Finding a Green Way to Govern

The Cedar Riverside Small Area Plan has been completed and is available for public review. You can review the draft plan here . The City is encouraging any interested stakeholders to read the draft plan document and send any comments to Beth Elliott, Principal City Planner. The 45-day public review period began on January 4, 2008 and will end on February 17, 2008. City staff will review all comments and make necessary changes to the draft document prior to the approval process. The official City approval process will begin with a public hearing at a City Planning Commission meeting in March 2008. Submit your comments to Beth here .

One piece of good news I've received this month: serious crime in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood in 2007 was down 16% from 2006 levels. The most dramatic decrease was in the number of robberies, one of the crimes that has caused the most concern in the neighborhood. There were 40% fewer robberies in Cedar Riverside in 2007 than in 2006. The most concerning statistic is that there was a homicide in the neighborhood in 2007, as well as several non-fatal shootings. I am working with my colleague Robert Lilligren to set up a meeting between several Council Members and leaders in the Somali community to discuss the ongoing problem of witnesses to these serious crimes not coming forward to the police. Even with that concern noted, however, these statistics are a very good sign. Thanks to the West Bank crime and safety committee, the LRT safety committee (who have done fantastic work fundraising for lighting and cameras), but especially to the First Precinct of the MPD. The targeted enf...

As you can read here , I had some significant concerns about a proposal to broaden the City's "dangerous animals" ordinance, which moved through the Council last week. I'm pleased to say that I succeeded last Friday in taking some of the sharper edges off of the proposed ordinance. It took some concerted effort, some compromises on my part, and one hard-fought vote on the Council floor, but I got my colleagues to agree to the following: - The new provisions that empower staff to declare pets potentially dangerous for actions that "constitute a physical threat" or "require defensive action" included a new exemption for behaviors on the pet's owner's property. So if I enter someone's fenced yard while doorknocking, and their dog runs towards me, causing me to quickly exit the yard, that dog would not be declared potentially dangerous. (Under the original proposal, it could have been.) A dog that bites someone on its owner's property c...

I am delighted to report that the Health Energy and Environment Committee unanimously approved the “ Blueprint for Action for Youth Violence Prevention ” yesterday afternoon. This means it moves forward to the council with recommendation. We had a good presentation from Gretchen Musicant, the Mayor and Karen Kelley-Ariwoola, from the Minneapolis Foundation. Kelly and RT were two of three co-chairs of the Steering Committee that drafted the plan. The presentation was followed by a few comments, including some great words from Shane Price who serves with me (and 30 plus others) on the Steering Committee . There were some questions and discussion, mostly commending the group for doing such a great job and some about how to use and target resources wisely. One community member (Omar Jamal) expressed concern about the sense from some that more people could have been kept informed about this and that they need to be included as we move forward. The plan will be voted on by the full Council ...

I find it very helpful to continuously focus on and reflect on my priorities. When I campaigned and was first elected I identified five major priorities that I still use and have posted on my wall right here next to my computer: Make civic involvement more meaningful , lasting and effective parts of what we do across departments, communities and government. Make Minneapolis a national leader of environmental sustainability and a greener, cleaner, more walkable, healthier city for ourselves and the generations to come. Recognize that community centered approaches to crime prevention and policing are key to improving public safety. Fight racism, poverty, prejudice and homelessness. Focus on fairness, civility, openness and service in my office and throughout city government. Then in late 2006 and early 2007 I used these to developed four major areas to focus on 2007. These were: Community Engagement and NRP , Public Safety and Youth Violence Prevention, Neighborhood Friendly Developm...

As the New Year is here I see this emerging as one of my priorities for 2008. On December 19 at Morrill Hall The University Area Neighborhood Alliance had our first real working meeting. This is the new collaborative effort we worked so hard to get formed as part of the legislation that funded the new Gophers football stadium . It grew from the 2007 report by the University of Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis, and area the neighborhoods entitled “ Moving Forward Together ”. In response to the report, and along with approving funding for the stadium, the legislature appropriated $750,000 to support the creation of the alliance and to provide for one or more demonstration projects. The alliance includes the neighborhoods of Cedar Riverside, Marcy-Holmes, South East Como, University and Prospect Park. The seventeen-member alliance steering committee is comprised of a representative of each of the neighborhoods, as well as four business association representatives, two student represent...