Reading the Strib's vote count, list member and State Sen. (not necessarily in that order) Linda Higgins was the only member of the Minneapolis delegation to vote for the stadium bill. It passed and excluded Hennepin County.
Also, Minneapolis Senator Julie Sabo voted no, while her gubernatorial running mate Roger Moe voted yes. I wonder about the significance of the state "pre-empting" Minneapolis's $10 million limit. Don't we have to have a referendum to pay for a stadium anyway? Also wondering: could a pro-stadium Hennepin County board work some scheme to appropriate the city X million of dollars - not explicitly to compensate for the stadium but with that practical effect? It would have to be some 30-year guaranteed thing - a land swap, or something else valuable. Just wondering what legerdemain might be out there. Anyway, I didn't hear the debate yesterday - I had a "four-corners" Minneapolis day. In the morning, I hit the District 62 DFL convention in SE - first ballot wins for Skoglund (Senate), Davnie (62A) and Wagenius (62B). Biggest surprise: no questions and answers in the contested Senate race; even we District 60-ers did question-and-answers when there was a contest! But the nice day and convention skills of Skoglund supporter Tony Scallon prevailed. They were done by 12:30. Better food than we 60-ers had: Great tamales outside the convention hall. Question of the day (since there weren't many): will the Greens' Holle Brian keep running in 62B or move to the Senate side for a Skoglund rematch? A Senate-side switch makes some sense, since people were telling me the A-side of 62 is the more progressive one. Afternoon: Biked from SW's Midtown Greenway to the Kenilworth Trail for the first time, and for the first time in my life thanked God for Hennepin County. Biked past the Dog Park by Lake of the Isles - looked like people...and dogs...were having fun. Made me glad this "use" was being accommodated. However, my condolences to Eduardo Parra...and thanks for working to make things better for the rest of us. Anyway, the bike trail system rocks - but it needs a North Side/NE connection! Got lost and drifted across 94 to Keith Reitman's North side. Only spent a few minutes there, but it counts as being in that quadrant. Afternoon: NE's Art-A-Whirl. Incredible energy, as always. A billion people, give or take a few. The maps, shuttles, art offerings get better every year - AAW is in no danger of kitsch poisoning a la some art fairs in town. Neatest personal thang: re-visiting the California Bldg after about 12 years - last time I was there, the artists were fretting over raids by the MPD; now it's the beloved epicenter of neighborhood revitalization. Heard the incredibly dulcet music of the Simple Tones, including the Strib's own Bill McAuliffe and Jackie Crosby: these ink-stained wretches can play! Bought a cool ceramic Foshay Tower lamp molded by Aldo Moroni's studio, and a nifty ceramic bowl. It seemed weird to have "starving" artists feed us with fruit, cheese and veggies in their studios. However, the Cal Building crowd seemed substantially better-heeled than I remember in 1989. Wound up in Uptown where - alone at home without family members for the first time in five years - I ended up seeing "Y Tu Mama Tambien" at the Lagoon. Saw Gary Schiff for the second time in one day...hmmm. Marveled at what a great place Minneapolis is, and how glad I am to live here. David Brauer King Field _______________________________________ 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
