Focus Minneapolis Status Report

An Item from the City Council's Web Site:

2002 Meeting Schedule
Standing Committee of the Minneapolis City Council
Community Development Committee Agenda
Regular Meeting
Thursday, November 14, 2002
3:00 p.m. - Room 317 City Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Committee Members Goodman, Benson, Biernat, Lilligren, Ostrow, Zimmermann
(Quorum-4)
Council Committee Coordinator: Jan Belsaas (612) 673-3132
Receive and File Item
City Coordinator
Time Certain: 3:00 p.m. 1. Focus Minneapolis Initiative: Receive and file
status report, including update on customer service improvements, project
and plan approval processes, personnel transition issues and legal options
for reaching Focus Minneapolis goals.
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An Item excerpted from an earlier post from "Keith Reitman  NearNorth" on
the Mpls. Issues Forum:

" (JG) Tom Fulton seems to have a knack for saying what the purpose of this
group is and how they have feelings that neighborhoods and residents are the
"Enemy". The question is which elected officials is Tom Fulton speaking
about? They must have been talking to him. My question is where have the RT
Rybak and Council we elected on neighborhood "Empowerment" and "Input"
issues gone?  If they have been truly participating in this effort?

Keith says: I am still looking for the RT who spoke clearly of the need for
the private sector in the circle of affordable housing providers.  He left
us, the small businessman called landlord, the only providers of ACTUAL
affordable housing,out in the cold. Clearly we are supposed to join our
former tenants "under the new flyover".

Now, I sit around the campfire, along with those left out in the cold. I am
surprised to be joined by our neighborhood/community leaders/activists. The
rest of the community will be here soon. But I'm not worried, we can just
throw another tax levy log on the fire. The Mayor's office will continue to
provide us with drivel, the NonProfiteers at the Mayor's Table get the fine
wine, meat and potatoes."
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(JLS)  I have been reading these public participation process questions of
concern along with so many comments from Minneapolis residential property
owners who are "benefiting" from "The Big Plan" tax reform.   I hope you all
have stayed tuned to the ongoing change process down at City Hall.  I urge
all list members, especially the neighborhood activists, to carefully
monitor and follow the Mayor/City Council actions regarding implementation
of the McKinsey & Co. plan for our fair city.

I am going to urge the Mayor and Council advocates to commit to a well
publicized, fair and full community-wide review of the municipal changes
envisioned and moving toward implementation as contained in Focus
Minneapolis (Resolution No. 2002R-303).

I assert that these proposed changes are so important that they merit a
thorough public review and community input process PRIOR TO ENACTMENT
equivalent to or greater than the public process the NRP Policy Board
sponsored relative to the Phase II Framework development.
I am not alleging that the proposed changes are bad ideas or unnecessary,
but rather that the Minneapolis Voters who are usually shown atop city
organizational charts deserve to review proposed changes that were not even
(please do correct me if I'm wrong) specifically debated during the last
mayoral/council elections cycle.  Is our free press reporting on these
processes?

Jeffrey L. Strand
Shingle Creek/Fourth Ward


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