FW: [Mpls] Stonewall DFL endorsements
Please note that the information lists on this site is the recommendations of the Stonewall DFL membership to the Stonewall DFL Board. These recommendations will be taken up at the next meeting of the Board which is this Saturday at 10 am t the Northfield High School in Northfield. It is a public meeting. If someone cannot make it to that meeting but wishes to comment they are welcome to email me directly and I will convey their remarks to the Board. Megan Thomas Chair, Stonewall DFL From: "List Manager" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 17:01:49 -0600 To: "Mpls list" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Mpls] Stonewall DFL endorsements Results, and some other info from a DFL subcaucus: http://www.stonewalldfl.org/endorse/city/mpls2001.htm David Brauer List manager, Minneapolis-issues ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Mpls Council Members
I agree with all of GMs points except the at-large rep one. And there I half agree. Allowing everyone AS MANY VOTES AS THERE ARE AT-LARGE REPS almost guarantees white DFL wins across the board. This is the approach used in the old South to maintain segregation; it was outlawed by the Supreme Court as an option in federal elections. We don't want it back. What sounds nearly the same, but is 180 degrees different, is allowing everyone ONLY ONE VOTE for the at-large reps. (The formal name is Single Transferable Vote - STV - a form of Proportional Representation - PR). This is an EXCELLENT system. If there are, say, 4 at-large rep seats, then every candidate who gets 21% of the vote is ELECTED. Any interest group that can muster 21% CAN HAVE THEIR OWN TAILOR-MADE REP!! Sounds like heaven to me. (Odds are: 2 DFL, 1 Green, 1 GOP; but it could be by any criterion enuf people care to DEFINE THEMSELVES as.) If we want to have a lower percentage to elect, we just need more at-large reps. I personally would like them ALL to be at-large, in which case the percent to elect is 7.5% with 13 members. Or even lower, if we were to expand the size of the council, which I favor. Imagine all our large and medium size (self-defined!) interest groups represented in a fertile juice of debate at the City Council! Imagine all the great discussions that would be encouraged in the citizens at large! What an exciting place we'd have then! --David Shove On Wed, 14 Feb 2001, Gene Martinez wrote: I am totally against either electing at-large representatives or reducing the size of the council If anything, we need to enlarge by half a dozen or so. This would reduce the amount of money needed to run, and take power away from some of the kingmakers. We should also go back to two year terms. A city council person should be close to the people like a member of the House of Representatives. Four year terms make it harder to challenge incumbents and give that person a tremedous fundraising advantage. ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] grand jury
The Police Chief has said that he is going to increase training for officers around the issues of mental health. The Mayor has also mentioned this need in her literature. Carol Becker Longfellow - Original Message - From: Rosalind Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2001 8:31 PM Subject: Re: [Mpls] grand jury It's too bad that the only question city officials and police management will ask about Barbara Schneider's death is whether it meets the criteria for a criminal indictment. We should not have to live with the possibility of such a thing happening again. People who need help in dealing with a mentally ill friend or relation should be able to call 911 without fearing for the person's life. From the Strib article: "Her brother Jim Schneider has said that she clearly needed help, and that to shoot her was not only unjustified, it was 'outrageous.'" Rosalind Nelson Bancroft At 05:24 PM 2/21/01 -0600, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thank you for your e-mail. On Tuesday afternoon, a Hennepin County grand jury returned a "no bill" (no indictment) in the case of the shooting death of Barbara Schneider. On its Web site, Hennepin County District Court has a handbook for grand jurors. (A grand jury is "summoned and convened" by the court.) This handbook is a helpful primer on the grand jury process. You can read it at http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us/courts/Jury/jogjbook.htm To quote from this handbook: The grand jury's function is to determine whether a crime has been committed in Hennepin County and whether a person shall be tried for that crime. ... After it has received evidence against a person, the grand jury must decide whether the evidence presented justifies an indictment, which is the formal criminal charge returned by the grand jury. ... If the evidence does not persuade the grand jury that there is probable cause to believe the suspect is guilty of a crime, it must vote a 'no bill.' ... When a grand jury returns an indictment to the court, it does not report specific reasons why it found probable cause. Similarly, when a grand jury returns a no bill to the court, it does not report specific reasons why it did not find probable cause. I hope this information is helpful to you. Ross Corson Hennepin County Attorney's Office timothy connolly [EMAIL PROTECTED] on 02/21/2001 02:42:16 PM To: Ross Corson [EMAIL PROTECTED] cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: grand jury Hello Ross: Can you confirm for me that the grand jury has decided to return no indictment of the officers involved in the shooting death of Barbara Schneider? Is there a statement the grand jury makes pursuant to that decision that addresses any institutional failure on the part of the Minneapolis Police force in dealing with the mentally ill or is that not within the range of the grand jury's deliberations? If it is not within the purview of the grand jury to issue such a ruling, why not? I have sent a copy of my query to the members of Mpls. Issues e-democracy forum as matters of police conduct have been the subject of ongoing consideration. Thank you in advance for your timely response. Respectfully, Tim Connolly Ward 7 __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices! http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] St. Anthony Gaviidae piece
Thanks, Tim for noting the revealing Neal St. Anthony Strib piece. The
deal's critics got some column inches at the end, but mostly, it was a
revealing look at how Brookfield's Harold Brandt and the MCDA's Steve Cramer
think. The piece is at:
http://startribune.com/viewers/qview/cgi/qview.cgi?story=83595425
The story left a lot of questions, which I hope some public official,
especially at the MCDA will take time to address to the list:
First, I reiterate Tim's point: why does the MCDA need the cash now? Is a
cash-flow crunch pushing them to discount the Gaviidae loan?
