Interesting POLITICS IN MINNESOTA recap of the Minneapolis Electrician's Union dustup with the City Council. Bill Dooley Kenny "For the most part, much of the morass in Minneapolis city government is hard to define. But this is a great, concrete example of what’s wrong with Minneapolis. Minneapolis currently issues its own electrical permits. Recently, the city council voted to relinquish city power to issue permits to the state. A smart move for Minneapolitans because the city charges $500 for residential permits, which works out to be more than 600% higher than the state fee of $82. A smart move for the city because despite the high fees, the city is still losing money on the program – about $437,000 in 2004 alone. Enter the Minneapolis electricians’ union. The group brought the matter to the DFL State Central Committee and got the group to pass a resolution condemning the four Minneapolis City Council members who voted to use the state electricians. The resolution read, "Be it resolved that the central committee of the MN DFL strongly urges the DFL members of the Minneapolis City Council to adhere to the principles of the DFL platform by upholding the rights of city employees to bargain collectively without threat of reprisal." The four city council members wrote a letter to DFL State Party Chair Brian Melendez which said, in part, "The City Council’s action was the right action for our taxpayers, for our consumers and for our citizens. The efficient and effective delivery of services must also be a value of our DFL party. [We] hope and trust that future discussions of the State Central Committee will be more informed and show a greater respect for our policy decisions." Signing the letter were council members Scott Benson (Ward 11), Lisa Goodman (Ward 7), Paul Ostrow (Ward 1) and Don Samuels (Ward 3). The Minneapolis electricians filed for and were granted an injunction to prevent the city from turning matters electric to the state." 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.
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