A warm welcome to new parcipants!
A few words on the forum from someone whose been around for a few years now. This forum is just about the best place to get some connection to the beat of the neighborhoods, of St. Paul and its communities. Reporters, public officials, community leaders all participate and listen carefully to what is going on here - and for good reason.
Surely sometimes, discussion can be frank, and possibly unproductive - like true democracy, the forum can be messy. But unlike many similar efforts, this forum has rules and a moderator - some basic norms. Do know that to get to the essence of our discussions, you have to cut through a little bit of spin, dogma and grandstanding sometimes, but that's true everywhere. You become a stronger citizen - learn more about what to pay attention to, and what to leave behind. Stick around, and you can find or inspire conversation of deep value to you.
One reality sticks out for me: so many good people believe in this forum because it does something truly unique, that no other organization in the city can do in quite the same way. It connects local citizens to each other, to their governmental officials, and to community leaders who share concerns. When people first talked about the possibilities of the internet, people talked about new connections reshaping our communities and our world. Ten years later, few places on the internet capture this spirit better than E-Democracy or the St. Paul Issues Forum.
So leaders like Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak give significant credit to E-Democracy for helping inspire them to run for office. And just yesterday now, longtime list participant Tom Goldstein announced his candidacy for School Board on this forum. The forum has in part inspired two stories in area newspapers in the last month. And the civic conversation on key city issues - the old Gopher State Ethanol, transit, community participation - wouldn't be the same without it. The St. Paul Issues Forum is clearly capable of changing and influencing the direction of the city.
So hang out with us, stick around awhile. Be sure to set up an email filter for the forum messages - they'll be less intimidating that way. And even if you don't feel like posting something for several months, there's something here for everyone. Sometime soon, you'll feel inspired to write, too. When you do, we'll be all ears.
Bob Spaulding Downtown
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JOIN the St. Paul Issues Forum TODAY:
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