2. If so, how did that happen? Does this situation reflect fiscal
mismanagement by the city?
3. Brandt takes credit for Gaviidae/Saks spurring a $280 million
development. ("The incentives worked," Brandt said. "The two department
stores were a catalyst for those developments.") The city loaned $30 million
at 6 percent interest (much below market-rate) in 1987-91 - a nice subsidy
even without the new discount. But were the retailers key to the office
component in any way? Or was it like Target, where the office tower was
going to be built regardless and the retail was a means to its own end?
4. St. Anthony tacitly compares the $30 million Gaviidae loans to "$130
million in government-financed roads and other site-preparation" for the
Mall of America. But MofA worked, and Minneapolis's project didn't. Critics
here at the time complained about getting into a high-end retail bidding
war. Looks like they were right. Also note: because of its subsidy,
Bloomington won't see any net tax-revenue benefits from MofA, something the
Strib has written about.
5. The game appears to be keeping City Center high-end retail, which pays a
higher tax rate, rather than office space, which earns (and pays taxes on)
half the retail rate. Cramer seems to want to subsidize City Center to keep
the tax rate up.
But why bother? Is City Center "going office" that bad? If it cost $18
million in subsidy to prop up the higher rate, how soon does that generate
additional revenue compared to a lower - but unsubsidized - office rate?
6. And of course, the big question: why should the city be directing this
sort of (retail) use when the market dictates otherwise (high demand for
office, low for retail).
7. Cramer makes a bow to Tony Scallon, the genius behind linking NRP to
developer deals: ""They've [Brookfield] generated millions in property
taxes, which has helped fund the Neighborhood Revitalization Program and
other priorities. They came along at time when there was a real question
about the future of retail in Minneapolis. They aren't generating the sales
figures or per-square rents that retailers like. But they're viable and
people are shopping in downtown Minneapolis and we have a chance to make
improvements as the downtown work force and residents increases over the
next decade."
Cramer seems to be saying, "hey, they did something for us 15 years ago
(even though the $30 mil at 6 percent interest was a big subsidy to
Brookfield then), so we owe them even more now." Let's hope we don't put
such costly good will in our development contracts.
Then Cramer argues city subsidy has WORKED -- if not for Brookfield then for
the city because workers and residents are increasing. If so, why do any
more pump-priming. Won't the market respond to a successful environment?
8. Media Kool-Aid-drinking alert! St. Anthony writes: "The Dain/Gaviidae
developments are important, throwing off $5.7 million in property taxes last
year, part of a downtown district that yields more than 40 percent of the
property taxes in the entire city."
Downtown yield 40 percent of the taxes, but Gaviidae is a tiny part of that.
That's like giving me credit for Kingfield's resurgence. It would have
happened without me (and I'm not trying to renegotiate my mortgage!). It's a
credit to unsubsidized office developments, prudent and genuinely public
infrastructure.
Yes, Dain/Gaviidae pays a nice chunk of property taxes...but still will,
with or without the proposed loan deal unless Brookfield is threatening to
shutter Dain/Gaviidae. The biggest howler is THIS is a project that has
settled into the dreaded "retail-turned-office" scenario we were frightened
about a few paragraphs ago. Now it's being touted! Most of the $5.7 million
comes from the (unsubsidized Dain) office component. We'd get the benefits
regardless of Gaviidae, unless the office wouldn't have gone in without the
retail.
