[mpls] MPRB 11-2-05 meeting highlights part 2

[Elizabeth Wielinski]

Public Hearing for the DeLaSalle "design" motion for getting on with 
the EAW ( environmental assessment worksheet )


Barry Clegg:  The MPRB has never had a discussion of the following for 
the public.


1)  Is this an appropriate use for a regional park?
2)  Why are you building soccer/football fields here when there are a 
dozen or more within a 5 minute drive?


Christine Viken:  After hearing DeLaSalle's attorney at the previous 
hearing comment that the stadium should be adjacent to DeLaSalle as no 
one would ask that a lab or classroom to be non- adjacent Ms. Viken 
pointed out that many entities must have non adjacent facilities due to 
zoning laws and restrictions. She again reiterates that some on the 
board should reconsider their impartiality based on their ties with 
DeLaSalle both past and current.


Edna Brazaitis:  Ms Brazaitis comments on the poor public process that 
the MPRB used in their CAC that did not allow for public input or the 
reaching of a consensus.  She suggested that the MPRB should come up 
with a better plan for future projects ( and her 90 seconds are up per 
President Olson)


Eric Gallatz (sorry about the spelling): Thanks the MPRB and the 
DeLaSalle CAC for their time.  DeLaSalle has been going through the 
process in good faith and hopes that the MPRB is doing the same.  Feels 
the questions about appropriateness regarding the facility have been 
answered and would like a stronger commitment from the MPRB and hope to 
get it from them passing the motion tonight regarding approval of the 
plan sent for the EAW.


Judith Martin:  She attended all three meetings of the DeLaSalle CAC 
and did not feel that many questions were answered except from 
DeLaSalle's point of view.  She points out again that both landscape 
architects on the CAC voted against the plan and the the public purpose 
for this facility that would warrant the MPRB's participation has yet 
to be defined.  She also points out that by closing Grove St to build 
the stadium would alter the historical district.


Arlene Fried:  Ms. Fried states that by limiting the public to 90 
seconds of speaking time the board is doing a disservice to the entire 
process.


Patrick Falicetta ( sorry again if I misspelled) teacher at St. Charles 
Middle School voices his frustration that his team is playing in 
Shoreview.  Why must city kids play in the suburbs.  Vote for this and 
Vote for Minneapolis kids.


Thomas Kelly:  DeLaSalle alum and 64 year Minneapolis resident.  He 
urges to pass the motion from the CAC as he has known the CAC chair Mr. 
McKasy for years and trusts him to have chaired well.


Tim O'Hara:  Thinks that parks are for kids and this would be more 
welcoming to kids ( the stadium vs the open field and tennis courts) 
and urges the MPRB to move forward.


Janet Demming:  Ms. Demming a self proclaimed sports mom and now 
grandma drives all over to watch her grandkids play sports.  Many 
suburban and small town schools do not have adjoining fields.  She 
recommends rebuilding a sports stadium for Minneapolis youth at the 
Parade site.


John Chaffee:  Mr. Chaffee points out that the MPRB will be trading 
approx. $7 million dollars in land for playing field and gym time worth 
about 1/2 million dollars and wants to know if 1) this is legal and 2) 
What is the public getting for this $ 6.5 million gift?  And what about 
the money spent to build the now soon to be removed tennis courts?


Patrick Scully:  Points out that this is a land use issue and that the 
bigger picture is not being addressed.  Where is input from the Board 
Members?  Where is a master plan for the park system and how would this 
fit?  Are the citizens of Minneapolis getting a good trade? Why is this 
facility in particular?  How will it serve the public at large?


Janice Nall:  Ms Nall also has questions for the board.  When will the 
public have access, from midnight until 6 am?  How will time conflicts 
be avoided? Would like a more specific schedule of days, months and 
hours the public will have access before this deal goes forward.


John Derus:  What does it matter what the land is worth as this isn't a 
give away it is a joint agreement.  What is the value of the land the 
homeowners are on and are they paying enough taxes based on the value?  
Could the city be getting more from these people?  This parkland isn't 
used as a park it's used for housing.


Nikki Carlson:  Ms. Carlson says nothing new is being discussed here, 
most people she's talked to are for the stadium and do not understand 
what all the fuss is about.


Jan Hively:  Language makes a difference and what we are talking about 
here is not an athletic field but a stadium complete with lights, a 
sound system, scoreboard and bleacher seating for 750 people.  She also 
was not happy that the CAC did not hear from anyone representing 
outside environmental groups or historical groups.


August Berkshire:  As a representative of the Minnesota Atheists 
working 

Re: [Mpls] Snicker shock?

[Michael Thompson]

Oh where to start.where to start.

My taxes went up 10.9% this year. As compaired to some of you, looks like I 
got by lucky.


