Goodman, Benson, Biernat, Lilligren, Ostrow, Zimmermann (Quorum-4) Council Committee Coordinator: Jan Belsaas (612) 673-3132 Receive and File Item City Coordinator Time Certain: 3:00 p.m. 1. Focus Minneapolis Initiative: Receive and file status report, including update on customer service improvements, project and plan approval processes, personnel transition issues and legal options for reaching Focus Minneapolis goals. + An Item excerpted from an earlier post from Keith Reitman NearNorth on the Mpls. Issues Forum: (JG) Tom Fulton seems to have a knack for saying what the purpose of this group is and how they have feelings that neighborhoods and residents are the Enemy. The question is which elected officials is Tom Fulton speaking about? They must have been talking to him. My question is where have the RT Rybak and Council we elected on neighborhood Empowerment and Input issues gone? If they have been truly participating in this effort? Keith says: I am still looking for the RT who spoke clearly of the need for the private sector in the circle of affordable housing providers. He left us, the small businessman called landlord, the only providers of ACTUAL affordable housing,out in the cold. Clearly we are supposed to join our former tenants under the new flyover. Now, I sit around the campfire, along with those left out in the cold. I am surprised to be joined by our neighborhood/community leaders/activists. The rest of the community will be here soon. But I'm not worried, we can just throw another tax levy log on the fire. The Mayor's office will continue to provide us with drivel, the NonProfiteers at the Mayor's Table get the fine wine, meat and potatoes. +++ (JLS) I have been reading these public participation process questions of concern along with so many comments from Minneapolis residential property owners who are benefiting from The Big Plan tax reform. I hope you all have stayed tuned to the ongoing change process down at City Hall. I urge all list members, especially the neighborhood activists, to carefully monitor and follow the Mayor/City Council actions regarding implementation of the McKinsey Co. plan for our fair city. I am going to urge the Mayor and Council advocates to commit to a well publicized, fair and full community-wide review of the municipal changes envisioned and moving toward implementation as contained in Focus Minneapolis (Resolution No. 2002R-303). I assert that these proposed changes are so important that they merit a thorough public review and community input process PRIOR TO ENACTMENT equivalent to or greater than the public process the NRP Policy Board sponsored relative to the Phase II Framework development. I am not alleging that the proposed changes are bad ideas or unnecessary, but rather that the Minneapolis Voters who are usually shown atop city organizational charts deserve to review proposed changes that were not even (please do correct me if I'm wrong) specifically debated during the last mayoral/council elections cycle. Is our free press reporting on these processes? Jeffrey L. Strand Shingle Creek/Fourth Ward ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] City of Minneapolis Truth in Taxation Public Hearing--Reminder
Reminder for City of Minneapolis Truth in Taxation Public Hearing Just in case you have not yet received your TNT statement with the schedules, you may find the following information on the City's web site. At last year's hearing many citizens spoke in favor of funding for the NRP and for funding for affordable housing. Mark your calendar for December 9 at 5:05 p.m. at City Hall. Traditionally the Capital Long-range Improvements Committee's capital budget recommendations to mayor/council report is noted at this meeting. Jeffrey L. Strand, Shingle Creek 4th Ward CLIC member 2001-2002 === http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/news/20021010budgethearing.asp Revised 2003 Budget hearing calendar The City Council's Ways and Means Committee continues its hearings on the Mayor's 2003 recommended budget as City departments present their 2003 budgets. Listed below is the revised calendar of hearings on the Mayor's 2003 recommended budget. Thurs., Nov. 14 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Library Board Fri., Nov. 15 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Park Board Mon., Dec. 9 5 p.m. Truth in Taxation - Public Hearing Tues., Dec. 10 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Budget Mark up - City Council Mon., Dec. 16 5 p.m. City Council to adopt 2003 Budget All budget hearings are in the City Council Chamber. City Hall is located at 350, South 5th Street. Please use the 4th Street entrance to enter the building. ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
RE: [Mpls] Recent posts on education reform and taxes
Terry Erickson writes, in part: Do you really think that graduating with a bachelors degree is the end of a teachers education??? A majority of teachers go on to get MA degrees (paying 100% of the cost mind you) and attend workshops throughout the school year and summer. So what's the big deal? Lots of professionals go on to complete graduate and post-graduate studies/degrees (and most pay for it themselves) in order to learn and make themselves more valuable in the marketplace. And, after completing a graduate degree, most folks have no assurance of receiving any increase in wages-- it's a gamble with an unknown payoff financially. When teachers complete a graduate degree, there is usually an automatic bump in wages-- making their investment a less risky venture given the somewhat known financial payoff. As for continuing education, it's fairly standard if someone wants to stay