8. Brandt wraps himself up in the hair shirt, talking about keeping City
Center retail: "I feel Brookfield has been the retail first-aid guys for too
long," Brandt said. "We need to see a commitment from Minneapolis."
Um, Harold - the city contributed its own big bandaid in the late '80s with
below-commercial-rate financing...and added a few million in exterior
improvements in recent years. We taxpayers have been there for you. The
question is whether either of us should still be there.
9. Last question (to all
Re: FW: [Mpls] Micromanaging Identity G roup Screenings
Megan - A couple of questions: 1) Why are Saturday's Stonewall recommendations subject to ratification at a meeting in Northfield since these are local races? 2) How does "Acceptable" status differ from "Endorsed" status in Stonewall parlance? 3) How many Stonewallers participated in Saturday's screenings? 4) Since not all local Stonewallers attending Saturday's screenings screened all candidates, on what basis were screeners assigned to a group? Ie., random, self-selected, assigned? How were chairs/facilitators selected for each group? 5) How were the wards assigned to the groups? 6) Did one set of screeners interview and deliberate on the mayoral candidates? We talk a lot about the desire for "transparency" in government - and I think it's valuable for those interested in the screenings to know what processes supported the outcome. Thanks. Ann Berget Kingfield 10-10
Re: [Mpls] Micromanaging Identity G roup Screenings
Title: Re: [Mpls] Micromanaging Identity G roup Screenings From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 09:24:01 EST To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: FW: [Mpls] Micromanaging Identity G roup Screenings Megan - A couple of questions: 1) Why are Saturday's Stonewall recommendations subject to ratification at a meeting in Northfield since these are local races? The purpose behind the ratification by the board is to be able to address any possible improprieties in the screening process. 2) How does Acceptable status differ from Endorsed status in Stonewall parlance? Acceptable is a way of saying that the candidate in question is a friend of the Caucus and GLBT community. Endorsement is the statement of who we think people should vote for. Acceptable candidates are listed on our website and other materials as such. Endorsed candidates also have access to our membership list and are highlighted in materials. 3) How many Stonewallers participated in Saturday's screenings? With all the comings and going I would say we probably had somewhere around 100 people. I don't have the exact figure. 4) Since not all local Stonewallers attending Saturday's screenings screened all candidates, on what basis were screeners assigned to a group? Ie., random, self-selected, assigned? How were chairs/facilitators selected for each group? Self-selected. When a member checked in there was a schedule with who was screening in what room and the member decided where they wanted to be. People were free to move between rooms if they wanted to hear people in a particular race. The facilitators were the highest ranking board members in the room. In room A that was our endorsements director (I facilitated twice in that room at his request) and in room b that was the Associate Chair of the Caucus. 5) How were the wards assigned to the groups? The assignments were determined before the day of the meeting. Our endorsements Director determined who went in what room. We scheduled candidates for particular races in groups so all the candidates for say ward x would be screening in the same room and one after the other. 6) Did one set of screeners interview and deliberate on the mayoral candidates? Yes. The Mayoral candidate screening was actually done as a panel discussion with a q a session that all the candidates participated in. We talk a lot about the desire for transparency in government - and I think it's valuable for those interested in the screenings to know what processes supported the outcome. Personal Opinion: while I agree with you I also find it interesting that other group endorsements are not put up to this type of scrutiny. For example, I don't recall a flood of questions about the process used by the AFL-CIO, there were criticisms of the decision but I do not recall people asking for this type of detail. Why are some group's processes held up to a microscope while other are accepted and go unchallenged? I am not saying there should be no questions about any group's process, I just wonder why there is the difference. Megan Thomas Chair, Stonewall DFL Just a poor St. Paul girl wondering how she got sucked into Minneapolis politics
RE: [Mpls] Micromanaging Identity G roup Screenings
