It's getting right down to the nitty gritty in budget talks. The Mayor is eliminating more than just the Civilian Review Authority.
The Office of Cultural Affairs is toast. That should please all those who didn't like it anyway. There is in a major fight over the Truth in Housing program. Joe Biernat is fighting hard to save it and the Mayor wants to end it. By coincidence he had planned a presentation on this program in the next day's PS/RS meeting. He urged the Mayor to attend. The Mayor was unable to attend the next day meeting being busy at the State Capitol but he did send Mr. Takeshita from his office to take notes. Apparently they were unimpressed. As of this morning the program was still on the chopping block and Joe was hopping mad. When the Mayor sprung his budget suggestions Tuesday before Ways and Means/Budget, Joe Biernat, who authored this law, challenged the wisdom of cutting the program. I recall him saying "as much as the lakes and parks and parkways were amenities in this city, the greatest amenity we possess is our housing stock". He sees Truth in Housing as instrumental to maintain that stock. When Joe introduced this idea he must have received hate mail from his brother and sister realtors. Having been a realtor at one time I suspect he was viewed by many as a turncoat. To his credit he saw a need for such legislation and fought hard for it. He sees this as a consumer protection program. The Mayor says the program is duplicative of services that already exist yet he has not come forward with anything to document that. This program may be less important in parts of town where the median income and house prices are greatest. Presumably these homes are better maintained and less in need of government intervention. The same may not be true in other parts of the city where the housing stock may be poorly maintained and in need of repair. These inspections are the only time the city gets a look and with this law they can mandate repairs be made. By either buyer OR seller per their agreement. Prior to this the Inspections Dept. testifies they saw the same problems in the same houses year after year only progressively worsening. The program also helps shield less sophisticated home buyers from predatory practices. This is a hot button issue in real estate and I am certain to get some heatbut, I'm with Joe on this. I think it is good legislation and is in the best interests of all citizens of the city even if it inconveniences some realtors. To wit, I recall listed contributions from realtors in the Mayor's most recent disclosure forms. Is this another inconsistency in the Mayor's previous statements? Tim Connolly Ward 7 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE Valentine eCards with Yahoo! Greetings! 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