You know, we deserve it. We continue, year after year after year, to elect 
politicians Republicans and Democrats whose fury to spend is nearly 
sexual in its frenzy. But every single cent spent is "needed" for "the 
children" or "schools" or "art" or any number of about 775 different 
needs... And politicians campaign on what they're gonna give us, spent 
with our money.  I've said it countless of times here: if we NEED 
EVERYTHING, we must spend for it. But the bill comes dues. The irony of the 
tax statements would be hilarious if it weren't so scary. and the taxman 
comes knocking to collect the bill the day after the election. It's spooky.


There's a solution to this: curbing our spending. Of course this isn't just 
a Minneapolis issue and blame can be spread around to many different places. 
The governor cut LGA, so the cuts are passed on to the cities. Nevertheless, 
we're all still in the same boat.. we, as a city and as a state, must 
spend less. Period. I won't wait for it to happen. Instead, I'll just sit in 
idle awe every November when my tax statement comes and thank G-d above that 
the library gets more money.


I understand Ms. Wiley's concept of spending for a better city. I get it. 
But all the talk about renewable and sustainable resources on this board got 
me to thinking... public money is like oil in that there is not a 
unlimited supply. Sooner or later it's gonna dry up. Then what's going to 
happen?


End of rant.

Mike Thompson
Windom


- Original Message - 
From: "Diane Wiley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'Dan'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; 


Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 2:59 PM
Subject: RE: [Mpls] Snicker shock?


The timing was ridiculous.  I got an 11% property increase -- which is 
about

$300+.  At the risk of seeming pollyannaish, I feel like our services are
costing the city more and we have more needs.  City workers work hard and
the vast majority don't make exorbitant amounts. They are entitled to 
health

care.  Energy is costing way more. $300 extra dollars a year, while I
certainly didn't get an 11% raise this year, doesn't seem like that much 
if
it will help the city.  The main question I have is whether people who 
have

less incomes are being hit harder.  That would not be good.  If we want to
have a decent city, we're going to have to pay for it.  I will buy $300 
less
of some kind of thing that I probably don't really "need", and that seems 
a

small sacrifice to pay for a better city.  I just would want to know that
families with less income are not going without food or heat in order to 
pay

their mortgages.

Diane Wiley, perhaps idealistic to a fault in Tangletown...

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf
Of Dan
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 2:30 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; mpls@mnforum.org
Subject: Re: [Mpls] Snicker shock?


The Hennepin County Treasurer's office mailed out the proposed
property tax for 2006 two days (November 10) after election day.  Was
it thought that one day after we voted would be too obvious?  Do you
suppose that there were any accompanying snickers at the time of the
mailing (those poor fools didn't know what they were voting for)?
The property tax increase on my Minneapolis home was over 11%.  Would
many tax payers have received that much of an increase (if any) in
their income within the past year?

We need to hold tax increases down to the rate of inflation.


The irony of the timing did not escape my notice. My taxes increase 15.6%! 
I

love the "truth" in taxation notice that came along with it. The same
reasons are given as for my last-years (nearly double) increase. What's
missing from the "truth" in taxation notice is our elected officials can't
stop spending our money like they've won the lottery. As our services are
cut, our taxes go up WAY beyond the rate of inflation. They are learning 
to

do less with more. Where does all the money go?!


Dan McGrath
Longfellow
http://www.shegstad.us

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Re: [Mpls] Snicker shock?

[wmmarks]

Mike Jensvold wrote:

Rich people and corporations do everything possible to avoid paying 
taxes. They move, go "offshore," or threaten states and 
municipalities with leaving unless sweetheart deals are cut.


This is precisely why we need to be careful about pushing too hard for 
"social justice" at the city level.  We should be wary of things like 
a commuter tax advocated by ward 10 councilmember-elect Ralph 
Remington, and the newly passed minimum wage law for city 
contractors.  They will raise taxes further and serve mostly to drive 
people away.


It's pretty difficult to expect that any social justice issue will 
proceed from the top down. The nature of social justice issues is that 
they bubble up from the bottom. Those doing the pushing are going to 
look to every venue and concentrate on the ones they think they can 
move. Moving a city is easier than moving a Congress of the US.


The city I grew up in had a 2% income tax on anyone who worked and/or 
lived in the city. That city's reasoning was/is that everyone who comes 
into the city puts wear and tear on it. Those who come every day put the 
greatest strain on it. To make it fair, income tax it. Everyone who 
lives and/or works in the city pays the city income tax. It is allegedly 
less subject to the vicissitudes of the economy than property taxes for 
basic services.


The best way to bring decent government back in power is to show that 
the moderate left can also be fiscally responsible while taking a 
strong stand for the greater good.


The moderate left or right, either one, is going to have a really tough 
time pulling that off. Whoever gets into office, most of the bills are 
going to rise unless state and federal actions can be terminated or 
redesigned, yet again.


By the time Fraser left office, SSB was walking into a mine field of 
delayed maintenance, neglect, and redlining that had driven down tax 
collections and a rising crime rate that was connected to the years of 
redlining. She was going to have to make some bills in order to bring in 
more revenues. At the same time, business interests were screaming that 
the loop needed to get with the program and become a destination for 
lots of people with money in their pockets or we would die on the vine. 
Whether SSB did the prudent thing, or not, I'm not the one to say.


