I agree... for as long as I can remember the unwritten rule was that no one from the "other Minneapolis" here in Hawthorne or Jordan, etc. was qualified to serve on the council. Just to make sure no uppity citizens of these 'hoods get elected, a few precincts from these west of the river wards were kluged in with the more upmarket Nordeast. The new redistricting is even worse, taking 3 wards from the Northside 'hood, a couple from the university student neigborhoods that don't vote much, and plopping in the middle of the Gerrymander a chunk of the more affluent and established Nordeast precincts that will call the political shots. I have to hand some grudging admiration to the skillful designer of this (maybe) legal Gerrymander. This district will stay dominated by Nordeasters unless the Northsiders and U of M students form a coalition and manage some incredible voter turnout.[TB] The suggestion that a person should not seek a council seat because they live in a certain neighborhood is frightening. What other neighborhoods should we exclude? Kingfield? East Isles? Marcy Holmes?
The Northside end of the 3rd has been frequently ignored by candidates- with a huge block of votes guaranteed from their Nordeast base, they can readily ignore us. That's the way it's was during the Biernat years, and that's why I'm demanding an end to this political redlining of the 'hood.This will be an election for all of the 3rd ward. The candidate with the best organization to get voters to the polls will likely be the winner. If the last special election with its 1500-some voters is any indication, less than 1,000 people will vote for the person who takes this seat.
Yes, why wasn't Hawthorne redistricted into the 5th- we have more common interests with them than the Nordeast?As for representation of the North side, can you say 4th ward? 5th ward?
Sadly, people who don't live here tend to represent us poorly. After the riot on 26th back in August we suddenly had Council Member Biernat's attention. He and a bunch of other pols flocked to the 'hood for a few days. Haven't seen much of them here in the 'hood since things quieted down. One of the reasons Gregory Grey and Linda Higgins have represented the near Northside so well is because they live right here in the hood.There is no reason for a qualified, even an unqualified candidate, to defer their candidacy solely because they don't live within someone's chosen neighborhood.
peace,
Dyna Sluyter from Hawthorne
p.s.: Ever willing to help find a bit of revenue for our city, I'm happy to advertise that our impound lot will soon have available for sale the BMW 740i that was dumped by my house; Assuming no one will 'fess up to ownership of this thing. This turquoise gem has expired Illinois plates, broken rear quarter window, and a red scrape on the left front fender. The VIN was covered by what must be an aftermarket windshield with very deep tint at the bottom... the chop shops are getting clever, eh? These are going for over $20,000 at the local dealers, so I suggest we start the bidding at 15 thousand at least. All usual disclaimers apply- as is, where is, the motor may have been trashed by crack head driving, and Customs may pull it off the auction block if it's a gray market outlaw import...
Terrell Brown Loring Park Terrell at terrellbrown dot org_______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
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