Secondly, the Stonewall Caucus said: "Acceptable is a way of saying that the candidate in question is a friend of the Caucus and GLBT community. " Walt Gutzmer (who is openly gay--and as Wizard correctly pointed out, is named Gutzmer not Gutzman) was also not deemed acceptable by the Stonewall Caucus. The problem was he didn't promise to abide by DFL endorsement. That question is irrelevant to whether a candidate is a friend to the Gay and Lesbian community. As a point of comparison, Log Cabin Republicans did NOT ask candidates whether they plan to abide by party endorsement in order to get LCR endorsement. I find it really hard to believe that Lisa McDonald or R.T. Rybak were not rated acceptable to the Stonewall Caucus. I know for a fact that R.T. is not only a friend; he has been a tireless advocate. Lisa McDonald has also been a friend. You see, by not even rating candidates who are in line with your views "acceptable" , you make it seem as though there was an inside game. Or that your group is really more interested in controlling the process than giving out useful information to your members and others who might be interested in learning about GLBT issues and the candidates who can serve those issues. Looking at your endorsement process, I can really find no useful information for me in making an election decision. Russell you've said it all. And yes, I would be interested in hearing more about how Union screenings work. It does seem odd that the final decision on Minneapolis Stonewall endorsements are going to be decided in Northfield. I know other Stonewall board members who are not happy with the idea of having to drive to Northfield for a Stonewall meeting. The Stonewall DFL website also has phone numbers of board members. I would call the Minneapolis Board members and express your opinion to them. David Finke is secretary of Stonewall DFL, and he lives in south Minneapolis. I disagree that Stonewall doesn't provide information though. It's very interesting who has, and who has not asked for Stonewall endorsement. Joe Biernat is one who was not interested in Stonewall endorsement. That I think speaks volumes. I wonder if Biernat thinks there aren't gay people in his ward. However when looking at this spreadsheet, when multiple candidates have filled in questionaires, and asked for endorsement, it would be nice for a potential voter to view the questionaires for themselves and decide for themselves. All of these folks who applied for Stonewall DFL endorsement were DFLers after all. It wasn't as if the libertarian or Republican candidates were applying for Stonewall DFL endorsement. I would urge all candidates who submitted questionaires to Stonewall and to other organizations to make their questionaires available on the Minneapolis Issues list. This could be a very valuable collection of information for voters. Eva Eva Young Minneapolis, MN ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
RE: [Mpls] Micromanaging Identity G roup Screenings
Is there any truth to the fact that the GLBT rating is impacted by the candidate's answer to the age old litmus test - will you run against the DFL endorsed candidate in the primary? The fact that so many candidates are saying yes, they will run in the primary, should give pause to the folks who hold this litmus test as the almighty decision on whether a person is qualified and competent to do the job and therefore should be entitled to run. As I have stated before it really bothers me that the filing is in July and Joe, Susan and Oprah who didn't know the entire process of endorsements tries to run for office against all the know-it-all's who have been playing the game since over a year ago. Again, I propose no political season and endorsements should really begin until after the filing dates when we know who the entire cast of characters will be. I always worry that we may miss the best just because they waited until last by plunking down their $20 and saying they would like to be considered for an elected office. It also may contribute to campaign finance reform - if the pre-election cycle was shortened to be from mid-July to Sept or Nov. it sure would mean that some candidate's could get their gardens planted instead of being at 25 meetings during the spring which means less mailings and literature to be printed (a large part of the expense of running). Food for thought, Annie Young Ward 6 - East Phillips in Minneapolis Citywide at-large Park Board Commissioner Working to build a sustainable community ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] 3424 Columbus
On Monday, Karen Forbes wrote to the list about 3424 Columbus (archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/mpls@mnforum.org/msg00699.html). Her post listed three issues with the property: (1) the sale of the property to a private party, (2) the lack of snow removal at the property, and (3) the quality of the snow removal. I would like to address each of these issues. 1. The MCDA brought two development proposals out to the neighborhood for review. One proposal was by Powderhorn Residents Group (PRG) for a single-family house to be sold to an owner-occupant; the other was from a family that would be the owner-occupant of a new house. The PRG proposal required considerable subsidy; the family's proposal required no public subsidy. Both proposals were forwarded to the MCDA Board of Commissioners. The Commissioners selected the proposal which required no subsidy. That development is now under contract and should be under construction soon. As for the concern about affordable housing, the family (of five) is indeed at or below 50% of median. 2. The MCDA owns 1,032 lots around the city. It is our policy to get out to each of them within 48 hours of a snowfall. Admittedly, this is not always possible, but we do try to get it all cleared within two days. While we do not keep property by property records on snow removal, I was able to verify that this is the first complaint that we have received on this property since the MCDA acquired it in 1995. 3. In her message, Ms. Forbes writes of a truck with a six-foot plow on the front getting stuck on the sidewalk, being towed away, and leaving the sidewalk unshoveled. I have spoken with the MCDA's plow drivers and found that they did indeed get stuck in the REAR of the property where they were plowing a space for a tow truck to remove an inoperable vehicle that was parked on the lot. (Incidentally, the tow truck got stuck in the alley, too.) By Tuesday morning, when I went to look at the lot, the sidewalk was cleared down to the cement. Robert Cooper Minneapolis Community Development Agency NRP/Citizen Participation Department 155-5th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55401 voice: (612) 673-5239 fax: (612) 673-5259 web: http://www.mcda.org ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
