Chris Johnson wrote, "Unlike Scott Neiman, I've attended almost all of the Park Board meetings this year. I written down the votes on virtually every vote taken during that time. And I can categorically state the Neiman is completely wrong and is simply making a false, underhanded attack on Vivian Mason."
Mr. Johnson is right that I do not share his obsession with attending every Board meeting, especially since my retirement in 2000, after serving twenty years as a Commissioner. What he seems to forget is that I spent my last six years on the Board with Vivian Mason. In my experience, I found her to be an obstructionist, whom often voted against the person, rather than on the issue. Maybe, you should ask John Erwin, which Commissioner threatened his political future because he supported Jon Gurban for Superintendent. I can practically guarantee, Vivian Mason, will never vote for one of his ideas again. Chris Johnson wrote "Mason consistently votes closer to true public service than any other politician I've ever witnessed. She votes her convictions as to how her constituents expect her to do the job they elected her to do." You're entitled to your opinion. Dare I say mine is different, without being vilified. Chris Johnson wrote, "How man thousands of children and adults? Per year? Or is that over the several years since inception? Every time I've been out there, the place is a ghost town. It's inaccessible. It's not used by ordinary day to day recreation. It's not available to casual recreational users." As the soccer moms and dads of Minneapolis know, driving to Fort Snelling is a heck of a lot better than to Blaine, Plymouth, or Burnsville. "Inaccessible" who are you kidding? There's even a light rail stop right next to the Complex. MPRB programs use these fields on a regular basis. Your right, that they aren't available for "causal recreation users", we've got 42 neighborhood parks for those folks. I've asked park staff for the number of annual users and will share those numbers when they become available. I'd highly recommend citizens who haven't been there, to go out and visit the facility. (It's the freeway exit right before you get to the airport.) There's also a great indoor/outdoor tennis facility, built with a $4 million donation by Fred Wells, on the premises. Chris Johnson wrote, "For the amount of money that this White Elephant cost -- $16 million and growing -- the number of users ought to be in the many tens of thousands per year, or the fee for use per individual user per day should be well over $100. Do softball teams each pay over $1000 per game to use it? No. Look at any private sports or recreational complex of a similar size or capital investment, and it is easy to see that the Neiman Sports Complex at Ft. Snelling is a stinking black hole for cash."The very few Minneapolis residents who ever use this facility may or may not "appreciate the opportunity to play in first class facilities" but the Minneapolis taxpayers are not here to subsidize the fantasies or delusions of greatness for tiny fraction of the populace. Government's proper role is to provide broad-based services that are accessible to a majority of its constituents, not cater to small special interest groups who are big league wanna-be's" As I said before, which you ignored in your remarks, the MPRB spends millions of dollars subsidizing youth and adult recreation programs and facilities. You don't value quality athletic fields and that's OK. However, for the thousands of kids and adults who do, it's money well spent. There is no other community in the metropolitan area, that I'm aware of, that doesn't have these kinds of facilities. The MPRB has the responsibility to provide recreational and athletic opportunities for all its citizens. When the *MPRB Select Committee on Youth Sports" (l997) issued its report, it found our facilities to be wholly inadequate, both in terms of the number and quality of athletic fields in our city. Suburban soccer teams were refusing to play in our city parks, because the general field conditions rendered them unsafe. It appears your judgment and knowledge of Park Board needs in this area, is seriously lacking. Chris Johnson wrote "It is abundantly obvious that Mr. Neiman is part of the problem, and part of the special interest back room deal makers. We would not be concerned with Park Board budget problems and program cuts if not for the likes of Mr. Neiman. His and his cronies' stewardship of the Minneapolis park system stinks." Chris, here's where it gets to be difficult, to provide a reasoned response to your viscous attacks on my character and years of public service. I have seen you use "any means possible", including outright lying (i.e. Bob Fine and Sherm Malkerson's relationship) to attempt to destroy the reputations of those individuals with whom you disagree. In the art of debate, this is described as ad-hominem or the attacking of the person or some feature of them and not the point of argument. It's time for you to "put up or shut up". If you believe, I or others have broken the law, bring a suit forward or file a complaint. Until you do so, I hope others who read the List understand your wild accusations and inferences have no foundation, but instead are a simply a strategy to win an argument. Hardly something, that someone who prides himself of "being of a higher moral and ethical standard than the average Minnesotan", should be proud of. Scott Neiman Windom South 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. 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