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Mr. Brandt,
Was it Groucho Marx who said "don't explain, don't complain?" I don't
know. There again I do not have the facts. I am just a lowly letter writer,
who saw a need to comment on the Minneapolis Park Board's decision to
purchase a building on West River Road and Broadway in North Minneapolis for
$3,000,000.00 that I read about in your June 27th article in the Metro news
section of the StarTribune. The information I had when I wrote the letter
came from my park board representative and your article. I did call the park
board and left messages to call me but they were never answered so I went
ahead and wrote the letter anyway in order to get a badly needed public
discussion started on this matter. Besides, just how enthusiastic do you
think the Park Board would be to give out information to a private citizen
and taxpayer about this anyway? The words, not very, come to my mind.
However, when a board decides to spend $3,000,000.00 of taxpayers money
with no discussion or public notice then it is time to give notice of these
plans and start a public discussion before it is too late. I am sure the park
board was counting on the "too late" method to proceed with their plan away
from the public eye, until your article appeared. As to the error in the
amount I haven't ever had occasion to write or type the numbers $3,000,000.00
ever before so I don't know how many zeroes are involved. This is not the
important thing, the important thing is that citizens are informed and have
some opinion and input into this purchase since it is their money that is
being spent.
The park board is forever saying that they do not have funds to do for
the parks as it is now, so where is the money coming from for an office
building? It seems to me the Park Board has lost sight with this plan, of
what their raison d'etre' is for existing, i.e. the management and care of
the parks for the people of Minneapolis and surrounding areas, and not
building office complexes. A public discussion is badly needed on this
subject.
No mention was made in your article of any public hearing being scheduled
on this, so I must assume that none has been scheduled. At least your article
generated some interest in this which was nonexistent before it appeared due
to a complete lack of public information from the Park Board.
So there is my explanation in answer to your complaint about my letter. I
assume you are the facts watch dog of the [EMAIL PROTECTED] so one can count
on you to be diligent about keeping the facts straight and true in the future.
Joyce Murphy,
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