Minneapolis is a minority part of a much vaster metropolitan urban area that does not conform in any rational sense to its political jurisdictions. It spills well outside the metro councils borders into adjacent counties including at least two in Wisconsin. The lack of a common sense of identity and corresponding political institutions inhibit this area from effectively dealing with many of the policy considerations it should. The legislature is too tied up in statewide regional jealousies and overarching considerations. The met council is ill configured and each of our counties are too fully tied up in their own business to fully investigate and act in a coordinated manner their mutual interests. All of our counties, and a very significant portion of the metropolitan councils domain are rural, and probably should always remain as such. The lack of a rational universal metropolitan entity hinders the development of a common regional vision. Rather than think about annexing Richfield as the 14th ward, Edina the 15th, lets boldly go where no one dares: let's redesign the entire metro region from the top down. In my opinion, the twin cities area can be beneficially thought of as a city-state in economic competition with the world. We should give some attention to reorganizing the geography of our political institutions to better meet the human, physical, and economic geography of our mini-state. (Minnesota's GNP would have ranked it just behind Israel and ahead of Portugal a couple of years back. The twin cites are fully 2/3 of that) I don't think a single metro government, or even a consolidated city county government is necessarily a good idea. Rather than the Twin Cities regions more than 150 municipalities and other governmental entities, I believe it would be sound to have perhaps four or five redefined and re-chartered counties or perhaps Boroughs to help with the culture shift. Possibly no Minneapolis, and no St. Paul. Clearly defined responsibilities would be passed to appropriate lower level entities, with the clear intent to deliver an "Optimal" level of local and neighborhood control. "Optimal" to be defined by political process, once the new political arenas are built. As an example of the kind of surgery I am proposing, imagine a combined Dakota and Scott County re-split only this time with a Mason Dixie line separating the rural south from the urban north. The North with a new charter from the State Legislature mandating and setting out supports for an Urban county, while the Southern portion is similarly re-chartered with a mandate designed to enhance and protect its rural characteristics. Result urban sprawl arrested. The specialized needs of both land uses more effectively met. Most of our geographical boundaries are historical artifacts, drawn for long forgotten reasons, under no longer existing circumstances. They need not be sacrosanct. Other concepts will flower, when exposed to the fertile ground of a new image of the region. Perhaps eventually instead of fighting city versus suburb jealousies we can begin to see a common vision for the region as a whole. Until then we will subsidize corporate raids across city lines and other zero sum games. The inertia in front of any such effort is enormous. Their is no political position for anyone to aspire too, so it's on no ones radar. It is probably against the self interests of hundreds if not thousands of today's policy makers and a good many influential municipal employees. And yet even radical change can be accomplished, over time in steps. I think it is appropriate to ask our candidates for public office how they view the rest of the metro area. I'll understand hesitancy to consider political reorganization as feasible, but I'll be very careful to note whether or not a candidates rhetoric is considerate of the interests of our immediate neighbors and I will especially appreciate those who can incorporate a regional perspective in their vision of the future. Earl Netwal (12-9) 5344 36th Ave. S. Minnepaolis, MN 55417 612-724-4392 [EMAIL PROTECTED] <http://eudora.voicecontact.com/vc3/index.html?enetwal%40qwest.net>Online<http://eudora.voicecontact.com/vc3/index.html?enetwal%40qwest.net> Status: _______________________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
