Gina posed: "I forgot; did we review Shegstads ideas for the gang problem..we seem to have alot of graffiti hitting the streets all over and I am wondering what he has in mind- Really bad along 38th street in particular. Also I do not see much about GLBT issues and support? I love the face of diversity of our current City Council- but i see nothing on the shegstad site regarding these two important things. As I am seeing shegstad signs in our so diverse neighbors-I want to be informed."
No. Actually, I don't believe there has been any review of Shegstad's ideas for the gang problem, or GLBT issues on this forum. We have seen the results of Gary Schiff's dealings with this issue, however. As you say, Graffiti is rampant, and spreading. This is just a highly visible indicator of much more nefarious activities. Drug and gang related violence is on the rise. During the past four years that ward 9 has been represented by Gary Schiff, we've seen this problem worsen. Shegstad believes that the idea of containment neighborhoods is not only a dismal failure (as crime is spreading to other neighborhoods), but is immoral as well. Who wants to live in a neighborhood designated by the city as a crime zone? Does Zoning and Planning have anything to do with that kind of zone planning? I'm sure it doesn't, but Schiff (the Zoning and Planning czar) has had four years to deal with crime in Ward 9, and instead focused his energy on truck idling bans, smoking bans, and redevelopment projects (coffee shops and condos). By reorganizing the police force away from revenue generating ticketing officers, and refocusing the police on problem areas, with the goal of eliminating, not containing crime, by restoring the police to sufficient force levels to confront crime head-on, we can turn this ship around. The city presently has it's budget priorities backwards, if we have to propose new taxes to pay for cops we used to have. Shegstad proposes fully funding essential services (such as police and fire) FIRST, before any other expenditures are even considered. As to GLBT issues, Shegstad has promised to listen to and represent the people in his ward, if elected. He simply believes in equality, and equal treatment under the law. Everyone deserves to be heard, and represented. Gay, lesbian, bi, transgendered, straight, black, white, asian, latino are all labels applied to people. Look past the labels, and you'll see who Dave Shegstad intends to represent. You can learn more about Dave Shegstad's stance on various issues soon (within a week) at KFAI's cool candidate information page http://www.kfai.org/programs/locnews/2005elec/2005elec.htm Where will soon be posted a photo, a 3 minute audio statement, and a transcript of that statement. It touches on several issues, and is sure to be of interest to residents of Ward 9. Dan McGrath Longfellow http://www.shegstad.us REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