But ask yourselves, how can we afford to allow huge sections of the city 
(nine neighborhoods for sure and some that were on the edge between 
really bad and more do-able and a quiet downtown) go to ruin when the 
tax base is our income? How do we jump start the economies of parts of 
the city which were, in effect, rust belts because they had been driven 
and supported by early 20th century development--the railroads, farm 
machinery, grain, transportation, cartage. Minneapolis used to build 
streetcars, one plant was right on Lake St.


Neglect by the engines of the economy is tailor made for developers, 
both big and little. Sometimes I think neglect of city areas is a 
planned obsolescence scheme created just to keep developers in business, 
since Roman records show it was going on during the time of the Ceasars. 
It probably went on in Ur. But the bigger truth is that a city is a 
piece of geography into which you invest to make money. Like any 
business, upkeep keeps customers coming back. It's the first purpose of 
a city's existence.


My sense is that the cost of keeping a city economic engine is driven up 
by developers because they make pronouncements about what will "work" 
and they don't know what they're talking about. What they are saying is 
that if the real estate values are low enough, it's incentive for them 
to buy them up and put something on the land that pays better rents, at 
least for awhile, if they guess right about what needs to go on that 
spot, if the economy is bullish, if, if, if. It's spitting into the wind 
to listen to developers on one level.


I'm not sure "fiscally responsible" quite fits what any elected official 
can really control locally. On the local level, they get reelected based 
on constituent service and bringing improvements, businesses, and 
amenities into the ward and keeping them in order, all of which cost 
money. Improvement is development. But if they ignore problems to keep 
taxes lower, they're do nothings. If they deal with issues taxes get 
higher. A new library, repaving Lake St., fixing the freeway, taking 
down houses and rebuilding, bringing in light rail. I'm not pretending 
to have an answer, but  I do think that shorthand sound bites like 
fiscally responsible don't say anything real.



WizardMarks, Central


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[Mpls] Tax Statements

[wmmarks]

Diane Wiley asks whether the rising taxes will hurt people on small or 
even wee incomes, and those on fixed incomes.


Of course it will. How can it not?

My tax went up 15.8%. Only part of that is the tax. The value of my 
house is now three times what I paid for it eight years ago.


Some of that, of course, was inevitable, but what galled me was the 
little note about the school board wanting a rise on top of this. In 
2006 we begin to pay for the new library. The mayor has raised taxes the 
limit (whoever is mayor would have had to do the same), the state 
shifted commercial taxes over onto homeowners, simultaneously screwing 
around with TIF funding, so more money comes out of our pockets to give 
someone a tax break, though it's not anyone I know. Add onto that a 
$22,500 assessment for repaving Lake St., which assessment will be paid 
by exactly three homeowners between Dupont and the river, only one of 
whom has a Lake St. address. One is an o-fishul senior citizen, one a 
circumstantial/forced senior citizen, a third unknown.


The tax itself adds $16+ a month this year, more next year since there 
will be another 8%+ rise, and on and on.


True, when Sears is finished, and if we have sense enough to have 
freeway access at Lake St., this house will be worth even more. Big 
whoop. The only way to realize that amount is to sell. I've lived in 
this neighborhood a log time, I've contributed more than my fair 
share to improving it, not grudgingly, mind you, the things I 
participated in were things that needed doing a long time. My friends 
are here for the most part. I couldn't buy another house in the 
neighborhood because the values rose during the 'real estate bubble,' 
but interest rates are on the rise. Took out a big loan this summer to 
repair sofits, facia, gutters, fence, pillars, kitchens, bathrooms, 
moved walls back into place from the requirements that Tubman shelter 
had to install. Does the rise in values suck? Oh, yes. And just as one's 
income moves into that 'this is it for wages henceforth' stage of life.


For me, it's that time of life when folks begin to say, "I'm gonna git 
me a double wide and move up a holler." Being a city kid all my life, 
that prospect doesn't thrill me any too much, even though it's one 
solution and the most likely one for me. Being away from friends, that's 
a colossal bummer. Unintended, but very real, consequences of civic 
engagement.


WizardMarks, Central
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Re: [Mpls] Snicker shock?

[Mike Jensvold]

Rich people and corporations do everything possible to avoid paying taxes. 
They move, go "offshore," or threaten states and municipalities with 
leaving unless sweetheart deals are cut.


This is precisely why we need to be careful about pushing too hard for 
"social justice" at the city level.  We should be wary of things like a 
commuter tax advocated by ward 10 councilmember-elect Ralph Remington, and 
the newly passed minimum wage law for city contractors.  They will raise 
taxes further and serve mostly to drive people away.


Greens need to substitute an appropriate hierarchy for the cult of localism 
in their governmental philosophy.


