As the author of the resolution in question I would like to respond
to several factual errors that are contained in this article. First
the claim that Minneapolis charges $500 for residential permits, I
have seen this claim and am not sure where it came from, the minimum
fee for an electrical permit in the city of Minneapolis is $60.
The claim that the department is losing $437,000 per year is
completely false, this claim is based on a study that placed 48% of
the overhead costs for a department with 63 inspectors on the backs
of 10 electrical inspectors.
Also the claim that the electricians union authored the resolution is
completely untrue, I personally wrote the resolution on the floor of
the meeting and had several non-electrician non-union people help me
do so. While I am a member of the electricians union, I acted
without the knowledge or consent of my union. My resolution make
absolutely no mention of any city council member and does not condemn
anyone as can be seen by the text of the resolution which is probably
the only part of this that is factually correct.
Finally the assertion that the city council is controlled by the DFL
State Central Committee which is controlled by labor union is so
misinformed that it is laughable, if that were true none of this
would have happened. I would also like to point out that I posted on
this issue several weeks ago and I reiterate that this is a public
safety issue.
Dan McConnell
Longfellow
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."
Just so I understand this correctly...the city council is not
running the
city..?
The DFL State Central Committee, controlled by the labor unions, is
controlling
the city council board members?
Dorie Gallagher/Nokomis
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
