-----Original Message-----
Barbara Lickness wrote:
Why is it that Councilmember Lisa Goodman can pompously announce to a
crowded room with a big smile on her face that "the good people of
Kenwood would gladly accept this type of housing but they aren't zoned
for it"? Somehow the zoning code and it's law can be applied and even
upheld in Kenwood, but when it's Whittier, zoning can be changed with a
drop of the hat and laws overlooked like magic. I read the e-mail
describing how many facilities Ms. Goodman lives by. What I didn't
hear her list were the facilities that exist in the rest of her ward.
Why? because there were none to list.
Lisa arrogantly annouced in the beginning of this process that she was
strongly behind the Lydia house project and didn't care what the
neighborhoods voted or the people surrounding the project thought.
Stevens Square/Loring Heights voted against it as did Whittier.
[TB] Looking at a map of the 7th ward
( http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/about/maps/ward7.pdf )
it appears that Lydia House is in the 7th ward. Knowing where Lisa
Goodman lives, the facilities in Stevens Square and Loring Heights are
not in her neighborhood and probably of much lower risk than some
within a block or so of where she lives.
The famed Lydia house report did list potential locations in both the
Kenwood and Lowry Hill areas. The writers of the report that were
trying to direct Lydia to another location certainly felt that those
locations would be compliant with zoning.
What are those opposing the project proposing for the property? Is it
easier to just be against it than propose an alternative?
[Barb Lickness] I am guessing her ability to do that has something to
do with Loki Andersons post showing the vote count of the different
council members. Suggesting that because a council member got more
votes that another one, somehow they are entitled to greater power or
respect.
You notice all the low vote counts come from councilmembers
representing poor transient neighborhoods? The highest vote getters on
the list also represent the wealthiest neighborhoods. I would wager a
guess that Lisa Goodman's big vote count came from all the rich
neighborhoods in her ward that have none of this type of housing. Is
the message here that if people in your neighborhood don't vote, they
don't matter and can easily be dismissed and ignored?
Furthermore, does it also suggest that the low vote neighborhoods then
become the target for concentrating all the poverty and social service
programs? While maybe not intended, it certainly has been the outcome.
[TB] Lisa Goodman represents Elliot Park where the demographics are
markedly different than Kenwood or Lake of the Isles. The demographics
of Loring Park are rather diverse. The 7th ward is one of the most
diverse in the City, making it one of the bigger challlenges to
represent.
Lisa Goodman got more votes than any other council member without the
need to run a serious campaign as her general election opponent was
invisible � he did absolutely nothing.
Why did CM Goodman face no serious opposition? Perhaps because she has
done a good job or representing and working for her ward.
That the residents of the 7th and 13th wards take seriously our civic
responsibility to vote shouldn�t be held against us. Our
representatives still only make up 1/13th each of the council.
Politics pays attention to those who show up. If you aren�t going to
participate, I�m not going to be very sympathetic when you don�t like
the result.
Opppsss ... I forgot, getting a high vote total in the 13th ward
didn�t help increase influence on the council.
Anyway, I feel the attack on Lisa Goodman is unwarranted.
Terrell Brown
Loring Park
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