The best way to bring decent government back in power is to show that the 
moderate left can also be fiscally responsible while taking a strong stand 
for the greater good.



Mike Jensvold
East Isles




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Re: [Mpls] Snicker shock?

[Gary Hoover]

Other big cities are having problems as well.  One of the problems is the 
Republican "institutionalized irresponsibility" that many "citizens" have 
accepted as the norm.


Rich people and corporations do everything possible to avoid paying taxes. 
They move, go "offshore," or threaten states and municipalities with leaving 
unless sweetheart deals are cut.


This "externalizing of costs" really means dumping the weight of 
responsibility to those who can hardly afford to bear their fair share, let 
alone the costs that many wealthy folks and corporations ought to bear.


The Democrats have become junior Republicans with this sort of thing.  They 
"dance with them what brung 'em" and that means corporations who dwarf our 
municipality and use it as a cash cow to milk.


We need to relocalize significantly in order to have a base sufficient to 
"just say no" when corporations and developers demand multi-year, 
multi-million dollar regressive taxes to be levied on the middle class and 
the poor.


We will see far more violence on the streets and far more crime -- not only 
in Minneapolis, abut all over the metro -- if we allow our city to be shaped 
by boards of directors who only see our city as a financial instrument to be 
used and discarded.


Selling off the parks is another good example of the kind of piracy we need 
to avoid.


-- pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynnhurst - Gary Hoover 


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Re: [Mpls] Election post mortem ..connecting more park board dots(long)

[Steve Nelson]

Well said, Neil.  AMEN!
Steve Nelson
Proud Charter Member of Park Watch from
Willard Hay



Kumbaya! Brother Scott Nieman calls for healing. Since
he was instrumental in creating the bad blood going
back to 2001, it's no wonder he wants to move on, and
quickly!

Steve Nelson rightly pointed out Nieman's questionable
ethics, serving as the Park Board rep in the redrawing
of district boundaries in 2002.  For list members who
may not have been closely following the Park Board at
that time here's a bit more of the history and
context. It helps partially explain the energy behind
the budding Park Board Reform movement.

Bob Fine was an At-Large Park Commissioner from
1997-2001. In 2001 he decided to run for the 6th
District seat being vacated by Nieman, whose father
(and brother?) had served on the Park Board before
him.

Fine lost the DFL endorsement that year to an
energetic, young candidate, one Tracy Nordstrom, who
campaigned aggressively on issues of forest management
and environmental stewardship.

Nieman publicly supported Fine to be his replacement,
along with Shannon McDonough who basically managed the
campaign. (McDonough went on to become the treasurer
for the PIP's during their massive, developer-financed
campaign this year.)

Following a narrow victory, Nieman, in a Fine display
of intimidating behavior, filed a post-election
campaign practices complaint against Nordstrom in
Hennepin County. The case was referred to Ramsey
County to investigate. Following hours of phone
interviews and likely thousands of tax dollars spent
on the investigation, the complaint was dismissed as
groundless.

As Steve Nelson observed, Nieman was then appointed
with the help of then Park Board Chairman Fine to
serve on the Redistricting Commission to help re-draw
the park district boundaries. Apparently, this was
based on the legal theory that nothwithstanding the
rules, Scott's a fair and trustworthy guy.

Serving alongside Nieman, also representing the Park
Board was none other than Tony Scallon, a well-known
political operative, former City Council Member and
recently one of Peter McLaughlin's many campaign
managers.

When the new park maps were done, (in the words of
Gomer Pyle) surprise, surprise! Tracy Nordstrom's
house was moved oddly out of the Sixth District and
into a new Fourth District for this year's elections.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/redistricting/docs/parkplan-neighborhoods.pdf

There's a little dingleberry of East Calhoun blocks
now at the bottom of the fourth district. That's where
Nordstrom lives.

So Nordstrom, who was quite likely to take Fine out in
a rematch in 2005, (especially considering how poor
his performance and editorial reviews have been),
would now have to face Vivian Mason, a frustrated and
outspoken critic of Fine and the Board majority.

Can you say gerrymander? Sure you can.

Fast forward to today. The Nieman family has a
controversial, sports complex at Fort Snelling bearing
their name and rumors persist about Nieman's son being
interested in the 6th District seat.

Bob Fine helps engineer the hiring of his
under-qualified high school classmate, Jon Gurban, to
be superintendent, a job he did not apply for. Not
surprisingly Gurban has turned out to be a
disappointment.

A worn-out Vivian Mason retires. Tracy Nordstom wins
handily in a brand new district against the PIPs
hand-picked, well-financed candidate, by working hard
(again) and having a strong reform message.

And the status quo dodges a bullet as Fine narrowly
wins a bitter race with a lot of help from the De
LaSalle land deal backers, a mix of Catholic voters
and other religious conservatives.

Fine continues his campaign's tradition of
intimidation, this year carefully timing an 11th hour
complaint against his opponent, Jim Bernstein over
campaign literature Bernstein had been using for
months.

