On 9/5/05 3:44 PM, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Rybak has had an extremely narrow focus on developments in the city and almost > a phobia about Tax Increment Financing (TIF); My response to that would be good! If we've got $2.5 billion in projects going on without resorting to TIF as much as previous administrations, then that sounds like one Rybak campaign promise that was kept: To put down the checkbook and pick up the phone. > TIF was overused and sometimes inappropriately before Rybak, but a number of > worthy projects have been stymied during his term in favor of high profile > ones like the Sears building on Lake. <snip> > Projects like the industrial area surrounded by my neighborhood, SE Como, > Marcy Holmes and the U got short shrift for quite some time because of a > narrow, perhaps a lack, of focus on anything else but pet RT projects Such as? Can you provide examples of these worthy projects because I try to follow what goes on in this area due to both personal and professional interest and I can't say I've heard too much about proposed projects in the Mid-City Industrial Area. In fact, the last one I remember was a Sam's Club proposed for the area just off 35W at Industrial Blvd that was shot down because the developers were trying to fudge their way around the zoning. Can't say I shed too many tears about that one. > While we're talking about focus though, I'd like to relate a little first > hand experience of Rybak's lack of it. This past spring, I attended a meeting > of the Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee (CEAC, now called by the more > sexy name of Environmental Coordinating Team, I think) at the request of a > neighborhood organizer. One of the agenda items was whether and/or how to > integrate a slate of "sustainibility indicators," a result of a winnowing down > of a much larger list created by our neighbors in an ongoing city wide > project, to the Minneapolis Plan. (I dropped out of this project fairly early > on and was both shocked and pleased to see what I thought was a very workable > set of indicators). While Rybak liked some of them, he dismissed a number of > them because he saw no role for the City in monitoring them, something that > might be true, but irrelevant. To be against something because it might > involve plugging data collected by other individuals or organizations into a > city database is stupid. Of course, he can still change his mind and adopt the > complete slate. But the man lost me then and there because he was so > dismissive and narrowly focused. Question: I know a number of Hennepin County staff members who have done some great work regarding sustainability issues, but where is Hennepin County's sustainability plan and how has that been integrated into their master planning efforts? I mean, at least Minneapolis has these things even if you're not wholly satisfied with them. Aren't you risking taking a step backwards by supporting the guy who's had how many years on the Hennepin County commission to propose these kinds of efforts and apparently hasn't done so or if he has, hasn't managed to get anywhere with them? Mark Snyder Windom Park 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
