Johnson Lee anticipates second Fifth Ward term By: Isaac Peterson, III Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Originally posted 12/15/2004
Systemic change requires �work in the trenches� Johnson Lee feels that her grassroots experience was a great asset in helping shape her perspective as a council member. �For me, it�s allowed me to be able to not only look at what needs to be done, but to see what�s wrong � what has to be done,� she said. �Because I see what has to be done, I also understand the amount of work that has to go in to get it done. And I understand that the City � this institution � cannot fix the problems outside the institution [without input from the public.]� That involves two things, Johnson Lee said: responding to specific constituent concerns when calls are made to her office, and the initiatives she brings to the city council. �I�ve completed or worked on some of the previous council member�s work, but I�ve also started my own initiatives,� she said. �With starting your own initiatives, you also want to have the opportunity to carry them out. And you want the opportunity to change some systemic things if that�s the fight that you choose to fight.� She says that changing some of the �systemic things� is a fight she has chosen. �One of the things that I�ve noticed as I go back and look over my tenure [is that] most of the controversial issues that come to the city council have originated in my committee, Health and Human Services, because no other committee would hear them. �I chair that committee, and the power of the chair is very important. And it�s interesting how many things you can relate to health and human services,� Johnson Lee said. �I have an avenue to hold public hearings, bring the issue in front of my committee, and then maybe the committee that should have had it in the first place will then take it in an effort to either manipulate it or dilute the language in the process. But they eventually have to hear it, and they have to deal with it. http://www.spokesman-recorder.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=51502&sID=4 Posted by Shawn Lewis, Field Neighborhood -- ___________________________________________________________ Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm 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
