Below is information about the Getting to the Bottom of the Ballot's After the Election Series. Many people from the List participated in the first seminar, Follow the Money, with Council Members Lane and Benson. The next seminar is a follow up to that one where Lane and Benson will moderate a discussion with State Senators Jane Ranum and Scott Dibble and Represenatives Paul Thissen and Frank Hornstein about how the State budget will impact the City. We will provide all the materials from these seminars on-line at least one week prior to the session for people who want to look at materials ahead of time and for those who can't make it. I'll send another post when the materials are available. If you have any questions about this or want to volunteer for this project, call the Fulton Neighborhood Line at (612) 922-3106. Michelle Mensing Armatage Project Coordinator
After the Election 2003 Thinking Locally Year-Round Our philosophy: The best way to the get to the bottom of the ballot at election time is to stay tuned to local issues year-round. That is why Southwest Citizens for Civic Engagement and Southwest Community Education are bringing you this series of local-issue seminars. Attend these sessions, learn about local political issues and when the next election rolls around, we predict your pen will go further down the ballot than elections past. *This effort brought to you by Southwest Citizens for Civic Engagement and Southwest Community Education. Southwest Citizens for Civic Engagement is a project of the Fulton Neighborhood Association in cooperation with a growing list of neighborhood organizations including Linden Hills, Lynnhurst, Windom, Kenny, Armatage, and Kingfield. Call (612) 922-3106 for more information. Location: All seminars will be held at Southwest High School Community Education , Chowen Ave South and 47th Street - enter door #16. Follow the Money II . . . >From the State Deficit to the City Budget. As we learned in our first After the Election seminar titled Follow the Money, city officials have been working for the past year to restore financial health to Minneapolis in the face of a serious city budget deficit. Now an unexpectedly large state deficit may create further fiscal challenges for the city. Council Members Barret Lane and Scott Benson will lead a panel of Southwest state legislators, including Senators Scott Dibble and Jane Ranum, and State Representatives Frank Hornstein and Paul Thissen, through a discussion about how the state deficit will affect Minneapolis. Tuesday, February 18th - 7 pm to 9 pm We Voted 'Yes for Kids' . . . So why is that not enough? Minneapolis Public School referendums keep passing and yet the city's public schools are facing another round of budget shortfalls. Are you wondering why the referendum isn't enough? Come hear the facts from those who know all the numbers. School Board Member Dennis Schapiro and MPS Chief Operating Officer David Jennings will discuss the genesis of the current budget shortfalls, the way school funding is calculated and the educational implications of the current budget environment. Tuesday, March 18th - 7 pm to 9 pm Ride the Bus Lately? Making Better Use of Transit Advantages in Southwest. Compared to the sprawling suburbs, Southwest neighborhoods with their bus lines, a grid street system, sidewalks, bike lanes and a solid residential/retail mix, ride high on the transit evolutionary scale. But do these transit advantages mean that our job is done? Are we really less likely to hop in the car than our suburban neighbors? While the next generation of state power brokers sorts out regional transit issues, join us in a transit discussion facilitated by State Senator Scott Dibble. Our goal: Identify concrete, first steps we can take individually and collectively to reach our potential in Southwest as an example in livability and smart transit planning. Tuesday, April 15th - 7 pm to 9 pm We Elect Our Judges . Yet we know little about what they do. On a daily basis, Minnesota's judges face varied and often complex issues. They hear all types of cases, from minor traffic violations to gross misdemeanors and felonies. Annually, Minnesota's Trial Courts process more than two million cases. Judges' decisions affect individuals, groups and communities. To explain this process, representative judges from Minnesota' s Trial and Appellate Courts will discuss their role in Minnesota's judiciary, the third branch of government. Following the panel presentation, the judges will answer audience questions and comments. Tuesday, September 16th - 7 pm to 9 pm Oh, the City & the Suburbs Should Be Friends. . . But how, as competition for scarce resources heats up? As power at the Minnesota Legislature shifts away from the Twin Cities to other parts of the state, how can we work together on common issues? Gail Dorfman, Hennepin County Commissioner representing Southwest Minneapolis and the neighboring suburbs, and Eric Willette, policy research manager for the League of Minnesota Cities, will host a discussion of the relationships among metropolitan municipalities. We will have special guests from the suburbs and from Minneapolis government, too. Tuesday, October 21st - 7 pm to 9 pm Where Will All the People Go? Can you imagine 15% more people living in our developed area? The Metropolitan Council projects that this will come to pass in the next thirty years. Could you afford to buy your own home at today's prices? Many Southwest residents who previously bought here cannot do so today. Density and Affordability stand to affect our lives greatly in the near future. Join with a few locally elected officials to take a big-picture look at the how these two urban issues intersect in southwest Minneapolis. Former State Senator Myron Orfield, State Senator Scott Dibble, and State Representative Frank Hornstein will help us get a handle on this complex urban planning issue. Tuesday, November 18th - 7 pm to 9 pm _______________________________________ 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
