[Mpls] Boarding houses?
What's this about allowing boarding or rooming houses in Minneapolis again? When I was a student at the U of MN, my fraternity and most of the others often took in boarders for rooms that were not filled by members. Usually these were other University students, but not always. Is there some ordinance against this or is it one of those NIMBY things that neighborhoods flip out over? If I wanted to rent out an open room in my house (something I've been thinking about doing), could anyone actually stop me? Mark Snyder Windom Park TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] Affordable Housing - Other Ideas
Cathy Leighton wrote: Another option whould be to allow boarding and/or rooming houses again. This is a very efficient means of sharing space. It offers a home owner, with extra space, the opportunity to get some extra income and provides the renter (especially single people) with a truly affordable option. I lived in a boarding house some years ago and absolutely loved it. Craig Miller replied: This becomes risky business in our modern crime apologetic city. Can't tell you how many senior,severely limited income ladies I've advised over the years. Some were physically injured by their tenants. Just terrible to see that happen. They still had to go through the torturous legal process to get the bad guy out. Boarding houses should have instant eviction power. No bones about it. They call a cop and out goes the tenant. Ageing widows should not be excluded from rental income by violence. Mark Anderson here: Hey great ideas, both of you. I presume the reason Boarding Houses don't exist anymore is because of the rules against having too many unrelated people in one house? But as another person wrote, I too remember when I was in college at the U of M, when I lived in houses with innumerable unrelated people. Were we breaking the law, or maybe zoning is different around the U, or maybe the rules have changed since the '70's? We may be getting to part of the true reasons for affordable housing problems these days. On a related note, I've been waiting for someone to respond to Vicky's fascinating post on how much poor people can afford for housing. No one has responded yet, so I'll ask the key question. Are apartments for $600/month available? If so, she makes a very good point. No full-time worker, if single, should then be homeless, except in extraordinary circumstances. Vicky, can you sharpen your pencil for an analysis of people with children also? Make sure you include the EITC, Working Family Credit, food stamps, etc. (and day care costs should also be included... wow this gets really complicated, but it's worth doing even if we leave off some categories of people at first). Mark V Anderson Bancroft Neighborhood TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] Affordable Housing - Other Ideas
On a related note, I've been waiting for someone to respond to Vicky's fascinating post on how much poor people can afford for housing. No one has responded yet, so I'll ask the key question. Are apartments for $600/month available? If so, she makes a very good point. No full-time worker, if single, should then be homeless, except in extraordinary circumstances. Mark V Anderson Bancroft Neighborhood Craig here. Less then 4 months ago I sold 34 units in Camden. Great area. CM Johnson's office can testify to the neighborhood and the quality of the property I ran. The average rent for a two br was $640. The 1br's were $600. There are least a thousand of these unit types open in the city of Mpls right now. Someone mentioned earlier that if we have 8-10,000 units in the metro open right now. Why so many people with out stable housing? That is a great question with a long answer. Now's not the time. Residents paid electricity telephone. I paid the big bills garbage,gas, heat, water. Residents paid elec and phone. The minimum housing cost was about $700. Almost any single person with a $10 hour job could squeeze by in a 1br. But that is all they would do, is squeeze by. Get a roommate, bump up to a 2br, and the savings are readily apparent. Savings of almost $300 per month. Take that times 36 months and you have $10,800. Come to think about it, that's how I got the scratch together to buy my first house. The $10,800 gets you a down payment in many areas of Mpls. Oh BTW. To anyone who asks. Your not supposed to raise a family and save for a house on $5.15 an hour. If you are, teach your younger brothers and sisters how tough that is and encourage them not to try. WAGE LEVELS I've been a free market capitalists for quite awhile. I went to many church basement meetings where MICAH, ISAIAH and you name it have been pushing for more Non Profit Housing. They would always enlist the local business/employer. The local employer would prattle on about how they can't hire any more employees because housing is too expensive nearby. These business' thought nothing of having some one poach the taxpayers pocket to pay for the housing of their employees. So as of this point I'm joining the barricades on this issue. If housing is out of reach for the entry level worker, and the government refuses to ease the cost of housing through regulation and legal reform, then we need to make the employer pay their employees more. If they want good employees who are adequately housed, they should pay higher wages. Why unload the underpaid on the taxpayers of Mpls? Oh BTW, don't let these employers build company owned housing. A good deal of blood was spilled in the 8th congressional district in the 20th and 19th century to end the 'Company Town' and the 'Company Store'. A very large percentage of labor strife and embittered misery can find it's flash point in the 'Company Town'. Craig Miller Former Affordable Housing Provider Living in Rogers [EMAIL PROTECTED] TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] anti-war rally
