I am a bit surprised by the relatively small amount of discussion here on the forum about the McKinsey report. Perhaps that is because it is only a "report" at the present time. Or could it be that we all think it is simply wonderful?
In many ways I do think it is wonderful, but I have some serious concerns. YES, it is a good idea to establish priorities and goals. What business can run successfully without doing that? And YES the city should adopt new processes that include strategic planning (duh!), performance management (duh, again) and customer service improvement. My greatest concern is the report's third recommendation, that of changing the development organization. Though I agree that the present structure would benefit from streamlining and a more comprehensive approach (and I encourage it!), I am concerned about how this will affect neighborhood organizations and planning at the neighborhood level. We saw the last city council and mayor begin to reclaim some of the power and money that had been allocated to neighborhoods through NRP. (Perhaps we also saw the results of some of those actions in the last election!) The incredible grassroots nature of neighborhood organizations and the enthusiasm they have created in Minneapolis is due in large part to NRP. I think it has been an incredibly good thing even if not the most efficient. My hope is that neighborhood organizations will continue to play the large role that they have in recent years. Though the discussion gets a lot noisier with so many players, one great benefit is a vibrant and engaged citizenry. The report does recommend giving "neighborhood planning groups a leading role in shaping city strategies," but in the end this is all going to depend upon how this report is actually implemented. That's why it is so important that neighborhoods get involved in the process now and speak up. If we are silent it will be too easy for City Hall to consolidate power and reduce the ultimate effectiveness of neighborhoods. That would be quite unfortunate to my mind. So, it is just a report at this point, put together by a talented group of people, but now it's time for our reactions and further input. Two meetings coming up: June 26 - 6-8 p.m., North Regional Library, 1315 Lowry Avenue North July 9 - 6:30-8:30 p.m., Zuhrah Shrine Center, 2450 Park Avenue South Paul Lohman Lynnhurst Paul Lohman [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________ 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
