On 11/3/05 9:38 AM, "Karen Harder" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Mark Snyder said: > >> By the way, that big Department of Environmental Quality initiative >> "unveiled" by McLaughlin yesterday? That's something that has been part of >> Dean Zimmermann's and Lisa McDonald's city council campaigns for at least >> six months now, plus other candidates who did not survive the primary. >> That's something that was in development something like a year ago by City >> of Minneapolis staff and Sierra Club's Water Committee and there was a >> resolution under consideration that was sponsored by a majority of the >> current council. In other words, it's not new. > > KH: Whoa, there, Mark! There's a lot here to disagree with, but I'll go > with this for now: Sierra Club's Water Committee was not involved AT ALL in > the development of the DEQ concept. They never were informed about it nor > discussed it. AND, McLaughlin announced his intention to pursue this > reorganization at the City in his Sierra Club questionnaire which was posted > on his website. You knew this since you were on the Political Committee and > reviewed his questionnaire even before that. That was February. Karen is right. I mixed up McLaughlin's Department of Environmental Quality idea with the Department of Environment & Water Quality proposal that others have worked on. I apologize to all involved for that error. >> By the way, any Ward 12 voters who liked the Department of Environmental >> Quality (I know I do) idea should ask their incumbent CM about it since >> she's the one who killed that resolution as chair of the Transportation and >> Public Works committee. > > KH: I've had the opportunity to speak with CM Colvin Roy about this issue > and she was NOT against the new Department. She had concerns about parts of > the Resolution that dealt with setting up the Department, but not with the > Department itself. Have you spoken with her about it? Didn't think so. > In my humble opinion, she was right on the money with those concerns and I > know she'd like to see a new proposal that resolves those difficulties. Here's what I know about the issue: Last spring, Dean Zimmermann brought up the Council Resolution regarding the Department of Environment & Water Quality in committee intending to introduce it at an upcoming Council meeting. Colvin Roy urged postponing it until Public Works staff could finish a feasibility study in one month. That feasibility study, which I understand cost over $100,000, was never distributed to council members and it never received a hearing by the Transportation and Public Works (T&PW) committee. What happened to it? If Colvin Roy was so supportive of the idea of the new Department, why didn't she keep the proposal alive and work to resolve whatever concerns she had? I've heard that Colvin Roy's reason for burying the report and killing the resolution was the report recommended to combine all of the Minneapolis water utilities, services and functions - as many other major cities already have done - and that would have taken water quality programs away from her oversight as T&PW chair. Basically, she was more concerned with keeping her Public Works empire intact than about what are the best interests of the city or it's environment. That doesn't sound like a reasonable concern to me and that sort of misguided priorities is not what Minneapolis needs in its council members. Mark Snyder Windom 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:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
