At 08:49 AM 2/27/01 -0800, loki anderson wrote:
>While I do not agree necessarily with all the
>conclusions made by this report card, saying that Joe
>Barisonzi has a problem with "people of color issues"
>based on the grade he gave Brian Herron is like saying
>that he has a problem with "blonde woman issues" based
>on the grade he gave Joan Campbell. Both scores were
>given based on a recorded set of votes that each
>councilmember cast on a list of issues, the majority
>of which are related to downtown development.
Exactly. Matthea, is any criticism of Brian Herron racially motivated then?
>> I believe Mr. Barisonzi absolutely needs to be
>> accountable to the community that he says he serves
>> by identifying those neighbors. What stands out to
>> me is that Mr. Barisonzi is obviously has an issue
>> with people of color issues. (See Brian Herron's
>> rating)
That's making a big stretch. I know a number of folks in Brian's district
(including myself) who are not happy with his representation. There are
others who are happy with the job he is doing.
>> When Neva Walker did not ask for Mr. Barisonzi's
>> support as she was running for the Minnesota state
>> legislature, he was publicly hostile toward her
>> running for the state legislator, attacking her
>> competence and her person. I think that should say
>> something about his commitment to young women and
>> people of color. I personally believe that his
>> cultural competence leaves something to be desired
>> and well as his commitment to poor people's issues.
Matthea, if your going to call Mr. Barazoni a racist, then you should give
more specific information to back up your charges.
David Brauer commented:
<<Umm.why? You seem to be conflating opposition (or lack of support) for an
individual candidate with feelings about a group. You've made it impossible
to oppose (or question) a black woman candidate without being racist. That's
a very sloppy litmus test. And dare I say counterproductive to the goal of a
society in which individuals are judged on their merits regardless of race
and sex.>>
I personally think it is racist to have lower expectations of African
Americans than of other candidates. And not criticising African American
candidates, and letting them have a pass on issues that other candidates
would have to answer is racist in itself.
>> In his report card he refers to "Affordable Housing"
>> issues. Affordable Housing is not the issue for
>> poor people, low income housing (which has become
>> politically incorrect to say) is the issue for poor
>> people.
What is the difference between these two terms Affordable Housing and Low
Income Housing?
>> I am concerned that this report card had no input
>> from my neighbors or people that have deep
>> neighborhood commitment to people of color and poor
>> people. Mr. Barisonzi has a record that he has
>> developed purporting commitment to these issues, but
>> he has a very difficult time working with poor
>> people and people of color, as exemplified by his
>> issues when working with the Lyndale Neighborhood or
>> when developing the Neighborhood Technical
>> Assistance Program for Center for Neighborhoods. He
>> worked well with highly educated, upper middle class
>> folks but consistently has "bumped heads" with those
>> outside of that group of folks. It would appear to
>> me that this report card was developed by a select
>> group of people that Mr. Barisonzi work well with,
>> and I would be interested in knowing who.
Are you saying that Barizonzi is racist and classist--and his report card
is also that way? I thought the report card was informative. It allows
the voter to go through and view the votes and decide for ourselves.
>> A City for Neighbors seems to be an outgrowth of the
>> "for profit" organization that Mr. Barisonzi founded
>> after he left Lyndale Neighborhood. My
>> understanding is in "for profit" organizations, the
>> bottom-line is profit -- how does this Report Card
>> benefit Mr. Barisonzi's organization? I would also
>> like to know the Mr. Barasonzi's political agenda.
I guess I've never quite gotten the knee jerk response against businesses.
Profit = "bad", non-profit = "good". Entreprenuers and those who make
profits also are part of job creation. There are businesses that are scams
and ripoffs, but there are also non-profits that are scams and ripoffs
also.
>> I think that this Report Card deserves discussion at
>> the Insight Forum at Lucille's Kitchen. I will
>> contact Mr. McFarland to see if we can get this on
>> the Forum's agenda. I believe that this type of
>> Report Card needs some serious accountability
>> factors built in or at least identify the bias and
>> shortcomings.
This isn't a bad idea... Would Mr. Barasonzi be invited?
Eva Young
Central
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