RE: [Mpls] Micromanaging Identity G roup Screenings
At 02:11 PM 2/22/01 -0600, Annie Young wrote: Is there any truth to the fact that the GLBT rating is impacted by the candidate's answer to the age old litmus test - will you run against the DFL endorsed candidate in the primary? The fact that so many candidates are saying yes, they will run in the primary, should give pause to the folks who hold this litmus test as the almighty decision on whether a person is qualified and competent to do the job and therefore should be entitled to run. When I was active with Stonewall DFL predicessor, 10 years or more ago, I always opposed having such a question in our screening procedures. This question says nothing about whether a candidate is qualified to do the job--and has nothing to say about whether a candidate knows anything about GLBT issues or is supportive of the community. I was kicked out of the DFL when I supported Arne Carlson for Governor--and did so publically. I'd like to thank David Brauer for the Mpls issues toolkit. That will be very valuable for people making their decisions for office. As I have stated before it really bothers me that the filing is in July and Joe, Susan and Oprah who didn't know the entire process of endorsements tries to run for office against all the know-it-all's who have been playing the game since over a year ago. Again, I propose no political season and endorsements should really begin until after the filing dates when we know who the entire cast of characters will be. I always worry that we may miss the best just because they waited until last by plunking down their $20 and saying they would like to be considered for an elected office. It also may contribute to campaign finance reform - if the pre-election cycle was shortened to be from mid-July to Sept or Nov. it sure would mean that some candidate's could get their gardens planted instead of being at 25 meetings during the spring which means less mailings and literature to be printed (a large part of the expense of running). Food for thought, It seems to me the problem is that there is no opportunity for more recently interested people to get involved in the DFL endorsement process for mayor and city council. However, I think that this whole endorsement process--with the insiders vs those trying to figure it all out will backfire on the DFL--and on Stonewall DFL and other DFL affiliates. There is no point for a candidate to spend time, money and resources in order to get Stonewall DFL endorsement, when Stonewall uses question number 2: will you abide by DFL endorsement as the number one criteria of whether a candidate will get Stonewall DFL endorsement. A friend of mine mentioned that Stonewall feels they have to do this, because they could otherwise get de-chartered from the DFL. Come on. Could you imagine the publicity if the DFL tried to de-charter the Stonewall DFL? Give me a break. Eva Eva Young Central speaking for myself, not for anyone else and so-called, self-appointed Gay "leaders" often don't speak for me ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] New 8th Ward candidate?
A very reliable source just told me that Sandra Miller, currently Minneapolis School Board member, has just decided to enter the 8th Ward race. Ann Berget Kingfield 10-10
[Mpls] Mpls/5th District Green Party Endorsing Meeting March 3
Minneapolis/5th District Green Party MEMBERSHIP and ENDORSING MEETING Saturday, March 3 Noon - 4 p.m. University Lutheran Church of Hope 601 13th Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis Meeting open - everyone welcome Near #6 busline. For information call (612) 822-6593 -- AGENDA -- 12:00 New Member Orientation 12:20 Statement of Purpose Announcements Reports 12:40 Minneapolis/5D GP Platform 1:40 Break 2:00 City charter amendment for Instant Runoff Voting 2:40 Candidates to be considered for endorsement: Cam Gordon, City Council Ward 2 Tamir Nolley, City Council Ward 6 Dean Zimmermann, City Council Ward 6 4:00 Meeting evaluation and closing --- The Minneapolis/5th District Green Party is an affiliate of the Green Party of Minnesota and is dedicated to the values of social and economic justice, ecological wisdom, democracy, nonviolence, feminism, decentralization, community-based economics, personal and global responsibility, future focus and respect for diversity. -- Holle Brian Chair, Minneapolis/5th District Green Party (612) 822-6593 ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
RE: [Mpls] St. Anthony Gaviidae piece
An additional thought about the current discussion of downtown retail and
Brookfield. If the future of downtown retail was so important to Brookfield
why did they decide last month to close all of the property they manage,
including City Center and Gaviidae, on Sundays?
How are residents being encouraged to shop downtown if most of the stores
are closed of the weekend? Is retail downtown just for the downtown
workforce? I'd be willing to bet my 26,500 neighbors downtown will now look
for somewhere else to shop on Sunday. I just hope Dayton's and IDS don't
follow the Brookfield's lead.
