It seems that Saint Paulites' increasingly have to travel to the suburbs to see medical providers. In the last few years, several of the medical specialty clinics have moved to the suburbs. More than once I asked the provider why, and the answer was the same, the high cost of office space. With the high office vacancy rate, this just does not add up. One might think that in a city of nearly 300,000 you could take your teenager to see a dermatologist, without having to travel to a golden arch suburb. Any insights? - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mary C. Zanmiller West Seventh Neighborhood Saint Paul, MN USA
On 5 Mar 2005, Tom Goldstein/Elysian Fields Quarterly wrote: > > As a former businessman (retail store for 14 years on Grand and later = > Marshall), I agree with Renee that business is not bad. Lots of good = > business people in this city. And I'm sure the Chamber has done some = > good things. But I strenuously disagree with Renee that the abuse of TIF = > financing or any other way that big business uses a cozy relationship = > with the mayor or other elected officials to get sweetheart deals is = > justifiable because it's legal--or that it even necessarily keeps jobs = > in the city. Don't forget all the opportunity costs involved. John = > Mannillo has eloquently described in the past the impact on the property = > values and the business climate by having an overbuilt downtown with = > lots of unused or under occupied office space, and Bob Spaulding has = > eloquently described the impacts on transit and the mix of downtown uses = > that come from wrongheaded decisions. Far more jobs could be created by = > encouraging entrepreneurship with micro loans and other tools than = > simply giving the big handout that leads to more big buildings and big = > companies reaping a windfall. I think it's completely inaccurate to say = > this matter falls in the lap of the state or the legislature, rather = > than the city, and also wrong to suggest that the city "loves" it. Some = > folks in the city may love it, but all the people losing out because TIF = > projects never generate the kind of economic windfall associated with = > them don't like it. As you said, "school districts and counties get = > shafted on it," and it certainly should be the city's concerns. If we = > don't have good schools with adequate funding, if we don't have enough = > affordable and workforce housing in the city because of choices made = > based on what's legally possible rather than what's in the city's best = > interest, well that sure as heck better be thought of as the city's = > problem. > > This is about leadership, or better put, the lack thereof, throughout = > both the Coleman and Kelly administrations. I'm not saying that nothing = > good has happened in St. Paul during that time, but both administrations = > have been so rife with cronyism, favors to big business, and political = > advancement at the expense of everything else that we've seen a dramatic = > step backwards in terms of St. Paul being a modern city rather than one = > run by a good old boy network. And when there is such political strife = > in City Hall because of this dynamic, it does impact schools, = > neighborhoods, and ultimately all those small businesses that don't get = > handouts and have to make money the old fashioned way. > > Tom Goldstein > (now in) Hamline-Midway > ------------------------------------------------- > JOIN the St. Paul Issues Forum TODAY: > http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/ > ------------------------------------------------- > POST MESSAGES HERE: [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/ > ------------------------------------------------- JOIN the St. Paul Issues Forum TODAY: http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/ ------------------------------------------------- POST MESSAGES HERE: [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/
