The recent thread about merging Hennepin/Minneapolis boundaries has prompted a few thoughtful posts. I thought that Fred Olson's ideas were worthy of consideration. Although I am not "more knowledgeable and visionary than me who has thought about this" (as Fred wrote), I have had some exposure to these issues in the worlds of workforce and economic development. In those worlds, where labor markets matter, the political subdivisions within the metro area don't add a lot of value as the metropolitan (7 county at least) area functions as a single labor market. So, there aren't a lot of decisions that the City of Minneapolis could make that, unilaterally, will shape the labor market.
In my day job (with state government), we've advocated for a while now that local leaders from the metro area get together, plan and vision as if they were all one political unit...then, localize services as much as it makes sense to do so -- but with everyone working off a common metro-wide vision. This is not an easy task to pull off given individual personalities, politics, and the fact that is difficult to subjugate your own narrow interests and sphere of control -- even briefly -- to a broader vision for a bigger geographic area. I think Fred's ideas merit some exploration. Maybe this list can come up with some big ideas and move them forward! I appreciate the discussion. Thanks. ~ Luke Weisberg 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
