Actually the whole idea of the state legislature setting criteria for neighborhood association membership bothers me a lot. We (the neighbornood associations) very much need to be able to balance accountability with autonomy - because that's what we're about - the most local democratic unit of government. Democracy NEEDS accountability in order to be authentic. But I think the neighborhood groups should be empowered to set their own criteria for participation. We can and should learn from the experiences of the Central neighborhood and take steps to improve accountability in our own neighborhood groups, before we get hit unprepared with a divisive situation. But I don't believe we need a state mandate in order to do this. The downside (and I'm a BIG FAN of the upsides) of the NRP is that it has influenced autonomous neighborhood groups to become very reliant on centralized city funding, and as a result, more regulated and tied to the city establishment and processes. In the best cases, this has also moved the neighborhoods towards better, more inclusive processes. But lawmakers need to be sensitive to the fact that there is a delicate balance between having an authentic neighborhood voice, and satisfying top-down requirements for accountability. -- Holle Brian Bancroft (612) 822-6593 _______________________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
