On Mar 11, 2004, at 8:13 AM, Victoria Heller wrote:
Perhaps someone on the List will list the great accomplishments of
Minneapolis government over the past decade or so - other than making a few
real estate developers and corporations very rich.
Oh, I really shouldn't feed the troll but:
Cut crime dramatically over the past decade - in half in some categories
Home values exploding faster than the metro average
15,000 new jobs Downtown in the last decade; 10,000 new residents Downtown
Grew the population for the first time in decades - a rarity for any big city
Endorsement of major corporations such as Target, Allina and Wells Fargo who have all expanded headquarters or regional headquarters here
Thriving arts infrastructure, from smaller places such as the Jungle to larger, expanding institutions such as Walker, Guthrie, MIA
Preserving a park system that still attracts tens of thousands of suburbanites and adding places such as Mill Ruins Park
Adding tens of millions of dollars of amenities such as streetlights, trees, etc. citywide
Triple-A or Double-A-plus ratings from the 3 major bond houses (read it and weep, Vicky!) despite state and federal buck-passing of shared obligations
Social compact with neighborhoods strengthened; amenities such as streetlights, trees, etc. added citywide
Social compact with citizens strengthened through school bond and library bond referenda
Surviving amid pass-the-buck budget cuts at the state level and unfunded accountability reforms
Continuing to be a net payer of taxes to the state - not a net user of state subsidy
Preserving a business climate that's so strong that even endlessly complaining business owners stay instead of sell.
Compensating for the region's reluctance to build housing or reduce zoning barriers to the poor by housing them here!
There are more, but that's off the top of my head.
David Brauer Kingfield Putting my money and property where my mouth is.
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