Fine's desperate attempt to avoid responsibility for
his record, wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars on
hearings that consumed three judges for three full
days the week before the election.
The bulk of the claims were dismissed and the
remaining few that hinged on whether Fine mad a
"priority" of cleaning up Lake of the Isles and dutch
elm disease are likely to be appealed and overturned.

Fine is continuing to press his claims, but in his
zeal to cover up his dismal record, he apparently
swore under oath that no one associated with his
campaign had filed a campaign complaint against
Nordstrom in 2001.

Given Nieman's 2001 efforts, will this too become an
issue?

Stay tuned...


Niel Ritchie
Linden Hills







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[Mpls] Eat, drink, and be democratic--come join the FairVote festivities in a post-election celebration

[David Weinlick]

Eat and drink for democracy. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do 
it. Why not you? It's FairVote Minnesota's post-election party, 
featuring an instant runoff vote (IRV) for best dessert (That’s right – 
favored by an actual majority!) from the following restaurants:


* Birchwood Cafe
* Cafe of the Americas
* Gigi's Cafe
* May Day Cafe
* Turtle Bread Company

Come for the light appetizers, desserts and wine (non-alcoholic choice 
available), but stay for the conversation:


* Update on 2005 efforts by FairVote MN and a look ahead to 2006
* Report on the Minneapolis and Hopkins charter amendment campaigns
* Opportunities for your involvement in the work for better democracy

Please join us:
Wednesday, November 16, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Melendez Residence
Lowry Hill Neighborhood
1777 Dupont Avenue - Minneapolis
(3 blocks West of Hennepin Avenue, between Summit and Douglas – also 3 
blocks North of Franklin)


It's all yours for a donation of $25. Let us know if you are coming so 
we'll be sure to have enough food and drink for you. Respond at 
http://www.fairvotemn.org/node/115/.


Please phone Jim Cousins with any questions (612-209-1897).

P.S. If you’d like to help out at the event, please indicate so on a 
response and we’ll be happy to follow up with you.


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[Mpls] In Ballot Box: No recount in Ward 6 race

[Craig Cox]

In Ballot Box: No recount in Ward 6 race
Dean Zimmermann will not request a recount in his Ward 6 City Council 
race, which he lost by 46 votes to Robert Lilligren. But Zimmermann 
may still end up in City Hall. Also: Plotting the new City Council 
power structure.


Go to: 
--
Craig Cox
Founder/Editor
The Minneapolis Observer
www.mplsobserver.com
612/721-0285

Support the independent media! Pick up your neighborhood newspaper!
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[Mpls] RE: Park Board Endorsements

[Harvey Zuckman]

Not only was Bob Fine not endorsed in 2005, he also did NOT get the
endorsement in 2001.  In fact, in 2001, all the candidates were supposed to
answer the question if they would run against an endorsed candidate.  Due to
the very late hour of the endorsement, no one remembered to ask the
question.  Had we remembered to ask and had he answered that he wouldn¹t run
against the endorsed candidate, perhaps he wouldn¹t have been in office the
last 4 years.

-- 
Harvey Zuckman
ECCO


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[Mpls] School district audits

[Mark Hanson]

I appreciate all of the well-informed responses to my questions about 
internal or external audits for Minneapolis Public Schools. I honestly 
didn't know - I wasn't trying to set up some other scenario.


I'm also an accountant by trade, and do not for a minute want to suggest 
that auditors hold the final responsibility for finding and solving problems 
like the $29,000 ooops currently being discussed.  The CPA profession is 
very clear about the client being ultimately responsible for internal 
control systems and the veracity of the financial systems.


In this case, it appears that an elected official and the professional staff 
have seriously failed in their fiduciary responsibility.  It's embarassing, 
it's serious, and it makes me wonder what else is wrong.


Mark Hanson
Prospect Park.


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RE: [Mpls] Snicker shock?

[Matty Lang]

Diane Wiley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: The main question I have is whether 
people who have
less incomes are being hit harder.  That would not be good.  If we want to
have a decent city, we're going to have to pay for it.  I will buy $300 less
of some kind of thing that I probably don't really "need", and that seems a
small sacrifice to pay for a better city.  I just would want to know that
families with less income are not going without food or heat in order to pay
their mortgages.

Diane Wiley, perhaps idealistic to a fault in Tangletown...
  
  ML:  
  
  I'll let you know how it went come Spring.  On the same day that I  received 
my letter from Hennepin County, I believe the Strib also ran a  story on 
climbing mortgage interest rates.  I don't recall (I  don't want to think about 
it) if my taxes increased by 10 or 20 % this  year as the notice was part of an 
increasing white noise of negative  economic news.  
  
  At some point last year, New Jersey considered (and passed?) a  millionaires' 
tax to reduce local property taxes as well as to buttress  funding for health 
care and education.  Being taxed on the ability  to pay taxes, now that's a 
novel idea.  The guv could call it a  Millionaires' fee and pick up some votes 
in Minneapolis.  
  
