I really don't want to get into this old rehash (old in Central, anyway), but there are a number of facts that every post so far on this topic has failed to mention. The issues are getting lost under the very personal tone this email takes with David Piehl's opinions of Art Erickson:
1. Many in the community would take issue with Art Erickson's ability to run a meeting. For many years, neighborhood residents have felt silenced & excluded in meetings he has run, and many have felt that he has used those meetings as a way to further his/Urban Ventures' agendas rather than facilitating honest debate. This doesn't come just from Central residents, but from Phillips residents and folks from other neighborhoods & nonprofits who have dealt with him at various meetings. That history and perception of exclusion does nothing good for CNIA redeveloping neighborhood trust. 2. Whether Erickson has the backing of "big names" is very questionable. Urban Ventures is very good at glad-handing and getting Art's or Ralph's photos shaking hands with big names into the media. However, the end product for the neighborhood in terms of completed projects has been squat-ola. Just because they decide to spin a proposal as the "Colin Powell Youth Center" or whatever the heck it's being called this week, doesn't mean that it actually has Colin Powell's real backing. It means even less for funding . Further, UV & CNIA may be looking for money from the same sources, creating potential issues of conflict of interest. 3. Erickson & UV have a reputation for not "playing well with others" in the community. Both Central & Phillips residents have often complained that major proposed projects have been slipped in quietly without any opportunity for comment, questions, or discussion from residents. Again, not good traits in a leader for a citizen participatory organization. Finally, David is right in questioning the financial ties between Sabri & Urban Ventures. I have been in many meetings where the acrimony between Sabri & Erickson was palpable, when they sat on opposite sides of an issue - often when competing for the same property or project. While I do not believe the mentioned religious aspect has any merit (Sabri has NEVER shown signs of being a religious bigot, whatever else I may think of his activities), the alleged "donations" to Brian Herron, if you believe the tapes, the U.S. Attorney, & the FBI, were not just innocent donations to "hedge bets." All may be entirely innocent, but under the circumstances it is not strange that a community member would wonder. Despite David's (and other community members') non-employment by the FBI or other law enforcement agencies, they certainly are competent to ask questions, read audits, follow publicly available paper trails, and draw conclusions. That's what reporters do, and that's what responsible, concerned citizens do. Saying that a community member should leave such matters to the "qualified" FBI makes me think back to Basim Sabri's insulting comments to Karen Forbes, months ago, when he attacked her for questioning what his proposed development would do to traffic flow at an aready busy intersection, by calling her unqualified to say anything because she wasn't a traffic engineer. Roxana Orrell Central On Friday, May 10, 2002, at 12:11 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Message: 16 > Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 11:25:06 -0500 > From: WizardMarks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], > [EMAIL PROTECTED], > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [Mpls] Urban Ventures relationship with Sabri Properties > > Dave Piehl wrote: > >> So, is this to say that Art ran for CNIA board chair >> as a favor to Wizard Marks? I was unaware that Wizard >> and Art had developed such a cozy relationship. >> > You can drop the snide routine any time David. I want CNIA to come back > to life so we can get on with the business of the organization. Art does > have some mastery of paperwork, he can run a meeting, and no one else > wanted the job under the circumstances. Further, anyone who took the job > knew that he or she would have to deal with you trashing them in this > forum. > No matter how much flim-flam, ten-year old stories, spin and whatever > else you put on it, the fact remains that Erickson has been here in > Central 25 or 30 years, he's weathered his storms, he runs a fairly > large institution, and has backing from the high and the mighty--like > Colin Powell, an ex-Governor of Minnesota (Quie) and other lesser > lights. He's not going anywhere, and he will always have to be contended > with. > >> Regardless, Sabri's donations to Urban Ventures >> deserve some scrutiny. >> > I think, at this point, the job of scrutinizing Sabri belongs to the FBI > and like organizations. You don't have the access or skills to do it. > >> Why would Sabri donate to a >> Christian organization that his business competes >> with? >> > Why do businessmen, particularly corporations, give to both the > Democrats and the Republicans? It's called hedging your bets. They want > access no matter who wins. Sabri is doing likewise. > <snip> > WizardMarks, Central > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
