May I humbly offer a compromise? MCDA employees as individuals are likely no more greedy than any other segment of society. In neighborhood activism, I have personally worked with MCDA staffers who I believe worked with professional and personal integrity.
The MCDA as an agency has made a number of policy decisions that have had an element of greed in them, whether the greed comes from developers with their hands out or others. It's immensely hard to argue that Target, Brookfield, Carlson Companies, and others did not have the wherewithal to finance their projects without the City/MCDA being their savior. These companies, however, didn't dance alone. The MCDA had to be a willing partner in the dance and, for whatever reasons, was too quick to take up the dance partner. Gary Bowman Audubon Park --- Jack Kryst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I deeply resent the characterization of MCDA > employees as greedy. In my > 20+ years at the MCDA I can attest that there are no > windfalls to be > found there and no one looking for them. What you > will find there are > dedicated people spending their professional lives - > and pieces of their > personal lives - to improve this community. They've > done that through > good and bad leadership and bad and good policy > direction. > > Jack Kryst > King Field > ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ > "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; . . . > The best lack all convictions, while the worst > Are full of passionate intensity." ~ W. B. Yeats > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf > Of Victoria Heller > Sent: Sunday, December 01, 2002 11:59 AM > To: Mpls Forum > Subject: [Mpls] Minneapolis had plenty of financial > resources - but they > were squandered > > > Jim Graham wrote: > > "So please do not tell me about resources. It is > the City leaders duty > and obligation to provide whatever resources are > necessary to solve the > problem. If they have to raise taxes then they just > have to raise taxes. > State law actually says that Minneapolis City > Officials failing to > enforce State and Federal Laws shall constitute a > gross misdemeanor, and > if found guilty of so doing the offender may never > again hold elected > office in the State of Minnesota. If this law were > to be actually > enforced, Brian and Joe would not be the only ones > out of office." > > Vicky comments: > > Minneapolis HAD vast resources, but the money was > flushed down the > toilet by inept Councilmembers, greedy MCDA > staffers, and clever real > estate developers. > > The MCDA has gone through over $500 million dollars > in the past ten > years: For What? Our City debts exceed $1.5 billion: > For What? Our > annual payments for debt service alone are over $130 > million: For What? > > Each time you hear "There's not enough money" - just > remember that > Minneapolis HAD more than enough money: It was > simply wasted. > > Each time a senior citizen has to give up his or her > home because the > property taxes are too high, remember the $37 > million we gave to > Brookfield Development. > > Each time a young couple finds it too expensive to > buy a house, remember > the $20 million we gave to the Radisson Hotel. > > Each time a family finds itself in foreclosure, > remember the $63 million > we gave to Target. > > And so on, and so on, and so on. > > The forthcoming lie is: "The taxpayers in > Minneapolis are unwilling to > fund blah, blah, blah." > > The truth is: The taxpayers in Minneapolis are > incredibly generous. > The problem is that the City government spends and > borrows with no > restraint - because our leaders would rather be > popular than do the > right thing. > > Vicky Heller > Cedar-Riverside and North Oaks > > _______________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic > Discussion - Mn > E-Democracy Post messages to: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, > Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: > http://e-democracy.org/mpls > > _______________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic > Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
