Finding a Green Way to Govern

Today, the Council voted to abolish the Minneapolis Public Library System and merge it with the Hennepin County system. I was the one Council Member to vote against this. Given the unanimous votes of the Library Board and Hennepin County Board, I am the only person in local government to vote against this, and I thought I should explain my vote. I don't talk about this very often, but there is a list of principles that I look towards when I'm faced with a difficult decision. This list is the ten key values of the Green Party . When I examined this proposed merger against these core political principles that guide me, two of them seemed especially germane: grassroots democracy and decentralization. Decentralization demands that power and decisionmaking (political, social and economic) are in more hands, not fewer. Centralization always, always promises efficiency, whether the efficiency of a totalitarian state or a multinational corporation. This efficiency is often a mirage, b...

Minneapolis City Clerk Merry Keefe, one of the most helpful, warmest, ablest City staff members we've had the pleasure to work with over the last two years, is retiring. She helped us acclimate to the rules, procedures and culture here in City Hall , and under her leadership the Clerk's office has become one of the very best departments in the City. Among Merry's many accomplishments: this blog . When our office floated the unprecedented idea of a Council Member blog early in 2006, we met with significant resistance from various parts of the City, especially the Attorney's Office and some of Cam's colleagues who are uncomfortable with too much free speech. Emblematic of her can-do attitude, Merry immediately understood why we would want to blog - to conduct an in-depth discussion with our constituents about the policy issues facing the City - and supported us strongly every step of the way. She never questioned whether we could or should use this communication mediu...

Today, the Council took a very important and positive step for the future of Minneapolis neighborhoods and the Neighborhood Revitalization Program , which has been one of my top priorities this year at the Committee of the Whole Meeting . The NRP Work Group (made up of Mayor Rybak, Council Members Ostrow, Hodges, Lilligren and Johnson, and NRP director Bob Miller) came to Committee of the Whole with a " Framework for the Future of NRP " report that shows broad and growing support for three key stances I have been strongly advocating: 1. Neighborhood groups should receive adequate, reliable financial support to maintain their basic infrastructure (like staff) 2. The City should provide better support and coordination for organizations working to engage their communities, including neighborhood groups 3. Neighborhood groups should receive discretionary funding that they can target towards their priorities and concerns This growing (and, to be honest, pleasantly surprising) cons...

I am delighted that the Hard Times is set to reopen this weekend. I wish them great success and look forward to eating there again and holding my open office hours in the ward there the first Tuesday of each month (from 9:30 - 11 AM). I can hardly wait to see all the new improvements and taste the familiar dishes. I know that the extended closing and renovations have resulted in a significant loss of income so a big boost in business in the weeks ahead would be greatly appreciated I am sure.

We need your help! The City currently is advertising 7 vacancies on the Civilian Review Authority (CRA) board, and we have not received the response we would like. The CRA has great potential to be a vital part of how we improve police practices and hold police accountable for misconduct. It is very important that we have a diverse, committed and effective CRA board. Please consider applying and help us pass the word to anyone you think would be interested in this important and challenging volunteer opportunity! Find information on the vacancy here .