A group of junior high students (my daughter and friends) would like to participate in the rally mar 8. I would be honored to chaperone them. Do they need to sign up or can we just show up? I also volunteer with a group of high school age students that might like to participate, with your permission? Wendy Introwitz Pareene TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] Cuban Medical education
I have copied this message to indicate my support for this effort. I visited the school in Cuba in Dec, 2000. Soon after that they announced the scholarships for Americans. I sent the info to at least Wellstone, Dayton, Sabo and McCollum and urged action to bring this to the attention of Minnesotans. ( I believe at the time there may have been some indication that Congressional support would be helpful for applicants.) I believe 50 scholarships were reserved for US citizens, so the number of 1 is really inadequate. From: Chris [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: JOAN MALERICH [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Cuba medical scholarships 3.02 9am Cuba scholarships for medical school for Native American Indians Chris Spotted Eagle, I am working on a project to establish awareness among Native American Indians, Latinos, African Americans, Asians and low-income whites of a six-year scholarship program for medical school at the Latin America School of Medical Sciences. As you may know, Cuba has a highly acclaimed medical program for doctors. Fidel Castro initiated this program September of 2000 when speaking at the New York City's Riverside Church. This was in response to a Mississippi Delta Congressman's statement at the Congressional Black Caucus delegation to Cuba. The Congressman stated that there were large areas in his district that do not have a single doctor. The Latin America School of Medical Sciences has trained thousands of doctors from poor Latin American countries and Africa. Now, Castro is reaching out to third world regions in the United States to train doctors for the cities, rural areas and reservations where medical services are most desperately needed. In addition, it is hoped that this will start a dialogue and foster understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Cuba. This is a six-year program and ALL expenses, including lodging and food are paid. One Minnesota woman is currently enrolled in this program, and I am in contact with her mother who is interested in participating with our committee. For more information, go to the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization/Pastors for Peace. I believe you are familiar with Rev. Lucius Walker of Pastors for Peace. The website is www.ifconews.org http://www.ifconews.org . For specific information on the medical school, go to www.ifconews.org/medschool.html http://www.ifconews.org/medschool.html . After you have had a chance to review the information, please contact me via my e-mail or phone number listed below. I approached Councilman Dean Zimmerman about this scholarship program, and he is very interested in it. He will be meeting with Rev. Walker in New York next month. Also, we shall be having a meeting at Dean's city office Monday, March 3, 9:00 AM to 11:00. At this meeting, we shall show a PowerPoint presentation and make plans to organize, so Dean will have something to present to Rev. Walker when they meet. I look forward to hearing from you about this very innovative and exciting scholarship program. --Joan Malerich [EMAIL PROTECTED] 651-451-4081 Phyllis Kahn State Rep 59B TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] Re: Boarding houses?
I used to own a duplex in Seward and the law -- as I understood it -- for the whole city (it does not exempt student housing whether it is near the U, or not) is that you cannot have more than 3 unrelated people in any one unit. As for boarding houses, there are still a few of them that are grandfathered in. There was one on my block in Seward and another one a couple blocks to the south. The one on my block made a killing by renting each room out for between $300 - $350/month. They made $1500 on a unit that would normally rent for about $800-1000 (this was 1998) if the two floors were rented as one unit. Sweet, huh? On a block filled with duplexes, this place really stood out because of the disparity in rental rates. Barbara Nelson Burnsville Once and future Minneapolitan TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] Re: Boarding houses?
