Twin Stadium: I agree with David Bicking that when the DFL was having its ward and citywide conventions, Schiff and most other DFL council members were rather quiet about the Hennepin County stadium proposal, and did not clearly oppose the imposition of a sales tax without a referendum. That is why I made it a big issue in my campaign to become the 8th ward city council member. The media (SW Journal & Strib) framed the issue as whether candidates supported the particular stadium deal proposed by the Hennepin County commissioners, but did not force the candidates to clarify their position with respect to allowing the proposed new stadium to be built in Minneapolis. There were differences of opinion on the latter point.
Gangs / crime: Bicking and Schiff talked about gangs and noted that there is a problem with racism on the police force and other areas, but didn't specifically address the issue of racial discrimination in employment and housing markets as a factor contributing to high rates of poverty and gang activity in high-poverty neighborhoods. Enforcement of fair employment and housing laws: I want to see the city of Minneapolis set up programs to test for illegal discrimination in the job and housing markets, with an emphasis on race-based discrimination, and to prosecute discriminators. That would reduce jobless rates and increase access to housing for people of color. It's also an alternative to eliminating high concentrations of poverty by simply forcing poor people to move to the suburbs. Education: I am also concerned that the Minneapolis school district has "racially identifiable" schools that are, on average, grossly inferior to the district's other schools. The district is not in compliance with the state's desegregation rule, which allows racially identifiable schools (high proportion of students of color) if critical educational inputs (such as teacher qualifications, experience levels, and turnover rates) are more-or-less equal. The state is not enforcing its own desegregation rule in Minneapolis. Disclaimer: I am a supporter of Dave Bicking. -Doug Mann, King Field Perpetual candidate for the Minneapolis School Board http://educationright.com 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