Lisa Goodman
Loring Park
-Original Message-
From: David Brauer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2001 3:55 PM
To: Goodman, Lisa R
Subject:RE: [Mpls] St. Anthony Gaviidae piece
Post this to the list!! [EMAIL PROTECTED]
D.
-Original Message-
From: Goodman, Lisa R
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2001 3:52 PM
To: 'David Brauer'
Subject: RE: [Mpls] St. Anthony Gaviidae piece
If downtown retail was so important to the folks at
Brookfield why did they
just decide to close City Center and Gaviidae on Sunday's.
Seems like a
slap in the face to residents who shop on weekends!
Lisa Goodman
-Original Message-
From: David Brauer
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2001 8:03 AM
To: Mpls list
Subject:[Mpls] St. Anthony Gaviidae
piece
Thanks, Tim for noting the revealing Neal
St. Anthony Strib
piece. The
deal's critics got some column inches at the
end, but
mostly, it was a
revealing look at how Brookfield's Harold
Brandt and the
MCDA's Steve Cramer
think. The piece is at:
http://startribune.com/viewers/qview/cgi/qview.cgi?story=83595425
The story left a lot of questions, which I
hope some public
official,
especially at the MCDA will take time to
address to the
list:
First, I reiterate Tim's point: why does the
MCDA need the
cash now? Is a
cash-flow crunch pushing them to discount
the Gaviidae loan?
2. If so, how did that happen? Does this
situation reflect
fiscal
mismanagement by the city?
3. Brandt takes credit for Gaviidae/Saks
spurring a $280
million
development. ("The incentives worked,"
Brandt said. "The two
department
stores were a catalyst for those
developments.") The city
loaned $30 million
at 6 percent interest (much below
market-rate) in 1987-91 -
a nice subsidy
even without the new discount. But were the
retailers key to
the office
component in any way? Or was it like Target,
where the
office tower was
going to be built regardless and the retail
was a means to
its own end?
4. St. Anthony tacitly compares the $30
million Gaviidae
loans to "$130
million in government-financed roads and
other
site-preparation" for the
Mall of America. But MofA worked, and
Minneapolis's project
didn't. Critics
here at the time complained about getting
into a high-end
retail bidding
war. Looks like they were right. Also note:
because of its
subsidy,
Bloomington won't see any net tax-revenue
benefits from
MofA, something the
Strib has written about.
5. The game appears to be keeping City
Center high-end
retail, which pays a
higher tax rate, rather than office space,
which earns (and
pays taxes on)
half the retail rate. Cramer seems to want
to subsidize City
Center to keep
Re: [Mpls] New 8th Ward candidate?
Thanks. This is not new information to the DFL in the 8th Ward. David Finke, Central Neighborhood Chair 61st District DFL Stonewall DFL State Secretary DFL State Constitution Commission A very reliable source just told me that Sandra Miller, currently Minneapolis School Board member, has just decided to enter the 8th Ward race. Ann Berget Kingfield 10-10 HTMLFONT FACE=arial,helveticaFONT SIZE=2A very reliable source just told me that Sandra Miller, currently Minneapolis BRSchool Board member, has just decided to enter the 8th Ward race. BR BRAnn Berget BRKingfield 10-10/FONT/HTML ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Shopping downtown
Lisa Goodman wrote: How are residents being encouraged to shop downtown if most of the stores are closed of the weekend? Is retail downtown just for the downtown workforce? I'd be willing to bet my 26,500 neighbors downtown will now look for somewhere else to shop on Sunday. I just hope Dayton's and IDS don't follow the Brookfield's lead. The whole issue of shopping downtown has to be re-examined. In my opinion, there are several problems with shopping in downtown. One is the "location of parking" issue. I have been downtown twice in the last two weeks, both on a weekday, to visit both the Central library and the Municipal libary. In both cases, I felt like I spent too much time looking for a parking spot. I eventually parked 6 blocks away from where I would have liked to park, near the Central library. All in all, I was frustrated looking for a parking spot. Another is the "cost of parking" issue. I also had to pay for this privilege of parking. Had I gone to a suburban library, I most likely would have parked for free and within one block of the library entrance. In both cases, I could have taken a bus in and out of downtown because I was not caring anything except my laptop. However, had I gone downtown to shop, I would not have wanted to utilize a bus to care myself and my newly acquired possessions back to my house, unless I had purchased only a few small items that easily fit in one small bag. Anyone ignoring the car culture in their decisions to locate downtown is asking for failure. Another issue is the "hours of operation" of the retail stores. Unless I am downtown between 9 and 5, I have given up on shopping at any business in downtown because too often I have been burned by a store being closed after 5 PM. Not only do the suburban malls provide convenient, "free" parking, the are open when I am able to shop, namely after 5 PM. The final issue I want to mention is the "variety of stores" issue. In a suburban shopping mall or retail center, I often find a grocery store, a number of mid-level retail stores, and a number of smaller specialty shops. I try to group my shopping trips into one trip so that I am not shopping everyday. This means that in order for my trips to be productive, I often need a hardware store, a grocery store, and a retailer like Target. Downtown is getting a Target, but where is the grocery store?