  Matty Lang, 
  Hoping hard for a 3% raise in 06 but not holding my breath in Central  



-
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Re: [Mpls] $29,000 glitches

[Dan McGuire]

The questions about audits seem irrelevant due to the fact that it was 
reported that the COO or Interim Supt., whatever his position at the 
time of finding out, acknowledged that he was aware of the problem, 
asked someone to straighten it out, but apparently didn't follow up to 
find out if it had been done.  Audits can point out problems but if the 
executives responsible don't make sure that it gets fixed, the audits 
are a waste.

Dan McGuire
Ericsson

Steve Brandt wrote:


Mark Hanson asked if Minneapolis Pulbic Schools has an internal audit 
department or an outside auditor.

I do not believe that MPS has an internal auditor.  The district does have 
internal controls, as many large organizations do.  These are designed to 
provide a measure of internal check on uwarranted expenditures.  But their 
effectiveness depends on the controls, how well the finance and budget 
departments are staffed, and whether higher-ups heed what these departments 
recommend.  Outside auditors have told the district previously that it is 
understaffed in the finance area, and I believe there were some hires there 
earlier this year.

An internal audit is no substitute for an outside audit.  The difficulty with 
outside auditing, as I understand it, is that it is an effort to check on 
typical transactions on a sample basis.  The goal for an auditor is to be able 
to say whether these representatrive transactions indicate that the financial 
statements either fairly represent the finances of the organization, or that 
the auditor is not confident that they do.  Auditors also suggest procedures 
that will strengthen financial controls or financial health.  State and federal 
auditors also audit grants to the district.

Just like reporters, auditors also benefit from tips on things to look into.   My strong 
impression is that previous outside audits didn't uncover this issue.   I'm confident 
that Deloitte Touche, the district's outside auditor, is now aware of this issue.  The 
internal memo that raised the issue about Audrey Johnson's health insurance premiums was 
written in May of this year.  The audit for that fiscal year ended in June typically is 
presented in December or January.  Often, related party transactions involving the 
officer or director of a private corporation are disclosed in SEC or other filings, and 
the same obligation is imposed on government agencies, according to accountants whom I 
consulted.  However, the threshold for mandating the reporting of them is 
"materiality," which can be a slippery concept.

Those who want to view the district's most recent outside audit may do so at: http://financeandbudget.mpls.k12.mn.us/Annual_Financial_Report.html 


Steve Brandt
Star Tribune
 


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RE: [Mpls] Snicker shock?

[Diane Wiley]

The timing was ridiculous.  I got an 11% property increase -- which is about
$300+.  At the risk of seeming pollyannaish, I feel like our services are
costing the city more and we have more needs.  City workers work hard and
the vast majority don't make exorbitant amounts. They are entitled to health
care.  Energy is costing way more. $300 extra dollars a year, while I
certainly didn't get an 11% raise this year, doesn't seem like that much if
it will help the city.  The main question I have is whether people who have
less incomes are being hit harder.  That would not be good.  If we want to
have a decent city, we're going to have to pay for it.  I will buy $300 less
of some kind of thing that I probably don't really "need", and that seems a
small sacrifice to pay for a better city.  I just would want to know that
families with less income are not going without food or heat in order to pay
their mortgages.

Diane Wiley, perhaps idealistic to a fault in Tangletown...

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf
Of Dan
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 2:30 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; mpls@mnforum.org
Subject: Re: [Mpls] Snicker shock?

> The Hennepin County Treasurer's office mailed out the proposed 
> property tax for 2006 two days (November 10) after election day.  Was 
> it thought that one day after we voted would be too obvious?  Do you 
> suppose that there were any accompanying snickers at the time of the 
> mailing (those poor fools didn't know what they were voting for)?
> The property tax increase on my Minneapolis home was over 11%.  Would 
> many tax payers have received that much of an increase (if any) in 
> their income within the past year?
>
> We need to hold tax increases down to the rate of inflation.

The irony of the timing did not escape my notice. My taxes increase 15.6%! I
love the "truth" in taxation notice that came along with it. The same
reasons are given as for my last-years (nearly double) increase. What's
missing from the "truth" in taxation notice is our elected officials can't
stop spending our money like they've won the lottery. As our services are
cut, our taxes go up WAY beyond the rate of inflation. They are learning to
do less with more. Where does all the money go?!


Dan McGrath
Longfellow
http://www.shegstad.us

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Re: [Mpls] Snicker shock?

