As someone who worked on the Clean Energy Now coalition I'd just like to
present my viewpoint on the credit issue.
I submitted an opinion piece to the SW Journal last October when it became
apparent that the conversion was being touted as a major accomplishment by
the City (including Rybak). I thought the credit was misplaced. I wrote that
the credit belongs to the citizens and volunteers who put time in to comment
who took the time stand up for what they thought was right regarding the
energy future of the City.
It is true that if there was a ribbon to cut or a camera in the room R.T.
was there, but that should not be confused with "hard work". The credit
goes to people who worked on the issue for four years now, not just to the
mayor who showed up to a meeting here and there, but the people who showed
up to all the meetings which include people involved in the Clean Energy
Now! coalition.
I'd like to see Mark Snyder get the credit that he deserves. I'd like to
see Bill Kahn get the credit he deserves. Both of you devoted time to the
cause not because there was a photo op or a ribbon to cut, but because you
believed in it and the outcome and in making the City great. If we're
looking to cast votes based on that work alone I'd vote for either of you
rather than the current candidates.
I don't think the mayor deserves any special credit on this issue, in fact
most mayors would have done the same if they cared about their political
future. R.T. was a good ally and great cheerleader for the cause, but I
feel he let us down on committments he pledged to fulfill. Even Governor
Pawlenty hailed MERP and the conversions as a great victory--so is he an
Environmental Governor? Standing on the right side of an issue that is
politically beneficial just makes sense.
All this is largely in the past, so instead of letting mayoral candidates
latch on to what citizens are already doing and calling it their own, we
need to ask what types of new thinking do they have for the City's energy
future.
Question: Do the mayoral candidates support a target of 50% renewable
energy for municipal operations, and city-wide goal of 10% above any state
or federal mandates by 2014? (Proposed by Citizens Environmental Advisory
Committee, Sept 2005).
Question: Do the mayoral candidates support investment in hybrid fleet
vehicles for routine city operations such as inspections?
Question: What should the City do to attract green industry and become a
leader in renewable energy use and/or production?
The City needs leadership on these topics now more than ever before. The
citizens are running out of time to get answers before the election, but we
can't get answers if we don't ask the questions.
Justin Eibenholzl
Armatage
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
