Finding a Green Way to Govern

Public Works Director Steve Kotke has appointed Shaun Murphy as the City’s first Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator.   You may be familiar with that name, as Shaun has coordinated the incredibly successful Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot since 2007, and has been one of the public faces of the City’s bicycle program.   I think very highly of Shaun, having worked with him on several projects in the ward, including Riverside, 27 th Ave SE, 26 th Ave S, 15 th Ave SE and Como Ave SE.   His work in all parts of Minneapolis over the past few years has given him a wealth of knowledge about bicycling in this city, about the City’s bureaucracy, and about our neighborhoods.   He is quite adept at working with community members, and is focused on the right goal: making Minneapolis a place where everyone, no matter their level of comfort riding with traffic, can use a bicycle to get around.   I’m excited to welcome Shaun into this new role, in which he will have s...

The Public Works Director has appointed David Herberholz as the City’s new Director of Solid Waste and Recycling.   He is currently employed by the city of Tampa, Florida, as the Residential Services Manager for their solid waste department.   He has also had fifteen years of experience in solid waste in the private sector.   He is originally from Michigan, so he is familiar with Midwestern winters.   I want to thank Interim Director Jeff Jenks for his great work over the last few months. I look forward to meeting David and working him in the months head to improve both our recycling and our organics/composting efforts in Minneapolis.

This morning, the Council unanimously passed the Implementation Plan for the Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan. This document was developed by the Bicycle Advisory Committee (or BAC), in conjunction with Public Works staff, and represents a major step forward for bicycle policy in Minneapolis. The Plan includes aggressive recommendations for City actions such as: Pass a Complete Streets Policy Advocate for Municipal State Aid (MSA) standards that allow Minneapolis to design streets that safely meet Minneapolis needs Support a study on the economic impact of bicycling Minimize both travel lane widths and number of travel lanes where possible and desirable Develop a process by which the City shall consider the conversion of low-volume roadways to “greenway”-style bicycle and pedestrian facilities Create a specific permitting process for closing streets to motorized vehicles for “Open Streets” events This is a momentous occasion, and a few people deserve special thanks and recogn...

Recently, the City Council voted to create the first-ever Minneapolis Food Council, an advisory group to the City on issues regarding food and food policy, especially regarding local food. This group will continue to oversee and drive the work of the Homegrown Minneapolis initiative. There is real excitement in the community for this work – ninety-eight people applied for fifteen seats! Four Second Ward residents have been chosen to be on the Food Council: Tracy Singleton , owner of the Birchwood Café; Kurt Schreck , Chief Operating Officer of At Last! Gourmet Foods; Rhys Williams , Buyer for Coop Partners Warehouse, a fruit and vegetable distributor; and Sarah Nelson-Pallmeyer , Director of FoodShare for the Greater Metropolitan Council of Churches. I thank these folks for their willingness to serve, and thank all of the many other Second Ward residents who applied for seats on this commission. Other appointees to the Council: small grocery store owner Neil Oxendale , Alison...

Ahmed Shire Ali, the accomplice in the Seward Market triple homicide, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison .  Along with the conviction of the murderer, I hope that this gives the families of the victims and the neighborhood some closure and peace.  This young man made a terrible decision that helped bring about the deaths of three innocent people.  Robbery backed by the threat of violence is never conscionable, precisely because in these sorts of fast-moving, chaotic events, sometimes those threats escalate to acts.  Ahmed Shire Ali's decision to put himself in the Seward Market for that purpose that night can't be condoned. But, from the details I've read, this young man is to be praised for most of the decisions he made after that.  He did not kill anyone.  He urged his accomplice to stop.  According to victim Jamiila Ahmed, he may have saved additional people from being killed that night.  He gave himself up to the police.  He tes...

This morning, the Council voted on two changes to the alcohol spacing requirement ordinances.  Both passed, one with my support and one without. The amendment I supported removed the restriction on microbreweries being within three hundred feet of churches, mosques, and other religious places of assembly.  This change is fairly contained, because there are a number of other regulations on microbreweries.  It also opens up new opportunities for local food-related businesses, in keeping with the overarching goals of Homegrown Minneapolis.  I am not concerned about spillover effects from these establishments. The amendment I opposed removed the restrictions placed on restaurants that serve alcohol within three hundred feet of churches and religious places of assembly.  Currently, restaurants that close to churches can make no more than 30% of their revenue from alcohol sales, may not have a bar area, and may not advertise alcohol on the outside of their buildin...