I'd like to add my voice to the question: are boarding houses really not allowed in Mpls? (Hey lawyers, property owners, legislators, tell us what you know!) I think that while there may be risks associated with boarding houses, the benefits can also be huge. When I met my husband, he was just starting his graduate program at the University. As a foreign student, he wasn't legal to work, and of course didn't have any family here to stay with. He got a room at a house on University Ave. 14th, which I believe housed about 9-10 individuals, all in separate bedrooms but with two shared baths and a shared kitchen. The owner, a single man, lived there too. (And still does today.) This place was really what allowed my husband to make it. He paid $250 a month for a tiny attic bedroom, and walked to and from school year round. The vast majority of his house-mates were also students, and a lot of them were also from other countries. (Thus unable to earn money outside of stipends from TA-ing or doing research.) Many of them could not afford any other type of living situation. This place is still there now, and as a matter of fact, my sister-in-law has now rented the same room that my husband used to have, and is very pleased with the situation. (She wanted her independence from the big brother and his wife!) I imagine that this house is grandfathered in, as they say, since it's been operating without issue for a number of years. It's a shame if others cannot do similar things with their homes, considering how much it has helped those folks with the least money - and clearly it can be profitable for the owners as well. Connie Nompelis Ventura Village -MRC- __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] Good news for lovers of truth and beauty.
Erik Reise wrote: Let's give a sales tax reduction to small art purchases in the central cities. One idea would be to lower the sales tax rate on sales below $20.00 to 3%. By lowering the rate we would increase the volume of transactions reported and subject to tax. This would increase revenue and bring art's great virtues - Truth and Beauty - to more residents. LOwer prices will also entice suburban arts consumers to buy more from urban artisans increasing the state's take on the income tax as more dollars are subjected to tax a third time. (An art purchase is made by the buyer with after tax dollars; includes a sales tax; and is then treated as income to the artist.) It's really a no brainer. Lower Sales Tax on art sold in the urban core! Mark Anderson reply: Well it takes only a small portion of my brain to determine that this is a very bad idea. As the administrator of sales tax collection for my firm, I can tell you that this kind of sales tax rule really complicates the law. We don't need more complicated taxes. If you want money for the arts, it is more honest to just ask for it from various governments rather mucking up the tax laws. Admittedly I'm not in favor of using public money for such a purpose through expenditures either, but using the sales tax to spend the money makes a bad idea very bad. Mark V Anderson Bancroft TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] Ethics ordinance--public hearing news
I want to let those of you interested in the proposed new ethics ordinance know how things went at the public hearing last Monday. Basically, I think the hearing went very well. There was a far more positive response from the City Council than indicated by the article in the Star Tribune. Public hearings are designed to bring out the people concretely affected by a proposed policy change, and hear their concerns. That happened, and the Task Force and Council are addressing those concerns, which were concerns about how the new codes provisions apply to the 300-some City appointed members of various City boards and commissions. The hearing was continued, and so the public will have another opportunity to comment on the proposed new Code. The new hearing date is Monday, March 17th, as part of the Ways Means/Budget Committee meeting. The meeting starts at 1:30, and we do not know yet if there will be a specific time assigned for the public hearing (we will keep you posted). This is where I ask for your help. If you would like to see the City council take this concrete step to restore trust in City government, please come and testify at the hearing, or let your Council Member know with an e-mail, call, or letter.
