I vociferously take issue with R.T.Rybak not attending the special meeting of the DFL Central Committee.
I think it is exactly what he should not do. I think the mention of "back-door" deals, etc. further widens the divide in the party. It is what I feared we would see as "leadership" from the new Mayor. Yesterday I had the chance to hear our outgoing Mayor talking to Gary Eichten about leadership and the need to stand by your ideals; to bring them forth and make them known and be public about them. The place for the incoming Mayor who refers to himself as a DFLer to speak his piece is at the meeting of the DFL Central Comm. where it will be a legitimate forum that has the chance of being a news item rather than in this forum. This forum is the back-room. Political machinations of Mayor-elect Rybak's closest supporters behind the scenes are back room deals. The behaviour he will follow vis a vis the DFL Central Committee is the politics of petulant protest rather than the 'leadership' he is trying to palm off as the real thing. As to Barret Lane, I happen to agree with the Mayor-elect. Observing the City Council operate over the past year and a half I have developed the highest regard for Barret Lane. I think he should lead the Ways and Means Committee. He is a natural leader. We need that in that position. He constantly rang alarms about deficits in internal service and infrastructure funds. He has actually studied municipal finance which is probably more than can be said for other members of the council. When the Council instructed the City Attorney to search for an outside attorney in the aftermath of Brian Herron's resignation and the Mayor's rightly throwing the ball into the Council's court it was Barret Lane who lead the Council. He proved himself admirably in that crisis. The DFL ought to thank him for that piece of work. He could have sat back and let the Council flounder. I believe he has the respect of his fellow councilmen and women. Truth be told I suspect most DFLers in the city wish they could claim him as a DFLer. His talents would be wasted anywhere else than as the Chair of Ways and Means. And since I'm already at the end of a mighty thin limb let me throw my support to Councilmember Johnson for President of the City Council. This is by no means meant as a slap at Paul Ostrow. I believe the city will be better served with Johnson as the President. And let's have no more mention of back room deals. I think that issue has been demagogued by the incoming Mayor enough. This meeting of the DFL Central Committee is no back room deal. It is as public as can be. Tim Connolly Ward 7 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.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
