I'd like to question Carol Becker's assumption that Minneapolitan's don't know
that there is a Park Board (another government as so many have put it)
operating. When I grew up in the metro area, we had a saying and that saying
was, "The Minneapolis Park Board is God." Even those of us outside the city
knew about the Park Board, and we loved it. We still do.
I think people know there is a Park Board, and they love and respect the Park
Board and think of the Park Board of their protectors as opposed to the
politicians who they see as the levier of the property taxes and the foister of
the big bad airplane noises and taking away the trash barrels, etc., however
distorted that picture may be.
Sure the Park Board squabbles about youth ball parks vs. the Guthrie but those
are arguments about amentities, usually win-win arguments, even an archery range
vs. a dog park is an argument about two recreational things, not about a nice
empty lot with trees vs a metal crushing plant like politicians have to decide.
So, that leads us to the Strib not covering the Park Board the way it used to be
covered in the newspaper. Which came first, the (assumed) lack of knowing or
caring or lack coverage? I say the Strib has recently ducked its duty by not
having the staffing it should have to cover this important part of Minneapolis.
And SHAME on them. They are supposed to be the Fourth Estate. Where are they,
anyway? Buried in marketing studies, trying to attract readership, whilst
neglecting their supposed sacred trust that gives them the constitutional right
to print stuff that entices us to buy them.
Hey, editors! You know, we can buy all that other feature stuff in magazines
and a thousand other media outlets. The reason we buy newspapers is for NEWS
(and the comics and Ann Landers) but primarily for the NEWS on a daily basis.
Sure, it's nice to have some of that other stuff in there too, but the city news
is real important and yes, I saw you just won an award for your metro section,
but if you add the Park Board to it, and hey, maybe let us know about ALL the
candidates who are running for election to it, that would be awful nice, ya
know.
Sorry for that last paragraph there, that was my evil twin taking over. :o)
What happens with Parks and their governance and programs are important to
Minneapolitans. Important enough to us that we made them a separate entity. It
was not a market driven decision when the Strib decided God wasn't important
enough to cover. ;o)
Barbara Nelson
Seward
>
> I also would argue that many people in Minneapolis (the vast number of
> people who don't do things like post to public policy lists) don't
> understand that there is a second city government (the Park Board) making
> policy on streets, police, garbage, etc. Accountability for the Park Board
> is difficult when no one knows that the Park Board exists. Accountability
> may actually increase if the City Council took over some of the Park's
> functions because visibility of those actions would increase. I think that
> the Star Tribune's decision to not spend a lot of time covering the Park
> Board speaks volumes to this part of the question.
>
> Carol Becker
> Longfellow
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