DEAN - Just got back from Gov. Pawlenty and Speaker Sviggum press conference where they praised the city of Minneapolis for "finally having the foresight and courage to do what needs to be done to fix their self-imposed budget crisis without having to resort to higher taxes or asking the Legislature for relief."
I had no idea what they were talking about because I had not seen your release! Gov. Pawlenty also said that "this shows that cities can be self supporting and can act responsibly when they are forced to address their problems in a creative and innovative way instead of ganging up on the beleaguered taxpayer every time they need an extra dollar." Mr. Sviggum noted that "selling of these useless relics of a bygone government gone wild era of tax and spend liberalism is a positive step forward. We Republicans applaud the nine members of the City Council for their common sense. We hope they will also consider Minnehaha Falls park for development since that that piece of prime real estate is worth far more as potential high-end residential or commercial property than as just a park with a few picnic benches!" What a day! Jim Bernstein Fulton -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Dean Zimmermann Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 1:31 PM To: Mpls. Issues List Subject: [Mpls] Minneapolis Solves Its Budget Problems April 1, 2004 After a long debate today at the Minneapolis City Council's Committee of the Whole, the Council voted to solve its budget problems by selling four pieces of surplus property. The Council voted 9 to 4 to rid the city of the following eyesores: a.. Stone Arch Bridge b.. Father of Waters Statue in the rotunda of City Hall c.. "Cherry & Spoon" at the Sculpture Garden d.. The clock from the tower on top of City Hall The City of London, England has been working for years to get their hands on the clock, as it is one foot larger than their famous Big Ben. Although London is offering $64,250,000 for Minneapolis' City Hall clock, it is not clear if they intend to replace Big Ben or simply destroy the City Hall clock. Either way, it solves London's problem of not having the biggest clock and it solves Minneapolis' need for some quick money to help solve its cash flow problems. As far as the "Cherry & Spoon," many Council members stated they were "glad to be rid of that ugly thing" and that "General Mills is more than welcome to it." General Mills plans to move it to their headquarters in the western suburbs and use it to promote their new breakfast cereal Cherryos. That deal pulled in a whopping $159,000,000. People have been complaining for years about the Father of Waters statue that "just gets in the way'" for events held in the rotunda. The City of New Orleans was anxious to get their hands on this beautiful statue that was originally created for them some 87 years ago. What many people don't know is that although New Orleans commissioned the statue, when it came time for delivery, the city was broke and Minneapolis was able to pick up the statue very cheaply. So, for just $82,000,000 the City of New Orleans is now able to get this beautiful piece of art to its rightful place. Although it is costing New York City some $876,000,000 for the Stone Arch Bridge, they are finding that it is much cheaper than the $1,500,000,000 that would be needed to replace the Brooklyn Bridge with a conventional suspension bridge. The Guthrie Theater and the Mill City Museum have been lobbying to get the Stone Arch Bridge out of there because it blocks the view of St Anthony Falls from their facilities. Mayor RT Rybak has threatened to veto the action, but there seems to be enough support to override the veto. Dean Zimmermann Minneapolis City Council Member/Ward 6 612-673-2206, Office 612-724-3888, Home [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace/Shalom/Salaam 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 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
