In Carol Becker's challenge to my plan for reforming the MCDA she makes her
usual good points but there are a couple statments that need to be
challenged:
1. Her "Boston Tea Party" analolgy is not correct. When the MCDA had a
citizen board, the elected officials on the city council had the final say
in spending decisions. That was a good idea then, which is why I advocate
contining that in my plan.
2. She states that getting rid of the citizen governing board was
"considered to be a great reform."
By whom? I was covering the MCDA for the Star Tribune at the time, my job
was to interview all sides and I clearly recall this as a very controversial
move. There were SOME people who considered it a good idea, but many people,
esp. those in community groups, considered it a power grab by some council
members who didn't want those pesky citizen groups messing with their big
development projects.
Change often makes people nervous. But I get a lot more nervous thinking
about how the city and the MDCA are going to close multi million gaps in the
development account and the common project fund without reform.
Are we going to stick with the status quo and keep taxing people out of
their homes.... or are we going to have the guts to get creative and start
looking at some tough choices?
R.T. Rybak
www.rtformayor.com
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