Finding a Green Way to Govern

Unless policymakers do something, the Neighborhood Revitalization Program will cease to exist after 2009. This program has helped create the Minneapolis we know today, jump-starting a generation of community empowerment, decentralized decisionmaking and neighborhood involvement. It has strengthened and in some cases helped create neighborhood groups, now commonly accepted as the cornerstones of most Minneapolis communities. Many of the political leaders now in City Hall have come up through the ranks of NRP neighborhoods - myself included. There is a bill that has been introduced at the Legislature which, if enacted, would take what I consider a small first step: requiring a study about the future of NRP . Earlier this week, the City's IGR Committee voted to ask the Legislature not to take any action on this bill. They wanted a year to take a look at the issue and engage in a discussion with all the jurisdictions involved before turning to the legislature. This morning, I was ...

I support Council Member Gary Schiff’s Spray Paint ordinance changes, which respond to the needs of hardware stores while better regulating the sale of spray paint, paint sticks and broad-tip markers to minors in our ongoing effort to fight graffiti. Under the new ordinance, these materials must either be under continuous supervision or inaccessible to the public. In addition, a $42,000 grant from the National Council on Prevention of Delinquency (a hardware retail industry group) will be used to conduct one-time checks on establishments selling spray paint, similar to our tobacco compliance program. It's my hope that these tightened regulations will help decrease vandalism by reducing young people’s access to graffiti materials.

The City will host a pair of public meetings in April to discuss recommended changes to Downtown streets, sidewalks, bike lanes and bus routes. The meetings will include a chance to give feedback on a draft of the Downtown transportation action plan . Among the changes proposed in the draft: concentrating bus lines on key north-south and east-west corridors, opening some one-way streets to two-way traffic, and expanding bike and pedestrian paths. The meetings will be on Wednesday, April 11, 11:30-1 in the Central Library’s Doty Room, and Thursday, April 12, 5-7pm in the gathering room at St. Olaf Catholic Church, 215 S 8th St.

Please join me for a Dining Out for Life lunch at the Cliquot Club , 2929 East 25th St, on Thursday, April 26, 2007. A percentage of the proceeds of your meal will go to benefit all the services for HIV-infected individuals offered by the Aliveness Project . The Cliquot Club is one of Seward's many great neighborhood restaurants and one of many that are participating in the Aliveness Project. It is a very successful program that brings needed funds to provide needed services.

I testified at the State Legislature this month in favor of a bill creating a Window Replacement Revolving Loan Fund (see my previous post on this issue for more information). The bill is SF1015 , authored by Minneapolis Senator Linda Higgins . As far as I know there is not yet a companion bill in the House. Please contact your legislator and urge them to support this effort.