[Mpls] New Ethics Code for Minneapolis
Like most of the other forum members commenting on the proposed new Ethics Code, I enthusiastically support it. As the Chair of the Ethics Task Force, I know that the proposed new Code is a huge improvement over the current Code. It is clear, it is comprehensive, and it tackles the tough issues of conflicts of interest, outside employment, nepotism and what happens when someone violates the Code. I believe that it will form the basis for building a new, better ethical culture and climate in the City of Minneapolis. Please take a look at the proposed Code and a chart showing the major differences between it and the current Code on the Citys web site at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor/priorities/ethics. I want to comment on the concern raised by Greg Abbott in his overall positive review of the Code. Greg was concerned that the sections designed to prevent elected officials from using their power to inappropriately influence the judgment of employees is too broad, because it prohibits the elected officials from asking an employee to do a special favor or make an exception for a constituent or other individual or organization contrary to existing law or adopted City policy. Greg said, I think the proposed guidelines are a little tough by seeking to outright ban elected officials from advocating an exception to city policy on behalf of a constituent. As Greg later pointed out, the ideal process when an elected official discovers that a City policy has an unintended or unfair impact on a constituent is to bring the issue before the whole City Council, and change the policy. This is exactly what we hope the proposed new Codes provision will achieve. The new Code is not an outright ban on elected official advocacy on behalf of the officials constituents. But, by prohibiting an elected official from solving a problem with a special exception, the elected official, to advocate for his or her constituent, will need to get the policy changed by taking the issue up with the whole Council. We know that this will be a slower process than the case-by-case exception model, but the Task Force believes it is the right process. It is a process that will ensure that all citizens affected by the unintended consequences of a City ordinance or policy will get the situation corrected, not just those citizens who have the time, resources, or influence to get a special exception. In addition, it protects employees from the pressure of an elected official whose interpretation of or willingness to change a City ordinance or policy may be different than that of the Council as a whole. I think the proposed policy will result in the process Greg advocated. Finally, I want to correct a statement in Dore Meads post on the Ethics Ordinance about my ethics experience. When I worked as an attorney for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis I was the Ethics Advisor. My boss, the General Council, was the Ethics Officer.
Re: [Mpls] New Ethics Code for Minneapolis
I want congratulate Ms. Trout and the City of Minneapolis for actually getting serious about an ethics policy, with at least some teeth. The appointments process for Board members seems right, although one would hop that the Judge will be careful about relying too heavily on recommendations by councilmembers and the mayor, who stand to benefit from politicizing the appointments process. It seems to me that, like the Charter Commission, no government officials except the Chief Judge should be involved in the appointments process. Another element not clear in the ordinance is the presence or absence of subpoena power to give the Board the clout it needs to investigate complaints and gather the necessary information, even from reluctant witnesses. We tried for years to do this in St. Paul and the good old boys network prevented its passage as a charter amendment - either mandating certain ethical standards and establishing the board right in the charter, or by mandating that the city council do the job and fund it properly - the big trick, of course. By state law, charter commissions in home rule cities must be adequately funded by the cities in their jurisdictions. The same should be true of ethics boards and their enforcement function. Good luck Minneapolis Andy Driscoll former Charter Commissioner Saint Paul What does it matter to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? Mahatma Ghandi From: Ellen Trout [EMAIL PROTECTED] Like most of the other forum members commenting on the proposed new Ethics Code, I enthusiastically support it. As the Chair of the Ethics Task Force, I know that the proposed new Code is a huge improvement over the current Code. It is clear, it is comprehensive, and it tackles the tough issues of conflicts of interest, outside employment, nepotism and what happens when someone violates the Code. I believe that it will form the basis for building a new, better ethical culture and climate in the City of Minneapolis. Please take a look at the proposed Code and a chart showing the major differences between it and the current Code on the City¹s web site at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor/priorities/ethics. I want to comment on the concern raised by Greg Abbott in his overall positive review of the Code. Greg was concerned that the sections designed to prevent elected officials from using their power to inappropriately influence the judgment of employees is too broad, because it prohibits the elected officials from asking an employee to do ³a special favor or make an exception for a constituent or other individual or organization contrary to existing law or adopted City policy.