current in a given field, and not at all unique to educators-- realtors, lawyers, architects/engineers, planners, and many others, white collar and blue collar, use continuing education regularly, and often pay for it themselves. And, leaders in nearly all fields employ an array of continual quality improvement research and applied metrics that go far beyond trend lines and best practices modeling. I think it's important we keep an open mind when we talk about spending money for training, continuing education, benchmarking and the like. Such investments should be made in an effort to improve performance and end results-- based on a sound metric feedback loop. And, leaders should be cognizant of taxpayers and shareholders (the public and private investors) when making such management/investment decisions. Individuals are always free to invest their own funds and reap the uncertain rewards-- and more power to them for taking the risk. However, risk management is a function of leadership, and we hold our leaders to a higher standard when making investments on our behalf, especially during periods of depressed earnings and revenues. In most business environments all professional employees don't become black belts (a measure of achievement in six-sigma continuous improvement circles), but rather lead and teach methods/processes to regular employees. And, lest we forget, not all professional employees are black belt material (at least not in the near term anyway). It's a competitive world out there, and life just ain't fair, even for educators. Michael Hohmann Linden Hills www.mahohmannbizplans.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Terry Erickson Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 8:34 PM To: dain lyngstad; Mpls Issues List Subject: Re: [Mpls] Recent posts on education reform and taxes Teachers must continually take classes to learn about the latest research and best practices. Staff development is the keystone to increasing student achievement through effective teaching. My guess is that Minneapolis has not spent enough money to train teachers. Do you really think that graduating with a bachelors degree is the end of a teachers education??? A majority of teachers go on to get MA degrees (paying 100% of the cost mind you) and attend workshops throughout the school year and summer. Demand, advocate, and support teacher training at your child's school! Terry Erickson Whittier (teacher) snip ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Education;Access;Budgets;TNT
Well, reading WizardMarks expand on his view of 35W access, I think I now understand how some people pushed through Highway 55 in my neighborhood. Get enough assumed benefits together and suddenly it is a religious mission. I guess that is what drives Al Qaeda, too, the belief that no opposing argument can hope to divert the sense of destiny. But I've heard enough protests from people living in the community who aren't seeing the vision to think that maybe a reality-check is wanted here. Has Wiz ever questioned his original correctness? As to teacher training, I think it is a good thing, but I'm not so sure that is the source of learning problems now. A teacher who is certified to teach SHOULD have the skills to handle learning needs of children. My mother taught children when she was a teenager based on normal school training. My relative Ivar who taught back in the middle of the 19th century had no teaching certificate at all but just took students he would teach in the homes of settlers. I believe the training bit is the last place to look for problems in education at this time. Michael Atherton wants us to believe it is lack of current research that hampers our school boards, but until he can tell me he's successfully taught, I'm going to regard that as a campaign tactic, one the voters didn't take very seriously. The following may not be Minneapolis news, but it does show another city grappling with fiscal problems: NYC Mayor's New Budget Socks Commuters, Unions But suburban commuters for the first time will be asked to pay the same income tax as city residents. And the new levy would be six times higher than the previous commuter tax. Commuters -- as well as city dwellers -- will also for the first time have to pay tolls on some east river crossings, a plan that will raise $200 million by the end of 2004. But motorists might not have to wait in line at toll plazas; instead a high tech reader will charge the drivers, perhaps by scanning license plates or by reading a transponder on their cars. Diana Fortuna, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, a fiscal watchdog, said that the income tax hike might not trigger immediate job losses. But I think it's definitely damaging to the city's competitiveness. Bloomberg dismissed concerns that his tax hikes would push people and jobs out of the city. I don't think it's realistic to say people today are threatening to move out of the city. The new commuter tax outraged Republican New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey, who called it a feudal tax policy that would pit city against state. Some 252,000 residents of his state spend $2,500 a year in the city, he said, adding New York State collects nearly $2 billion in taxes from New Jersey commuters. (Reuters, 11/14/2002) -- See that the TNT hearing is scheduled when I work. Well, it promises to be a show so I GUESS I'll need to schedule time off work so as not to miss it. Probably get to hear some of the list members talk. -- Thoughts about Minneapolis' future? Email your input to [EMAIL PROTECTED] until January 1, 2003 Jim Mork Cooper Neighborhood __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