[Dana DeWilde]

Okay, hold on here...23.4 percent was my increase.
Looking to move out of this messy city
Dana DeWilde
East Phillips


--- Dan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> > The Hennepin County Treasurer's office mailed out
> the
> > proposed property tax for 2006 two days (November
> 10)
> > after election day.  Was it thought that one day
> after we
> > voted would be too obvious?  Do you suppose that
> there
> > were any accompanying snickers at the time of the
> mailing
> > (those poor fools didn't know what they were
> voting for)?
> > The property tax increase on my Minneapolis home
> was
> > over 11%.  Would many tax payers have received
> that
> > much of an increase (if any) in their income
> within the past
> > year?
> >
> > We need to hold tax increases down to the rate of
> > inflation.
> 
> The irony of the timing did not escape my notice. My
> taxes increase 15.6%! I
> love the "truth" in taxation notice that came along
> with it. The same
> reasons are given as for my last-years (nearly
> double) increase. What's
> missing from the "truth" in taxation notice is our
> elected officials can't
> stop spending our money like they've won the
> lottery. As our services are
> cut, our taxes go up WAY beyond the rate of
> inflation. They are learning to
> do less with more. Where does all the money go?!
> 
> 
> Dan McGrath
> Longfellow
> http://www.shegstad.us
> 
> REMINDERS:
> 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at
> http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a
> member is in violation, contact the list manager at
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list.
> 
> 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
> 
> For state and national discussions see:
> http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html
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> http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
> 
> 
> Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused
> Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
> Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org
> Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at:
> http://e-democracy.org/mpls
> 





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Re: [Mpls] Snicker shock?

[Dan]

> The Hennepin County Treasurer's office mailed out the
> proposed property tax for 2006 two days (November 10)
> after election day.  Was it thought that one day after we
> voted would be too obvious?  Do you suppose that there
> were any accompanying snickers at the time of the mailing
> (those poor fools didn't know what they were voting for)?
> The property tax increase on my Minneapolis home was
> over 11%.  Would many tax payers have received that
> much of an increase (if any) in their income within the past
> year?
>
> We need to hold tax increases down to the rate of
> inflation.

The irony of the timing did not escape my notice. My taxes increase 15.6%! I
love the "truth" in taxation notice that came along with it. The same
reasons are given as for my last-years (nearly double) increase. What's
missing from the "truth" in taxation notice is our elected officials can't
stop spending our money like they've won the lottery. As our services are
cut, our taxes go up WAY beyond the rate of inflation. They are learning to
do less with more. Where does all the money go?!


Dan McGrath
Longfellow
http://www.shegstad.us

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[Mpls] Park Board Endorsements

[Jim Bernstein]

Bob Fine did not have DFL endorsement!  We went two ballots - starting
after 10 p.m. as I recall - at the DFL city convention and there were
fewer than 90 delegates left.  I had 51% and Mr. Fine had 49% and it was
clear that among the remaining delegates there was not going to be any
significant movement so there was no endorsement. 

It took Walt Dziedzic three ballots to reach the 60% - against Peter
Vevang who had just announced he was running that morning.  Although Mr.
Dziedzic got the endorsement, it wasn't exactly a resounding one!

Jim Bernstein
Fulton
Former candidate, Minneapolis Park & Rec Board, District 6  

-Original Message-
 Of Cooney, Dale
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 9:45 AM
To: mpls issues


Its that very same insular party apparatus that allows the Walt
Dzeidzics
and Bob Fines of the world to secure relatively pain-free DFL
endorsements.

 

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No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.0/167 - Release Date:
11/11/2005
 


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RE: [Mpls] Doug Grow on the "Death of the Old Guard"

[David Strand]

Again perhaps a little out of your kneck of the woods,
Scott ran for Park Board as a Green in 2001 and as a
DFL'er in 2004.  I think it says alot about the fine
qualities that Scott will bring to the park board that
both parties have endorsed him in races for office.  I
wouldn't reduce this to a flying a "flag of
convenience" on the candidates part.

I don't believe their would have been support among
the Greens to run a candidate against Scott unless
someone stepped forward who would be better than him
in that office and I believe that would be a tall
order indeed.

David Strand
Loring Park
--- David Brauer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Scott Vreeland
> (the oldest Young Turk I know) all won; Jason Stone
> came damn close. These
> folks are reformers, and I think none fly the DFL
> flag out of convenience.





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[Mpls] Snicker shock?

[NESIMONS]

The Hennepin County Treasurer's office mailed out the 
proposed property tax for 2006 two days (November 10) 
after election day.  Was it thought that one day after we
voted would be too obvious?  Do you suppose that there
were any accompanying snickers at the time of the mailing 
(those poor fools didn't know what they were voting for)?  
The property tax increase on my Minneapolis home was 
over 11%.  Would many tax payers have received that 
much of an increase (if any) in their income within the past 
year?

We need to hold tax increases down to the rate of 
inflation.

Also, the budget hearings are being held mostly 
at relatively difficult to attend downtown locations 
that are too early in the day for many tax payers
of working age and too late for many elderly payers.
(Many of the elderly avoid traveling after dark.)

There should be decentralized meeting locations
with early afternoon scheduling for the elderly and 
evening scheduling for those of working age.


