Thanks to Alan Shilepsky for his thoughtful comments yesterday re: post election politics in Mpls... food for thought (in the city hall food fight)! And, to Dave Delvoye for his words this morning. Indeed, sometimes the more things change, the more they remain the same. I think the immediate task of allocating some $5 million in city budget cuts should serve as a good training exercise for the new CC. The real fun however, will start this spring/summer, after the legislative session ends and we begin to see the results of cuts in state-aid to municipalities and elsewhere in state budgets and programs, ramifications at county level, etc.
I'm confident Barret Lane will make his fiscal expertise and knowledge of the city budgets, his ideas and insights, readily available to all Council members, especially the new ones-- even though he was not elected W&M committee chair. The city budget process for next year should provide some real challenges, and CM Lane can play a key role in educating other Council members regarding the prudent fiscal strategies and choices needed to help assure sound development policy over the longer term-- the long-term consequences associated with annual budget decisions. I also urge CM Lane to use the media, including this list, to greater advantage in making the general public- Mpls. residents, more aware of the fiscal issues and choices being addressed by the CC. Increased media coverage and greater budget-process transparency should help city residents provide more thoughtful input to their newly elected leaders in City Hall. Likewise, I'm also sure that Mr. Moir (former Finance Director, now on the Mayor's staff) will have insightful fiscal advice, and I urge CC members to avail themselves. In fact, it would be nice to see W&M Chair Johnson actively seek Moir's advice and input as a knowledgeable expert-- in addition to that of the current Finance Director. And, as Dave Delvoye indicated, I hope our elected leaders in Mpls. (i.e. Council Chairs) work closely with the legislature and the Ventura Administration to adequately represent City interests at the state level. Lastly, good luck to all our newly elected leaders. (and let's get that new downtown library sited on the north block, the library foundation operational, and legislative leaders of all persuasion made aware of the state-wide value associated with the new planetarium-- all within the next 90 days!) Mike Hohmann 13th > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of > Alan Shilepsky > Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 11:36 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Mpls] City Hall Food Fight > > > For the record I have to say I am disappointed about what happened to > Barret Lane. Here is a person who everyone agrees is an expert on the > complexities of the budget and city finance. Since we are going into a > finance maelstrom we should have put our best person in a place where he > can guide us through. It wasn't a matter of his dictating his > philosophy; he still would have to get the approval of the committee and > full council. > It really smacks of party and special interest politics. And possibly > an effort by those who object to fiscal responsibility if it may mean > turning down the money spigots at City Hall for their favorite programs. > > I went to the special DFL Central Committee meeting on December 27, > since it was open to the public. (Thanks DFL!) I wanted to see the > debate over the motion to keep a non-DFLer from chairing Ways and > Means. Wish more observers had come to see the show, especially Doug > Grow. > > The meeting reenforced my distaste for party politics (which in a one > party town turns to party bullying). I perceived specious arguments and > a disinterest in the good of the city. Of course one irony for me is > that Barret, from my perspective, is more of a Democrat than an > Independence Party person or Republican. He's just fiscally > responsibility and not beholden to the party apparecheks. Or the > unions. (More on the DFL CC meeting below.) > > A great disappointment to me is that two minority (i.e., non-DFL) > Council Members voted to disempower the third minority CM on the > Council. Further, many insurgents--who were supposedly running for > change and better governance--voted against him too. Because he isn't a > Democrat? Because he isn't nicy-nice enough? > snip > > In a word I think that Barret has a right to be disappointed. Even > angry. Many of us were looking forward to a new politics in Minneapolis > and then one of the more talented and (budget) experienced Council > members gets shut out (NO committee chairs?!) because of a party label. > Really! The self-seeking reform newcomers who voted against him should > be ashamed. > > Now a bit more on that DFL Central Committee meeting. I have to relate > a few particulars. First, from Marie Hauser. (Too bad DFL party line > voters passed over earnest, dedicated and knowledgeable Green Party > candidate Scott Vreeland!) As I heard her she spoke against CM Lane as > follows. She said that the Park Board first feared for $5 million they > needed (was that from the referendum bypassing deal they made with the > Old Regime?), but would likely get much of the money. But there was > about $1.9 million that CM Lane was not sympathetic to. Then she said > something to the following effect. > > When doorknocking she found the Somali men in Starbucks drinking coffee, > and the Somali women and children home in their high rise apartments, > isolated from the community. The city would need to have park staff and > programs to integrate them into the community, and the budget to > accomplish it. Then she said something to the effect that otherwise we > would have another generation of terrorists. Yes, terrorists! > snip > > The next most disturbing presentation at the Central Committee meeting > was from my friend Brian Biele, who was representing labor > interests--Teamster DRIVE and I think Building Trades. (He is Political > Director for Central Labor Council, I believe.) > > His unions did not want CM Lane as Chair because decisions come up at > Ways and Means on contracts and city expenditures that affect union > members, and CM Lane was perceived as hostile to the spending to keep > all those members employed. > > I guess Barret isn't the pushover that they would prefer--but do we > citizens want a pushover in a fiscal crisis? (I say provide services > and build things when you want those services and things, not to create > a jobs program. Otherwise you are redistributing income from one group > to another. If that's what you want to do, do it through the front > door, not through unnecessary or wasteful programs.) > snip > > But the real disturbing part of Brian's presentation was when he > "rebutted" an email that CM Ostrow had earlier quoted from, from a > public employee union representative. This poor Jill or Joan someone > had emailed that she regretted the "strong-arming" that was going on > over the Ways and Means Chairmanship. Brian explained to us that this > woman had spoken out of turn, didn't have authorization to say anything > in her union capacity, and--this was the distressing part--would lose > her job for having sent the email. Seemed CM Lane wasn't the only one > losing a job that night. > > The rigidity and lack of freedom of conscience that some DFL Central > Committee members were proposing was tracking the rigidity and lack of > freedom of conscience that the union hierarchy was going to enforce. > snip > > Yeah, the more I see of the internal workings of parties the less I want > to be involved in politics. But then you would be allowing these people > to have easier access to the levers of power over you and me. > > I wish all the newly elected CM's had been there that night to see whom > they were siding with. Green CM's too. These are not your friends. > > Alan Shilepsky > Downtown > Independence Party member > snip _______________________________________ 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
