AMEN Dean Zimmermann Commissioner, Mpls Park & Rec Board City Council Member, elect Ward 6 612-722-8768
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Andy Driscoll Sent: Friday, November 16, 2001 8:36 AM To: Mpls. Issues Subject: Re: [Mpls] Riverview site Citizen advisory groups are a complete sham, no matter what they're "studying." They're designed to shut us up, and to stop a revolt over the lack of citizen participation when neighborhoods and democracy are being run over rough-shod. Only when the enabling legislation or regulations governing them actually requires their approval of the final decision will we begin to see citizen advisory groups with clout. Try and think of when you last saw an "advisory" organization that had any real influence on policy. As soon as they do, the power players leave or ignore them. MASAC at the MAC is a perfect example of a sham to keep opponents of airport noise at bay. Had it held any real clout, ROAR would have been unnecessary. As soon as things got testy at MASAC, Northwest Airlines pulled out. I understand the Hollman Decree task force is hardly a model of citizen involvement with a billion dollars in redevelopment at stake. In St. Paul, similar advisory groups on such issues as the future of Ayd Mill Road (conclusions completely ignored by the Planning Commission and City Administration - Norm Coleman); the Ethanol plant where residents were simply kept at bay for a year while the pollution and noise continued unabated (we had to join the city's lawsuit to force their true colors - stonewall red); the West 7th Busway/Riverview Corridor group in which the City, County, State and Met Council pretended to give a whiz for the concerns that making West 7th a rapid transit corridor would split the long and narrow community in two; and, finally (for the moment), a citizens task force on the riverfront where a developer and the city tried feigning participation in the face of opposition to a massive housing development in the flood plain of the Upper Landing. It will be built at the expense of environmental impacts and river views, of course; never mind that this was more than NIMBY talking. Occasionally, our well-organized Planning District/Community Council process has some influence over zoning and other decisions over land use. Not much, but some. But it's in the law that they must. We can all think of examples of the pretense of citizen involvement in almost every instance of major change where big money's at stake. Beware the gurus of ad hoc citizen advisory systems - they're out to keep you quiet. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul ------ "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, remain neutral" --Dante > From: "Jenny Heiser" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 18:46:12 -0600 > To: "Fran Guminga" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Mpls. Issues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [Mpls] Riverview site > > Fran -- > > Thank you. > > You have passionately yet eloquently stated the exact reasons why this > parcel of land MUST be saved for usage by not just residents of Mpls. > but by visitors to our city both regionally, nationally, and > internationally. Our politicians must take the blinders off and > understand that this river, the mighty Mississippi, is a national > treasure. A treasure for which we must be wise and foresighted > stewards. Perhaps a lawsuit is in order asking for Federal > intervention. > > The short-sightedness of current city council members and development > interests is one big piece of why the election results came out as > they did, just a little over a week ago. Minneapolitans sent the > message loud and clear: No more city government by the 'Mandarin > class,' an insiders clique, 'we are the professionals and know better' > claque. I can't help but believe that the reason voter turnout gets > increasingly lower with each election in our city, our state, and our > nation, is the disillusionment that the average citizen experiences > after seeing what happens when after weeks, sometimes years, of hard > work one citizen 'advisory' groups' recommendations after another is > discounted and disregarded. The 'dog-and-pony' shows consisting of > public officials lauding citizen involvement and then totally ignoring > the product of that involvment must stop. > > The words to Joni Mitchell's song: "You don't know what you got 'til > it's gone..." keep going through my mind. > > Jenny Heiser > East Phillips > Ward 6 > > _______________________________________ > 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 > _______________________________________ 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 _______________________________________ 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
