I was at a DFL event today and noted the reappearance of the
Sharon Sayles-Belton for Mayor button.
I feel sorry for R.T.- he barely takes office and the city
gets hit with it's biggest financial crisis in memory. It ain't gonna
be pretty, and a lot of oxen, sacred cows, and various pet projects
won't just be gored or sacrificed- they're going to slaughter. R.T.
and the council will get to fight over who gets to hold the smoking
electrodes... Now the traditional solution to this problem is to
follow the political Peter Principle- run for higher office.
Unfortunately for R.T. there are no statewide offices up for election
in 2004, and thank goddess Congressman Sabo is not about to give up
his seniority.
So R.T. is stuck for the full term. If he wants to run for
reelection or for Governor in 2006 he needs to find a scapegoat for
Minneapolis' financial crisis. Now the Republicans have this act down
to an art- they simply blame those "greedy public employees". Being
as taxpayers far outnumber public employees this sick strategy
usually works. Perhaps R.T. is going to steal a page from the
republican playbook and balance the city budget on the backs of city
workers?
To pull this fiscal atrocity off R.T. would need some votes
on the city council, at least enough to sustain a veto. With 3
Council Members behind him in bucking the pro labor DFL majority,
R.T. needs only the support of the other Green Party Council Member
and the election of Don Samuels to give him those 5 votes to sustain
his veto of any city budget respectful of labor.
If this is what R.T. Rybak is planning it's a desperation
tactic- he'd be more likely to be reelected by respecting and working
with city workers to solve the cities financial crisis rather than
disrespecting them.
standing up for working folks and Olin Moore in Hawthorne,
Dyna Sluyter
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