All, I found Mr. Knapp's observations about the 10th ward race interesting and provocative. I do not write to quibbling about some questionable demographic numbers. One of his core points that his nearly three year residency in Minneapolis and lack of involvement in the grassroots democratic infastructure of the ward were unjustly barriers to his election. To justify his lack of involvement he blasts the neighborhood organizations and paints everyone who has ever been involved in the DFL with a broad brush of uncaring about renters and bicyclists. I feel this is a unfortunate mischaracterization by Mr. Knapp and part of a rhetorical pattern which does the Greens, their committed volunteers, and the issues they care about a huge disservice. Ironically one does not have to look far to find specific proven evidence that neighborhood groups can be, and in more cases then not, active and engageing organizations involveing diverse voices and working on complex issues like affrodable housing, safety, and livability. Mark's home neighborhood is Lyndale. The Lyndale Neighborhood Association is an exemplare of the diverse, value-based civic leadership our city so desires. Over 1/3 of the Steering Committee are renters, over 1/3 are individuals of colors (including Somali, Latino, and Ethiopian); the youngest member is 18 -the oldest, well. . .she has seen 70 come and go. It includes residents of public housing, subsidized housing, duplexes, and apartments. These people were elected by the neighbors not because of the color of their skin or their housing status, but because by working hard in their community they had earned the respect of their peers. Much of this work was done in one of the over 70 programs, projects and activites coordinated through the neighborhood each year. In these projects which range from the Youth Farm and Market Project, to a summer camp scholarship program, building affordable houseing, to maintain exsisting housing stock the percentage of renters and people of color involved is near 50% and exceeds their proportional representation in the broader neighborhood. The argueably most "powerful" program are those of these is the Lyndale Neighborhood Development Coorproation. The president? A renter. Dan Niziolek has been one of the leaders of these organizations. He was on the executive committee of the neighborhood association, and president of the development coorporation. When Dan first got involved in the community he was a renter. In fact he was a renter in the 10th ward longer than Mark lived in the ward. Dan's early leadership was on a project which brought rental property owners and renters together to address safety concerns. Dan's decade of proven experience working with the residents of the neighborhood is why people flocked to support him for the council position. We know him. We see him and his wife biking on their recumbant tandum cycle through the neighborhood. (Well, not since she/they became bless with twins, due date comming up soon!) He has been working with us. He understands how to bring people who subscribe to different political ideology together to get a project done. That is what our city needs -- diverse voices working together to address the crucial issues of affordability, safety, and livability. As one of the founders and past-President of the Center for Neighborhoods, I have had an opportunity to work directly with Cam Gordon. Cam has been deply engaged in a variety of leadership position in the Seward Neighborhood Group. His leadership has helped to make Seward one of the cities leaders in engaging and involving a diverse cross section of the people in their neighborhood. His leadership in the Green Party has been a huge reason I deeply respect their efforts to bring more voices to the table. One of the Green Party principles is grassroots democracy. As someone who has seen lots of poltical rhetoric in beautifully written declarations, seen lots of candidates promises around election time, and is very cynical of party platforms -- I look at the track record. What has been the candidates committment to their community, what have been the results, and what does that tell me about how they will represent and lead when in office. Cam Gordan has lived that by being involved. Dean "Z" Zimmerman has lived that by being involved in all aspects of his community. Sean Price lived that by being an active leader in his broader community. Natalie Johnson Lee has lived that by being involved in her broader community. That made all the difference. (As it will for Anne Young, whose involvement at all levels in the Phillips Neighborhood has made her a national leader of whom we should all be proud) This election year is about a major realighnment happening in Minneapolis politics. Of Minneapolis primary voters, 72% said "we want change". The old left/right, conservative/liberal, neighborhood/downtown rhetoric wasn't meaningful when it came to making sure people had a place to live, transportation to get to living wage jobs, business nodes they could shop at, streets and sewers that were kept in good shape. When the group of people who put together "A City for Neighbors" scorecard early this year first sat down -- this reallignment was becomming clear. We did not want to be DFL, Independent, Green, Reform -- we had people in the room that we all of those things. We wanted to focus on issues that mattered. We picked votes accordenly. Surprise -- who did well on those issues did not break down along traditional geographic or political lines. I think it is remarkable that of the 3 councilmembers that didn't vote with what we defined as the neighbors agenda even once -- only one of them is still standing, and she is engaged in a fierce race for re-election. (Thurber, Campbell, Cherryholms) I know that the committed and enthusiastic volunteers involved in the Greens will be a critical part of the new majority for change. I know that after years of struggling against and within the "machine" of the DFL, the Greens will not recreate the same type of exclusive "power structure." I know that the Greens will grow their party by attracting people around their vision and values, not bashing them for their associations and afilliations. I am personally excited to watch that happen. Our community will be better for it. Okay, back to the tenth ward. I am proud to be associated with two candidates (Dan Niziolek and RT Rybak) who don't let party labels and ideology get in the way of getting involved in the community. I am proud to be associated with campaigns that have provided me the opportunity to work alongside DFLers, Independents, Greens, and Republicans. (Republicans? Don't tell my Dad, an active Madison Green Party activist, he will disown me) Honestly, it is the first time I have ever been involved in campaigns like this. It feels really good. It feels really good to share a space where people are focused on what will be the best thing for all the diverse people in our neighborhoods. Joseph Barisonzi Lyndale, Ward 10 Yes, an enthusiastic supporter of Dan Niziolek (that rhymes with "angelic") Yes, also an excited supporter of RT Rybak (I don't know if that really rhymes with anything) _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
