Annie writes: I had something I could not get out of tonight and missed the first half of the Park Board meeting. And found out that what I wrote all of you about on the Tiger Woods event was turned around. Once UV found out we were bringing Tiger in - they piggy backed on us in getting Tiger to give them $50,000 (?) or more to their Foundation and having a big press conference about it. My staff who really works hard at being fair to everyone even sounded somewhat terse about UV riding on our backs on that one. I don't know all the details but I think that is what Eva and other are referring too.
================================================ EY: Thanks to Annie for following up on this. I talked to several Park board people -- and they all said that Annie had alerted them to this. Regarding getting a personal response from Annie on this -- I did not get such a personal response on email. I did get a response by talking with Annie at the redistricting meeting last week. Annie told me about open time, and how it worked. She gave me valuable information -- and I appreciated it. This is interesting to know. UV is very good at marketing themselves to people outside the neighborhood. They get their money by referring to the Central Neighborhood as a high crime, problem area. This makes it harder for people who live in the area to bring in middle class people to live in the area. Meanwhile, Urban Ventures makes money over Central being high crime, and having a lot of low income people. I don't see them helping with a solution -- that is helping low income people getting the skills to be higher income. As someone in the neighborhood said: they get money from suburbanites who want to civilize the savages. Annie: And my guess is UV would be an example of the Republican Christian Right Coalition at work right here in River City. I could be all wet but it seems they keep their finger on the pulse by attending and participating in a variety of neighborhood activities and then come along and use and turn everything into something they can take advantage of. Let us not even talk about the soccer fields and tennis center on the Midtown Greenway at 5th Avenue instead of a beautiful park, amphitheater space by the sculptured wall and signature bridge. I guess it's best to say, don't get me started - I might have to agree with Eva on most of her points on this issue. EY: Nah, don't lay this one on the Republicans. UV and their supporters in the legislature, Linda Berglin, Neva Walker (whose support is wavering), Peter McLaughlin and Martin Sabo are all -- gasp -- Democrats. I don't have the delegate list for the last DFL convention, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Art Erickson on that list. I haven't seen Art at any Republican events. This is the Christian Right wing of the Democratic Party. Annie: Although I don't always agree with Eva and her tactics any more than she does of me and mine - I can at least say I do know and understand what she is talking about on this one. It might be easier to say that many of us in the 'hood have very little trust in UV and what they proclaim. And most often about what they have done instead of what we all have done to better the neighborhood. We all are doing a lot of work out here trying to make things better. EY: Annie, thanks for letting us know what's going on. You have been the best of the Park Board lot in terms of using the Minneapolis Issues list to communicate. And heck, no I don't always agree with you -- I thought the whole hullaboo about Dairy Queen on Lake Harriet total anti-business nonsense. But then that's me. I don't like the kneejerk attitude towards the private sector -- somehow in Minneapolis -- nonprofits = good, and businesses = bad. Eva Eva Young Central Neighborhood Minneapolis _______________________________________ 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
