Index of SPPS Budget Discussion http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html _________________________________________ I think Tim speaks for me on this one. Apart from your partisan angle to this, Tom, because Jay has already pointed out that other council members who did not use much of their travel budget may have accepted trips provided by private companies (a far more troubling issue in my mind than Jay having taken the most advantage of the travel budget alloted him by the city), as Tim notes, many of these possible benefits may not show up for years. Whether you agree with light rail or not (and I have several misgivings myself with the type of rail we are putting in and the choice of the Hiawatha Line as the first spur), the project began in 1982--over 20 years ago. The reality is that many things take a long time to implement, and the suggestion that we can come up with quick fixes for all sorts of municipal issues is I believe just part and parcel of the misguided approach that the right has used on a number of matters, whether it's dismantling profiles of learning standards that took over ten years to develop with a new curriculum slapped together in three months, or trying to dismantle thirty years of bus transit with a silly suggestion to purchase cars for low income riders. Building something takes far longer than trying to tear it down; But then, we subscribe to very different world views, so I'll leave it at that.
Tom Goldstein Mac-Groveland ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim Erickson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "St. Paul Issues Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, April 03, 2004 5:14 PM Subject: Re: [StPaul] Jay explains his wanderlust..well kind of. > Index of SPPS Budget Discussion > http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html > _________________________________________ > > > >Personally, I have not detected any benefits to my > >family or my neighborhood because of Jay's travels, > > I guess, I don't see travel or training in that way. Its not > something that once can necessarily measure the benefits of in > resolutions passed or projects initiated. > > I see a great deal of value in having elected officials travel to > conferences and visit with their peers across the nation. Obviously, > private business does as well, given how much money is spent every > year by successful/profitable companies to send their key staff to > distant training opportunities, conferences, and site visits. > > The opportunity to visit with colleagues from around the county, > exchange information and stories, and see first hand what is > happening in other cities must be extremely valuable for a city > councilor. Learning from what other cities have done and avoiding > their mistakes can easily save St. Paul millions of dollars. But, the > savings or benefits won't necessarily ever be obvious or apparent. > > Of course, travel budgets can be abused and misused. I've seen > examples of wasteful travel both in public and private enterprise. > However, I've not yet heard any specific criticisms of how Jay > Benanav used his travel budget, only complaints that he did use it. > If there are legitimate complaints about specific trips or expenses, > I'd be interested in hearing them. > > But the general suggestion that city councilors and their staff > shouldn't be traveling unless they can justify it with short term > projects, simply feels short sighted. In my opinion, excessively > restricting our elected officials ability (or desire) to travel is > bad business for the city. > > Best wishes, > > Tim Erickson > Hamline Midway > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > -- > ================================================= > Tim Erickson http://www.politalk.com > St. Paul, MN - USA 651-643-0722 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 105978430 > ================================================= > > > _____________________________________________ > SPPS Budget Reduction Forum - Feb. 23-27 > Co-Sponsored By NEAT: http://www.stpaulneat.org/ > _____________________________________________ > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > Archive Address: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > _____________________________________________ SPPS Budget Reduction Forum - Feb. 23-27 Co-Sponsored By NEAT: http://www.stpaulneat.org/ _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