² Greg said, ³ I think the proposed guidelines are a little tough by seeking to outright ban elected officials from advocating an exception to city policy on behalf of a constituent.² As Greg later pointed out, the ideal process when an elected official discovers that a City policy has an unintended or unfair impact on a constituent is to bring the issue before the whole City Council, and change the policy. This is exactly what we hope the proposed new Code¹s provision will achieve. The new Code is not an outright ban on elected official advocacy on behalf of the official¹s constituents. But, by prohibiting an elected official from ³solving² a problem with a special exception, the elected official, to advocate for his or her constituent, will need to get the policy changed by taking the issue up with the whole Council. We know that this will be a slower process than the case-by-case exception model, but the Task Force believes it is the right process. It is a process that will ensure that all citizens affected by the unintended consequences of a City ordinance or policy will get the situation corrected, not just those citizens who have the time, resources, or influence to get a special exception. In addition, it protects employees from the pressure of an elected official whose interpretation of or willingness to change a City ordinance or policy may be different than that of the Council as a whole. I think the proposed policy will result in the process Greg advocated. Finally, I want to correct a statement in Dore Mead¹s post on the Ethics Ordinance about my ethics experience. When I worked as an attorney for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis I was the Ethics Advisor. My boss, the General Council, was the Ethics Officer. TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] Re: Boarding houses?
It depends on the zoning. The higher the zoning for the property, the more unrelated people can occupy the unit. It is in the Mpls Zoning book. Steve Meldahl Jordan (work) - Original Message - From: Barbara L. Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mark Snyder [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Minneapolis Issues [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2003 12:57 PM Subject: [Mpls] Re: Boarding houses? I used to own a duplex in Seward and the law -- as I understood it -- for the whole city (it does not exempt student housing whether it is near the U, or not) is that you cannot have more than 3 unrelated people in any one unit. As for boarding houses, there are still a few of them that are grandfathered in. There was one on my block in Seward and another one a couple blocks to the south. The one on my block made a killing by renting each room out for between $300 - $350/month. They made $1500 on a unit that would normally rent for about $800-1000 (this was 1998) if the two floors were rented as one unit. Sweet, huh? On a block filled with duplexes, this place really stood out because of the disparity in rental rates. Barbara Nelson Burnsville Once and future Minneapolitan TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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 TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] Realism in Housing: RT and Police-community Relations
The definition I've heard of affordable housing' is 30 percent of income. A $600 apartment, if ALL utilities are included, costs $7200 a year. $7200/.3 is $24,000 a year. $24,000/2080 = $11.50 an hour. Retail employees don't MAKE $11.50 an hour. And that is what the modal employee does. If you make $7.50 an hour and IF you have 40 hour/week job, you make $15,600. Doing the rest of the math, it means an affordable domicile is $390 a month INCLUDING utilities. So, now which of you geniuses is renting for $390/month? Now as to the police and the Indians, has it occurred to anybody yet that they are the LESS frequently abused group? How about turning this discussion back to the group that is the USUAL target of violence? That is who should be #1 on RT's list. Not that he should ignore the Native American group. In fact, ideally, he should gather all the minority communities together in one problem-solving process. And he should find an assistant with more experience in this sort of thing to mastermind the changes. Someone to build up a fund of fact that can be used to construct a reform program. These ad hoc solutions just don't make it. They are just window-dressing. Lets put less emphasis on haste and more on lasting change. And along the way, can we muzzle the rhetoric a little, assuming we don't put a lot of value on grandstanding? -- Jim Mork--Cooper Save yourself from this corrupt generationAll who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Acts 2:4-45 The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers. Acts 11:29 From each according to his ability...to each according to his need. Karl Marx Get your free Web-based E-mail at http://www.startribune.com/stribmail TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] This Week in The Minneapolis Observer
