Mark Hanson asks: "I'm not going to single out any particular candidate or party, because I've heard many people do this...
"Why is there so much talk about Minneapolis schools in the mayoral and city council races? We had a school board election in 2004. It's understandable that many voters continue to have strong feelings about the Minneapolis public schools, but I'm having a hard time understanding how management of the school is within the scope of a mayor or city council's responsibilities. It seems like management of a major city would be enough to keep busy. "I'm certain some list-readers will have an opinion on this question." Bill Kahn, a short timer in Mpls, takes a stab at it: It is true that the City of Minneapolis has a number of boards both independent, such as the school boards, and under the purview of city government, such as the Mpls Youth Coordinating Board that a former MPS superintendant informed me about. You can find ifno on the MYCB at: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/boards-and-commissions/Youth-Coordinating-Board.asp and http://www.ycb.org/ >From the former site above: "The board is comprised of the Mayor, 2 Council Members, 2 Hennepin County Commissioners, 2 School Board Members, 1 State representative, 1 State senator, 1 Hennepin County court judge, 1 Library Board member, 1 Park and Recreation Board member, 1 Hennepin County Attorney" The mayor chairs this intergovernmental group who meet once a month. As far as I know, this is the only formal connection between MPS and the City. I don't think there is a candidate out there who does not see a connection between education and other social issues of concern in the City like crime, unemployment, and economic viability; some have a better handle on it than others, I believe. The weak mayor/strong council charter makes our voting choices all the more important if we care about these issues. We need folks who not only are intelligent and capable, but can also work together well. I think it would help if we had a different chair and park board representative on MYCB I think there could be a great deal of improvement in how well the MYCB addresses these social issues but that depends on the people sitting on and running it. As I said, the mayor chairs it and a couple of Hennepin County Commissioners sit on it, including Mayor Rybak's DFL opponent, Peter McLaughlin, who might have partly based his decision to run on the experience--I can't really say. I can say that it is important for the City and the school board to work together, and no mayor should be too busy for that work. With a little less territorial behavior and more cooperation we might even see some better policy for both MPS and the City of Minneapolis (and MPRB maybe?), a little positive synergy perhaps. Bill Kahn answering a neighbor's call in Prospect 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:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
