Finding a Green Way to Govern

The City’s Business Information Services department is recommending a renegotiation of the City’s contract for information/technology services with Unisys Corporation. The contract is set to expire in January 2013 and costs roughly $11 million a year. Under the proposed terms it would be extended for four years (through 2016) in exchange for some changes in service and a $280,000 savings in 2010 (and additional savings in future years) for total cost to the City of over $45 million. I have had concerns about this contract for some time and do not think we should move forward with this extension without conducting an analysis of alternatives, including potentially going out for open bids on this contract, exploring moving some or all of this work back in-house, and investigating whether open-source software can better meet the City’s needs. I was able to get my colleagues to agree to a two-week delay on this action, and I hope this will lead us to do more due diligence work before ext...

In light of persistent gun violence in the City I am taking a serious look at improving the laws/regulations that ban or regulate ammunition and firearms in Minneapolis. Twenty two people have been killed with a hand gun so far this year. This fact, together with a recent article in the Star Tribune, “7 Shootings in 7 Hours”, that came just after the Supreme Court decision ruling the Chicago handgun ban unconstitutional, offers a chance to raise this issue again. We call this out in the Youth Violence Prevention Plan that I have been working so hard on since 2006, “Support sensible illegal gun laws and work to change community values around the acceptance of guns. This includes seeking stronger penalties for people who sell and distribute illegal guns, and profit from the sale and distribution of illegal guns to young people.” Chicago has already responded to the court decision with its own new ordinance. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38061266/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/?gt1=43001 Among...

Public Works staff made an exciting presentation to the Transportation and Public Works committee this morning about the Hennepin and First two-way conversions and bike facilities. They've got a tremendous amount of data on the successes of the conversion. Traffic volumes are up. Bicycle volumes on Hennepin, First and the Nicollet Mall are up. Crashes are down. Crashes involving bicycles are down to literally zero . The facilities are working. But staff have heard complaints from various stakeholders since the change. Cyclists have complained that the shared bike/bus/right turn lanes on Hennepin are badly marked, and that the cycle track-style facility on First is too narrow, without enough of a buffer from parked cars. Area businesses have complained about the ban on parking during the 4-6pm peak and the difficulty that their customers have had understanding the new parking rules (cars can only park to the left of the bike lane, which is unusual). Public Works staff took these co...

There is a great article on Minnesota Public Radio today talking about the success and proliferation of mini farmers markets in Minneapolis. It talks at great length about the change in the licensing process that I helped enact back in 2007. It's great to see a small change that my office helped make possible, working with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and the Department of Health and Family Support, paying these real dividends in the lives of Minneapolis residents.

The City's Director of Economic Development, Cathy Polasky, has shared some interesting information with Council Members. "The City of Minneapolis has fared better than most areas of the country during the recession. We’ve been cited by Forbes and others as being in a good position to emerge from the recession. In May, 500 more people were employed in Minneapolis than in April, and 3,700 more were employed than a year prior. This compares to a one-year loss of 866,000 jobs nationally. The Minneapolis unemployment number for May was 6.0%, down from 7.6% a year prior. "We think that the City, through its policies and programs, played an important role in helping residents obtain jobs and in attracting and retaining jobs through our business support tool box." This is good news, and shows that our economic development and job training strategies are paying off. The one caution I want to raise is that while these numbers look great, there are continuing disparities bet...

There's an interesting article at the National Review about transit ridership in the 00's. They note something very important, which hasn't gotten enough notice: between 2000 and 2008, transit ridership went up nationwide for the first time in 40 years. They go on to note that more than half of this increase is due to people taking buses. The bad news for most cities is that the recession, along with decisions to cut service and increases in rider fees, contributed to a decrease in ridership of four percent nationwide between '09 and this year. But one metro area stood out. From the article: "of the largest systems, only Minneapolis’ Metro Transit saw any increase (0.2 percent)." Way to go Metro Transit! (Though it should be noted that this increase was despite a fare hike and some reductions to service.) It just goes to strengthen my view that people in the Twin Cities metro are looking for more alternatives to single occupancy automobiles.

On July 6th, after the 3-day weekend for the Fourth of July, I encountered something surprising on my bike ride into work: the Hiawatha LRT Trail had been closed under I-94. This was odd, because I had heard nothing about such a closure, despite the fact that the trail is in Ward 2 in that location, and the fact that I track bicycle-related issues fairly closely. My surprise turned to shock when I attempted to use the marked detour, which directed me to travel the wrong way down a one way street - Cedar Avenue, south of Minnehaha - and take a left at the extremely complicated intersection of Cedar, Minnehaha, and the ramps for I-94. At that location, cars are typically going much faster than the posted 30mph, navigating a curve in the road, and many are turning onto the freeway. It's not a good place to be a cyclist making a left. When I got into work, I learned who was responsible: the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). They had closed the trail over the weekend in or...

The Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) has voted to not designate Prospect Park as a local historic district, in keeping with both the community's stated preference and City staff's recommendation. I expect that this action will be upheld by the Council. I look forward to working with Prospect Park residents, the University, our staff and others on a potential Conservation District ordinance.

During the month of July, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is conducting a public participation survey asking the public how you would prefer they engage you when they make changes in the parks. This is your chance to weigh in. They are holding meetings but would be just as happy to hear from you online. If you do take the survey please make sure to include your zip code.

As I've noted before, construction has begun on the Central Corridor LRT. The project office is continuing to try to make sure that people in the area - residents, small businesses and others - know what is happening with the project. These steps include a website and a 24-hour construction hotline at 651-602-1404 . They're continuing to send out weekly emailed construction updates that you can sign up to receive here . They are setting up regular public construction meetings for businesses and the public to get updates and a look ahead from project staff and utilities. They've also put together a contractor incentive program to encourage responsiveness, create a partnership between contractors and the community and promote cooperation.

As a member of the Youth Coordinating Board , I am excited about a new joint effort the YCB is embarking on this fall with Minneapolis Public Schools called We Want You Back . The goal is to enroll youth who have dropped out of school and get them on the path to graduation. The program’s goal is to attract back 200 youth and put them on a path where they can be successful. Up to 1,900 young people dropped out of school between 2008 and 2010. The campaign is looking for volunteers to help reach young people who did not finish school this summer at various events and on Saturday, September 11 to join hundreds of people walking together, dropping information fliers, and talking to neighbors around the city. If you can, please help.

The City is once again offering grants to help save energy and find innovative ways to fight climate change. Nonprofits, neighborhood associations, businesses, and parks and libraries and others may apply. Grant amounts range from $7,500- $10,000 (no match required) and applications must be in by 4 p.m. Monday, July 26. To learn more, go here .

I was honored to be able to help draft and deliver a resolution honoring Bill Hinkley yesterday at a memorial event held in his honor. It was a great gathering with wonderful music and an outpouring of community. Clearly he was well loved by many. Here is the resolution the Council Passed in Honor of his Life: Resolution Honoring the Life of Bill Hinkley By Gordon, Reich, Hofstede, Johnson, Samuels, Lilligren, Goodman, Glidden, Schiff, Tuthill, Quincy, Colvin Roy and Hodges. Whereas, Bill Hinkley was an invaluable cultural asset of the State of Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis and the world; and, Whereas, for four decades Bill Hinkley personified the rich musical spirit and culture of the West Bank; and, Whereas, Bill Hinkley shared his talent and passion for music with thousands and thousands of people in the Twin Cities area; and, Whereas, Bill Hinkley and his longtime partner Judy Larson were the first musicians featured on A Prairie Home Companion in the opening days of that ico...

The Charter Commission has voted to put a question on this fall’s ballot that will, if passed by the voters, do away with the Redistricting Commission and empower the Charter Commission to draw Ward boundaries. I understand that there are some significant concerns being raised by good government groups such as Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, about both the criteria that will be used to draw ward boundaries and the transparency of the process that will be followed. I am working with the City Attorney’s Office to see if there is any way for the Council to set these criteria by ordinance. While I do not believe the Charter amendment as proposed is perfect, it is an improvement over the Redistricting Commission process, which allowed a small group of unelected, unaccountable party insiders to draw maps based on an overtly politicized process.

Public Works is planning to reconstruct Riverside Avenue starting in 2011 and continuing until 2012. They have presented their initial plans at a meeting with the Seward and West Bank neighborhoods. The plans include several positive changes: bike lanes from Franklin to 20th Ave S, bump outs in numerous locations, the capacity to make a left from eastbound Franklin onto Riverside and more. However, there are also some aspects of the plans that I am concerned about, including a gap in the bike facility from 20th Ave to Cedar and a reduction of on-street parking. There are also some locations in which midblock refuge islands would help people, especially people with disabilities, cross the street safely. I am interested in exploring a “cycle track” model of bike facility, which creates a protected bike lane between the parking lane and the sidewalk. I have heard that the business community has concerns about the two-year construction timeline and about the loss of some on-street parking,...

Back in March, a brand-new group called "Citizens for a Better Minneapolis" and the Minnesota Voters Alliance launched a petition drive to put a very bad idea on the ballot in Minneapolis: to force every voter in a municipal election to provide a photo ID in order to vote. I criticized this wrongheaded scheme here on SecondWard, and pointed out that "Citizens for a Better Minneapolis" had existed for about a week before launching the campaign, leaving the distinct impression that the actual driver of the campaign was MVA, a group of conservative suburbanites with a record of suing Minneapolis and losing. I expressed confidence that Minneapolis voters would see through these groups' rhetoric and vote this terrible idea down. It seems that I was right to believe in my fellow Minneapolitans. The deadline to turn in signatures to get a question on this fall's ballot has come and gone, with nary a word from "Citizens" or MVA. In fact, the most recent a...