T H E M I N N E A P O L I S O B S E R V E R A Weekly Digest of All Things Minneapolitan www.mplsobserver.com Vol. 2, No. 29 March 3, 2003 This is a preview edition of The Observer. Check out a sample issue at www.mplsobserver.com and if you're interested in subscribing ($12/yr.), just hit 'reply' and we'll set you up. Thanks. ** THIS WEEK IN THE OBSERVER: * Guthrie May Have to Wait Two Years for State Money * City DFLers at Odds Over Early Elections * Johnson Lee: No Regrets * Anti-War Protesters Arrested at Quarry Mall * University Dean Receives Social Justice Award Plus: A mayor's life, kidnappers afoot, Loring Park squirrels, and a political quiz for Republicans. ** GUTHRIE MAY HAVE TO WAIT TWO YEARS FOR STATE MONEY The Guthrie Theater's proposed $125 million riverfront complex will get no state funding this year and may not see any state help until at least 2005. The delay, Guthrie officials say, may jeopardize the entire project. Despite supporting the theater's $35 million request during his campaign, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been forced to put the Guthrie and other state bonding projects on hold because of the state's $5.5 billion budget deficit, said his spokesperson, Leslie Kupchella. It's not realistic given current budget restraints, she told the Skyway News (http://www.skywaynews.net). Guthrie spokesperson James Morrison said the delay would drive up the cost of the project and could threaten some of the $90 million the theater has already raised from private donors, whose pledges were contingent on state support. How long can you string along the private-sector investment in this project? he asked. There are a lot of competing projects in this community for private donations. The legislature last year passed a $24 million bonding request for the project, but it was vetoed by Gov. Jesse Ventura. In February, Pawlenty unalloted $2 million that had been approved for the Guthrie's project planning. Still, Morrison is confident the deal can get done. If the government were to take up the $350 million capital projects vetoed during the last session and add $1 billion to this amount, the [borrowing] would still be less than the legal cap of 3 percent of the state's operating budget, he said. CITY DFLERS AT ODDS OVER EARLY ELECTIONS Local DFL solidarity was again evident at the State Capitol last week, as State Representative Phyllis Kahn introduced a bill that would force the city of Minneapolis to hold new city council elections this November. DESPITE CONTROVERSY, JOHNSON LEE HAS NO REGRETS Fourteen months into her term, Fifth Ward Council Member Natalie Johnson Lee has moved from the assessment phase to one in which she is ready for anything. ANTI-WAR PROTESTERS ARRESTED AT QUARRY MALL Two anti-war activists leafletting outside Rainbow Foods at the Quarry Mall in Northeast Minneapolis were arrested February 23 for trespassing. ** The Minneapolis Observer is published 48 times/year by Independent Media, L.L.C. ©2003 Independent Media, 4152 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55406; www.mplsobserver.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Independent Media. Subscriptions: $12/yr. To unsubscribe, send us an e-mail ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and we'll get you off the list and refund the unused portion of your subscription. Editor: Craig Cox Deputy Assistant Senior Executive Editor: Sharon Parker Contributing writers: Chris Dodge, Leo Mezzrow Equine consultant and coffee shop correspondent: Nora Cox Perspective: Martin Cox Thanks to: Jeanne Anderson, Stephen Eisenmenger, Mark Plenke *** Fight media consolidation! Support the independent press! Pick up your neighborhood newspaper! *** TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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] H.F. 67 Defeated - Just Not Officially
I just want to chime ine with thanks to Michelle for her riveting description of democracy in action at the Legislature. Although it's also true that Michelle's position would have prevailed even if the committee vote on H.F. 67 had been 8 to 8. A tie vote would also have killed the bill. Of course I dont know why Im elaborating on the rules since they werent really following them anyway... Maybe one day that whole of the people, by the people for the people thing will apply to everyone and not just selected favorites... Jonathan Palmer Watching the defeat of the Wrath of Kahn in Victory TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. 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
