Thanks to Michael Hohmann for the overview of the affordable housing and density session Tuesday night. As the project coordinator for Getting to the Bottom of the Ballot (otherwise known as Get BoB), I think it would be a good time to give a recap of what this fledgling project has done in the last two years. The project, which is supported by seven neighborhood organizations in Southwest (Fulton, Lynnhurst, Linden Hills, Kingfield, Armatage, Kenny, Windom), began with comprehensive work prior to the 2002 elections to educate and motivate voters on local races, or the bottom of the ballot. This included two well-attended candidate fairs, publishing editorials and articles on local election issues, and creating a local election guide that outlines the elected offices and their relevance to residents.
Next we tackled a series of "After the Election" seminars that included last nights session and the following others: -"Follow the Money: Understanding the City Deficit" - CM Lane and city budget officers presented city budget issues -"Follow the Money II: From the State Deficit to the City Budget" - CMs Lane and Benson lead a panel of state legislators on how the budget deficit will impact the city budget -"We Voted 'Yes for Kids': So Why is that Not Enough?" - Discussion on school funding with School Board Member Schapiro and then MPS Chief Operating Officer David Jennings -"Ride the Bus Lately: Making Better Use of Transit Advantages in SW" - Discussion on regional transit issues with State Senator Scott Dibble -"Violence in Minneapolis: A Region-Wide Solution to a Local Problem" - CM Samuels lead a discussion on region-wide implication of violence -"The City and the Suburbs Should be Friends" - Discussion with County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, State Representative Paul Thissen, and Eric Willette, local expert -"Lobbying 101" - A seminar on individual lobbying techniques lead by Marcia Avner, lobbyist for the Council of Non-Profits With all of these sessions, I found the local elected officials and experts involved with the panel to be extremely interested in participating and the attendants of the seminars very engaged in the topics (each session averaged from 25 to 50 participants). The next phase for this effort will be a "Before the Election" series held in the spring of 2004, to include such topics as getting involved with the local caucus process and how money impact elections. In addition to this on-going program implementation, Get BoB is undergoing a comprehensive strategic planning process to create a viable model for growing the effort into other parts of the city or region. Although we are still in the middle of the planning process, we are trying to connect with areas outside Southwest Minneapolis to learn what other groups are doing and where there is an interest in this project. If you are associated with a neighborhood organization outside Southwest and have an interest in this project, please email me and let me know your thoughts. Michelle Martin Armatage Project Coordinator REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