(Byerly/Lunds where are you?) Where do I buy the small household repair items that I now buy at a hardware store or at Home Depot/Menards? Where do I buy the compact disc? As much as I like the idea of shopping downtown (I like the hustle and bustle and the tall buildings :) ), I find that actually shopping in downtown is a hassle. It is easier to shop in some suburban shopping center. I see several societal forces working against making downtown a worthwhile shopping destination. One is cost. Can downtown afford to provide convenient, free, and sufficient parking space like the suburban shopping centers? My guess is that the land costs of downtown would prevent that. With land being less expensive in the suburbs, it is less costly for them to pave over acres of land to create parking lots. And can we expect that the suburban shopping centers will start charging for parking? Not likely. Why would they? Another force is where people live. Sure, many people commute into downtown every morning, but the suburbs have grown up with convenient shopping centers where people live. There may be 26,500 people living in or near downtown, but many people in Minneapolis live somewhat close to a suburban shopping center. I only live 15 minutes from the Rosedale area, which, for the most part, has most of the stores I shop at. So, it is easy to drive over to a suburban shopping center. It seems to me that downtown has to do a lot before it becomes attractive enough so that people want to shop there. At a minimun, parking has to be hassle free and there needs to be more variety of stores. All in all, it bugs me that I am turned off by downtown shopping. I live so close to downtown and I see its sky line from my dining room windows. It seems to me that it should be easier to shop downtown, but, in reality, for me it is easier to shop in Roseville. Scott McGerik Hawthorne Minneapolis [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.visi.com/~scottlm/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Russell departure and baseball
I've never met Russell Peterson; wouldn't know him from a stick of wood unless it were one of those small town Mpls run in concentric circles sort of things where I'd seen him over the years. I managed to piss him off some time ago. I vaguely remember him thinking me rude; oh yeah, I did a real no-no and brought a private matter into public view without his consent. Fair enough, I can apologize for that now though at the time what we were discussing seemed so important to me that I frankly didn't care if someone's feelings were offended and being the rude overbearing asshole (can I say that about I myself?) that I can be at times I certainly was not going to publicly apologize at the time. Let me say that Russell is one person whose input I will miss when he moves to St.Michael(not a bad name for a town). A couple things he's said to me stand out. We got into a conversation about a new public works building over on Currie and I wondered aloud why they thought they might need six benches in their lobby. Why not two, say, or three? thinking the city could have saved a few bucks (always my inclination). Russell response, as an architect I presumed, was "Why have a lobby?" Ca-ching! I was amazed at my own timidity and humbled once again realizing how important professional advice could be. Another time on this forum we got talking of baseball stadiums when there was some story in the Strib to prompt us and the talk went to neighborhood stadia. At the same time there was a story of MCDA and Ray Harris falling out with each other and people were wondering once again what to do with the Sears site and Russell, offhandedly, threw out the idea of that location as a site for a new ballpark. I've had real interest in that location and at one time wrote a piece in Southside Pride on the building. My grandfather had been the excavating contractor on the construction of the building and it was a piece of lore passed from my father to me. I've loved that building for years but when it lost its green sign it has come to mean a little less to me. Funny how a little thing like that can affect you. A little (aside) here. For those unfamiliar with theatre an aside is a clever little way to impart relevant information that may not easily be conveyed in the context of the dialogue: Why didn't the City Council work into the Grain Belt brewery deal a way to relight the sign on Hennepin. For all the sweetheart kisses we've bestowed on Ryan Companies you would have thought we could have made them pony up some bucks to at least get the ball rolling. I like to think of myself as a preservationist and yet I have not been able to get the idea of a ballpark on that site out of my head and that would necessitate demolition. For my bona fides I'll tell you the story about me and Alan Greenspan and the new Fed sometime. That's also about the only place in town I would support such a project. I am so sick of hearing about a ballpark on the river or downtown that I want to scream. Could we pack anymore into downtown. In a neighborhood like Chicago-Lake I think we could be talking about positive urban redevelopment and I would be willing to fight for something like that. I understand I'm sailing against the wind here, vis a vis, Progressive Minnesota, but I take heart in the fact that their stated position is that any amount over $10 million spent by the city to help a stadium effort must go before the voters in a referendum. Fair enough. Since representative democracy seems to have had its problems here (my opinion) some direct democracy is in order. There are so many reasons why i think this might work and be a plus for our city; too many to go into right now so consider this my first pitch. So to speak. Obviously a lot of things would have to happen for it to work. So I thank Russell for that idea and for his obvious love for this city and the desire to see it work in a way he perceives it has not under the present lead- ership and I suspect other as well. I wish you well, Russell. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices! http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] 3424 Columbus
