Loki asks: "Am I the only one who doesn't recall Gary Schiff self-identifying as a Rybak supporter in the past?...Just wondering."
No, Loki, you are not alone. I don't recall publicly identifying my mayoral vote in the past either. I voted for McDonald in the primary and Rybak in the general, but never made a public endorsement at anytime in the election season. I certainly look forward to working with Rybak, however. My quote, by the way, was in response to a question by Rochelle Olson "What message do you think the election sends?" GS: "They (voters) want citizen involvement to be valued and not resented." And with a segue of citizen involvement, I must say my neighborhoods' experience working with Planning Director Chuck Ballentine has been different from that expressed by Fran Graminga and Fred Markus on the list. Chuck sat in on many neighborhood evening meetings for the planning of the Hiawatha/Lake LRT Station area during the past year, and his staff (led by Monique McKenzie--a Seward resident now lost to the private sector) was fantastic working with neighborhood representatives to create a transit-oriented development model that saved small businesses while embracing opportunities for light rail. The neighborhood bristled at the original plan that would have involved eminent domain, and the Planning Department helped us work on a six month citizen-led process to come up with the new RFP that comes before the City Council next spring. Chuck also was responsive in the past six months to my neighborhood's constant badgering regarding the status of a burned-out Burger King on Lake Street. At my request, Chuck hosted a meeting with the small business owner who had been stymied by incredible red tape in his efforts to tear down his property. The building has been torn down, and now the planning department is helping the business owner with his decision to rebuild or not. It's the attention to these little "quality of life" details as well as facilitating the larger area planning that I really appreciate from Chuck's office. I for one, look forward to continue working with Ballentine (and his staff) in the future. Gary Schiff Corcoran, Ward 9 www.garyschiff.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
