Fascinating to read what people say about lawsuits and our city government. I have been very annoyed during the last decade at all the lawsuits in which the city government is the defendant and the consistency with which we lose them. I don't know exactly what happened that caused the Nicollet Mall lawsuit, but it does demonstrate the need to be most careful with development plans. I was shocked that we lost that one because I wondered why we were committed to the point where someone could say WE caused them to lose money and demand to be compensated when they really hadn't given the city a thing.
As to lawsuits and neighborhoods, as I said, if you sue the city, and if the city spends money defending itself, you pay for both sides of the issue unless you have some way to escape city taxation. But if its a neighborhood affair, you also inflict costs outside your neighborhood. How come they don't force those things into mediation the way they do other lawsuits? It seems obvious we need another mechanism to force reasonable consultation. It is a total lose-lose to try to get lawyers to "settle" some conflict. Sure City Hall shouldn't run roughshod over you, but why not put the effort and expense into a charter change to remedy everyone's problem rather than just resolve one problem in one neighborhood for one time? And I reject the idea it is a function of one-party government. To offer that as a remedy implies the OTHER party will use the same laws better. That's a religious faith because there is no sign of that ever happening. Perhaps a new party, founded just for that purpose, might change it, but trying to say changing from DFL to Republican will insure greater neighborhood control seems preposterous to me. What would get greater control would be business, and that would then mean higher residential taxes. I think there are multiple hazards here, and the best way to navigate treacherous waters is with vision and care. I think street demonstrations that stop business-as-usual might be one route that wouldnt generate a whole lot of added taxes to get us out of the top-down habit. One other observation: Cities can only be improved by citizens finding common answers to common problems. You cannot beggar your neighbor and expect to prosper. You need to solve your neighbor's problems as part of the solution of yours. A solution that works for one area but not others is not a solution. You can't get politicians playing you off against each other. And you make it a lot EASIER on politicians when you bring them changes they can accept without great political sacrifice on their part. ===== Jim Mork Cooper Neighborhood ------------ Progressive Minnesotans, get together at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MN_progressive_tradition/ __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive greatest hits videos http://launch.yahoo.com/u2 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
