Mpls-Issues tip: please delete as much of this message's text as possible if replying to the list. Thanks! ----------- DFL Convention Speech John Erwin DFL Endorsed Candidate for Commissioner At-Large for the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board Good morning! My name is John Erwin and I am here to ask for your endorsement for Minneapolis Park Board! First, I�d like to tell you a little bit about myself, how I got here and what I support. I am a professor of Horticulture at the University of Minnesota, where I have taught for 12 years. I specialize in floriculture and landscape design. I am the father of two adopted boys, and we live in the Seward Neighborhood. Five years ago, my partner and I were the first gay couple in the State of Minnesota to complete a joint legal adoption with my second son. My oldest son, Jeremy, is helping here today with his girlfriend. Alex is off playing basketball. The parks are the heart and soul of what makes Minneapolis a great place to live. Our city features one hundred and seventy parks with 15.5 million visits in 1999! 15.5 million visits in 1999! That is amazing! Parks are where neighbors talk and children play. A love of parks and gardens inspired me to become a horticulturist, and the Minneapolis parks inspired me to live in Minneapolis. As a father of two, I know the importance that youth and sports activities play for our children. My younger son has participated in football and basketball at Matthews and Powderhorn Parks. As a past board member of Seward Neighborhood Group, I know the importance of community involvement in park planning. I have worked to increase plantings, and calm traffic on our city�s boulevards. As a teacher of horticulture, I know the benefits of teaching and inspiring students in a love for horticulture at the University and how that impact is magnified when those students go out into the community. I am running for Park Board Commissioner at large because I want to continue the work I have done in the classroom and in my community. We have great parks. And I believe there are ways we can make them even better! Our sports programs for youth are wonderful, but our kids don�t have the resources they need. Coaches, equipment, and facilities are lacking, particularly in North Minneapolis. When my son Alex played football this past fall, his team played on half a field because there wasn�t enough room for everyone to practice or play at once. If you�ve never seen four teams playing football on one field, it�s a sight! Balls flying everywhere! Many of these coaches give generously of their time and we need to give them the tools to help them put together the best team they can. We have lakes and streams throughout our city, but we need to restore them to their original luster. We need to encourage a diversity of plants that would support reestablished fish and wildlife that we�ve previously lost and to clean the water we have polluted and deter invasive plant species. We must not jeopardize the natural environments in our parks! I believe that we can have a balanced approach on the park board where we promote both youth programs and environmental stewardship. I repeat, promote both youth programs and environmental stewardship. Our parks are the number one tourist attraction in our city, but there is still room to encourage more diverse and non-traditional uses of our open spaces to increase participation. We need to address the needs of our increasingly diverse population including different ethnic groups, as well as the needs of our elderly and the arts community. Senior centers, community gardens and art exhibits can all be a part of our parks! To do this, we need better ways to get input from the public to the Park Board. Perhaps existing NRP committees in each neighborhood would be a way to do this! We need to plan for the future needs. We need to support the development of the Upper Mississippi River Master Plan so those in North Minneapolis can enjoy the Mississippi as much as those in South Minneapolis. In addition, what will be the needs of our children and our native plant communities in the future? A new strategic plan and goals that are based on the community, environmental and financial considerations is critical to this process. Today�s Park Board faces tough challenges for funding. Employees need to be treated well and retained. Our park employees need living wage jobs with needed benefits to support their families. The costs of maintaining our parks will continue to increase. How will we address these increased costs? We need to establish long-term strategies for the financial survival of our park system. Funding sources other than public taxes will have to be a consideration. Increased grant writing will likely be important. Perhaps a closer link with the University of Minnesota could facilitate some park initiatives. The U of M has the number 1 rated Ecology Department in the country and the number 5 rated horticulture department in the country. Think of the benefits of both of these organizations working together! What if the parks became a place of learning about gardening, ecology, research, and art as well as a place of gardens and sports? Endorse me today, and we will have a park system that meets the needs of our kids. Endorse me today and we will have a park system that meets the needs of our environment. Endorse me today and I will represent all of Minneapolis to help create a more responsive Park Board for all communities. Endorse me today and we will have a park system that meets the needs of generations to come. My name is John Erwin and I would be honored to carry the DFL endorsement! Thank you. _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