Mr. Cooper, I would like to thank you for your thorough response to my concerns about the snow removal at 3424 Columbus. I do feel the need to respond to some of your points however, 1. The MCDA brought two development proposals out to the neighborhood for review. One proposal was by Powderhorn Residents Group (PRG) for a single-family house to be sold to an owner-occupant; the other was from a family that would be the owner-occupant of a new house. The PRG proposal required considerable subsidy; the family's proposal required no public subsidy. Mr. Cooper, our block had many concerns in how the MCDA handled the above transaction which I detailed very thoroughly in a letter to Keith Ford and this list. Bottom line the neighborhood wishes were totally ignored by everyone at the city level throughout this entire process. The issue of subsidy was a complex one. What appeared to happen is that your organization changed the rules on how you were to deal with the non-profits, which included PRG. We perceive your organization as breaching an original contract you had with the non-profit consortium because something better came along. So with our tax dollars we are forced to support an organization and a process that does not respect nor is responsive to what the block has to say. Both proposals were forwarded to the MCDA Board of Commissioners. The Commissioners selected the proposal which required no subsidy. The Board of Commissioners of course is the city council so we felt the process left us with no recourse. The system is a flawed system that appears to be totally self serving and not responsive to the "Community" in Minneapolis Community Development Association. That development is now under contract and should be under construction soon. I assume they must have closed on the property. Mr. Hall two weeks ago stated that the closing had not happened. As for the concern about affordable housing, the family (of five) is indeed at or below 50% of median. 2. The MCDA owns 1,032 lots around the city. It is our policy to get out to each of them within 48 hours of a snowfall. Admittedly, this is not always possible, but we do try to get it all cleared within two days. It is nice to know what your goals are for the removal of snow. Let it be known that it took three months and only after a phonecall for you to remove the snow. Again, I will restate the question, Why do we have to make the phone call? While we do not keep property by property records on snow removal, I was able to verify that this is the first complaint that we have received on this property since the MCDA acquired it in 1995. I would like to say that we have not have had snow fall like we have in the past several years. We only called because it had gotten so bad! 3. In her message, Ms. Forbes writes of a truck with a six-foot plow on the front getting stuck on the sidewalk, being towed away, and leaving the sidewalk unshoveled. I have spoken with the MCDA's plow drivers and found that they did indeed get stuck in the REAR of the property where they were plowing a space for a tow truck to remove an inoperable vehicle that was parked on the lot. (Incidentally, the tow truck got stuck in the alley, too.) By Tuesday morning, when I went to look at the lot, the sidewalk was cleared down to the cement. Thank you for the clarification. I think it was a fair assumption to think that the truck was out to plow the sidewalk seeing as I had just called about the sidewalk. I had also called about the car that has been parked there for the past six months. So again you are not taking care of the property that you currently own and are depending on the people who pay your salary to inform you when attention needs to be paid to your property. The same people who care about what happens on their block and the same people whose needs and desires you ignored. In conclusion, I have heard many complaints about how the MCDA runs its organization. But not until I had to experience the total lack of consideration of our block's needs and the process that we felt totally excluded by, did I really have an entire appreciation of how dysfunctional you department actually is. If it was not obvious, I am totally irate with the MCDA and the fact I have to contribute to this organization through my tax dollars. Again, as I did in the fall, I would like to thank the list for listening to my frustrations with city government. My hope is that the candidates for mayor would discuss their views on the MCDA and possible ways to make the organization more accountable to the comunity's needs. Karen Forbes Central Neighborhood-where there is one more shoveled sidewalk ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
