Finding a Green Way to Govern

There was a flurry of short stories in various metro media today on a group of "Minneapolis" activists pushing for a photo ID requirement in Minneapolis elections. Some of the stories did not even identify this "Minneapolis" organization, but a few did. As you can see here , this is a cooperative project between the Minnesota Voters Alliance and a group called, vaguely and innocuously enough, "Citizens for a Better Minneapolis." Who doesn't want a better Minneapolis, right? There are a few holes in this story. The first is that the Minnesota Voters Alliance is suburban-based, right-wing organization whose main purpose has been, in my opinion, to oppose democratic empowerment of Minnesotans, mostly at the municipal level. They are the group that sued the City over the constitutionality of ranked choice voting and failed dramatically at the Supreme Court, handing the City an unambiguous ruling that ranked choice voting is indeed constitutional. They have...

There are a number of interesting vacancies this spring. Please consider applying. These boards and commissions can be enormously helpful in making Minneapolis a better city. Applications are due April 2 nd unless otherwise noted. Animal Care & Control Advisory Board The Minneapolis Animal Care & Control Advisory Board was created by Minneapolis Resolution 2008R-526 on November 21, 2008. The Advisory Board is being created to assist the Animal Care & Control ( ACC ) with policy and community outreach activities. For additional details about the Advisory Board, please review a copy of the resolution that can be found at: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2008-meetings/20081121/Docs/Animal-Advisory-Board-RCA.pdf . Staff Contact: Dan Niziolek , 612-673-6250, Dan.Niziolek@ci.minneapolis.mn.us Latino Advisory Committee The Latino Advisory Committee to the Mayor and City Council was created by Resolution 99R-443 on 12/23/1999 to advise the Mayor and the City Council on i...

As the City Council is moving forward with new (or re-newed) 5 year goals, departments are doing the same as part of also drafting new 5-year plans and the the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support is updating goals for the next 5-year period. They are seeking community input as part of the information that will be used to update goals for the department. There are two dates/times/locations they will be holding community meetings, you may attend either or both meetings. April 6, 2010, 6:00 -8:00 pm, Sabathani Community Center, 310 East 38th Street, Minneapolis April 7, 2010, 10:30 – 12:30, Minneapolis Urban League, 21 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis For more information you can contact : Hattie Wiysel City of Minneapolis Department of Health & Family Support 612-673-3557

Xcel's Hiawatha Project that proposes to put high voltage powerlines along the Midtown Greenway continues to move forward. It is now entering the "contested case hearing phase" in which an administrative law judge will hear comments on the proposed route. You can get more information on the project at the Public Utilities Commission website You are also welcome to attend the contested case hearings- April 5th & 6th, 2pm & 7pm, Plaza Public comments concerning the proposed route alternatives must be received at this office by 4:30 p.m. on May 11, 2010. The comments may be sent by e-mail, by fax or by United States Mail. Please note that a new e-mail box has been set up to receive public comments in this proceeding. The e-mail address is: routecomments.oah@state.mn.us The mailing address is: Beverly Jones Heydinger, Administrative Law Judge P.O. Box 64620 600 North Robert Street Saint Paul, MN 55164-0620 The fax number is: 651-361-7936 Please be sure that any notice...

The Council has voted 8-5 to reappoint Police Chief Tim Dolan. The votes are as follows: In favor of reappointment: CMs Reich, Hofstede, Johnson, Samuels, Goodman, Schiff, Quincy and Colvin Roy. Opposed: CMs Lilligren, Glidden, Tuthill, Hodges and myself. I appreciate all of the insightful comments that my colleagues on both sides of this vote made this morning. It's clear that this was not, to any Council Member, a simple issue. I am hoping that the Chief takes the vote this morning as a signal that the Council values the work he has done to reduce crime rates, but that there is room for significant improvement on issues such as police accountability (including the relationship between the department and the CRA), relations with the community, and control of the department's budget. I look forward to seeing progress on these issues in the years to come, and take all of my colleagues at their word that they will help the department continually improve.

Today we had a lengthy and clearly divided public hearing on the reappointment of Tim Dolan as the Chief of Police. Clearly he has many supporters and people throughout the city who appreciate the work he has done. In the end, however, I did not vote to support his reappointment in the committee. In doing so I tried to outline areas where had hoped to see, and will expect to see in the future if he is reappointed, more improvement. To prepare for my decision I drafted the following: Performance Review of the Police Chief on the “Safe City Resolution,” 2006R-542, Endorsing a leadership and accountability framework for ensuring Minneapolis is a Safe Place to Call Home. By Cam Gordon, Council Member, Second Ward When the City Council approved Mayor Rybak’s appointment of Timothy Dolan as Chief of Police in 2006, we unanimously passed a “Safe City Resolution,” laying out an accountability framework for the new Chief. I committed myself to “evaluate the performance of the Chief of Police” b...