Just to tease one strand out of the Mark-Peter thread.... on 12/17/03 7:39 AM, Mark Snyder at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Meanwhile, we have Hennepin county commissioners voting to cut budgets for > homeless shelters and we have state agencies spending our tax dollars to > install bars under our bridges to keep people out. I'd like to use Mark's thought as a jumping-off point for other members to think about... It's important to pay attention to the Mayor and Council, but Hennepin County is where the social service action - read $$$ - is. Yesterday, the county board voted to cut several social programs to maintain a 2.1 percent 2004 tax increase (lowest of any metro county, sez the Strib). The board, if I read the Strib right, is split 4-3, with McLaughlin & Opat (and I think Dorfman, though she was not named, so it might be 4-2), voting against the budget because program cuts were too deep. Two board members are swing votes who swung toward lower taxes and deeper program cuts: Linda Koblick, a suburban Republican, and Mark Stenglein - who is a guy Minneapolitans have some say in electing. His district includes north and a lot of northeast Minneapolis. If Minneapolitans advocating more financial/program support for the poor and homeless really want to make a difference, they should work on Stenglein (or, if you can wait until he's up for election in 2006, work for an opponent). I should add Stenglein is an affable guy, a sincere "fiscal conservative" who has done a lot of work on the African-American Men's project. Still, a lot of this comes down to money - and if you want more of it spent on your Minneapolis-centered societal concerns, there should be more attention paid to Stenglein on this list, and elsewhere. David Brauer Kingfield PS Re: the city's role in the bridge bars - I believe I read on this list earlier in the year that the city's public works department staff helped install them, so the city did play some direct role. 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