Neal E. Simons
Prospect Park
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[Mpls] $29,000 glitches

[Steve Brandt]

Mark Hanson asked if Minneapolis Pulbic Schools has an internal audit 
department or an outside auditor.

I do not believe that MPS has an internal auditor.  The district does have 
internal controls, as many large organizations do.  These are designed to 
provide a measure of internal check on uwarranted expenditures.  But their 
effectiveness depends on the controls, how well the finance and budget 
departments are staffed, and whether higher-ups heed what these departments 
recommend.  Outside auditors have told the district previously that it is 
understaffed in the finance area, and I believe there were some hires there 
earlier this year.

An internal audit is no substitute for an outside audit.  The difficulty with 
outside auditing, as I understand it, is that it is an effort to check on 
typical transactions on a sample basis.  The goal for an auditor is to be able 
to say whether these representatrive transactions indicate that the financial 
statements either fairly represent the finances of the organization, or that 
the auditor is not confident that they do.  Auditors also suggest procedures 
that will strengthen financial controls or financial health.  State and federal 
auditors also audit grants to the district.

Just like reporters, auditors also benefit from tips on things to look into.   
My strong impression is that previous outside audits didn't uncover this issue. 
  I'm confident that Deloitte Touche, the district's outside auditor, is now 
aware of this issue.  The internal memo that raised the issue about Audrey 
Johnson's health insurance premiums was written in May of this year.  The audit 
for that fiscal year ended in June typically is presented in December or 
January.  Often, related party transactions involving the officer or director 
of a private corporation are disclosed in SEC or other filings, and the same 
obligation is imposed on government agencies, according to accountants whom I 
consulted.  However, the threshold for mandating the reporting of them is 
"materiality," which can be a slippery concept.

Those who want to view the district's most recent outside audit may do so at: 
http://financeandbudget.mpls.k12.mn.us/Annual_Financial_Report.html 

Steve Brandt
Star Tribune



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Re: [Mpls] Election post mortem ..connecting more park board dots (long)

[Harvey Zuckman]

While I agree with just about everything that Niel puts forth here, I do
want to address one issue.  That is the "gerrymandering" of ECCO into the
4th district.

ECCO used to be split, 2/3 in the 4th District and 1/3 in the 6th District.
The result of this from my experience with ECCO (former board member and
President) and the Park Board (I attending virtually every Park Board
meeting when I was active on the ECCO Board ­ year ago) was that neither
commissioner took responsibility for working with us.

In the redistricting of 1980, I lobbied to have ECCO put in solely one
district, so at least we could demand attention from OUR commissioner.

Unfortunately, we were put into the 6th district, where we were
unfortunately separated off from most of the rest of the district by
Lakewood Cemetery.  ECCO had a history of working with the neighborhoods in
Calhoun-Isles, not in Southwest and we were now put into a district with few
ties.

Moreover, in my opinion, the 6th district commissioner - at that time Scott
Nieman, paid us little heed and rarely engaged with our neighborhood.  In
fact, only when Vivian Mason was elected in the 4th district, did ECCO have
someone on the MPRB who seemed to care about the issues in our community.  I
think we were just written off by whomever was elected in the 6th (Nieman or
Fine).

In the 2000 redistricting, I advocated to have ECCO moved to the 4th
district.  In the first maps drawn it was still in the 6th.  Although this
move certainly was not what Tracy Nordstrom would have wanted, I felt it was
the right decision for ECCO.

The trade-off was that West Calhoun got moved to the 6th district. That
seems to me to be a better fit.  The other result of that was the Meg
Forney, who had run a formidable campaign at-large in 2000, was now in the
6th district.  Yes, Tracy got moved out of the 6th, but Meg got moved in .

She could have run well against Fine, judging by her results in the the 6th
district in 2000, but chose to run again at-large.

I am thrilled to see ECCO now in the 4th district and even more excited that
for the first time in my nearly 30 years living in ECCO, not only do I feel
ECCO's issues will be heard by our commissioner, but she also lived in ECCO!

I also have to add that it is exciting to see so much attention being paid
to the Park Board.  While people may argue about the extent to which the
Park Reform group went, people knew that there was concern about the
governance of of our Park system - and that's a new and welcome change.

While the reformers may not make a majority of the Park Board, they came
damn close and the message should be clear that it is time to work together
and become more transparent and open in the governance of the MPRB.  If they
fail to get that message, it will only assure that Park Board reformers will
prevail in 4 more years.

Harvey Zuckman
ECCO  Ward 10-3, District 4 (very soon)
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Re: [Mpls] MPS "computer glitch"

[Tom Madden]

Good morning all,

Regarding my comment that Director Johnson "clear it up" [full comment
attached], I realize that $29K is a ton of money.  I certainly don't have
that laying around either.  However, that isn't my problem.  It also
shouldn't be our problem as parents.  It shouldn't be the problem of the
teachers, other Board members, the Administration or the taxpayers either.

Unless there has been something I missed in today's paper, I expect Director
Johnson to clear this up now - today.  She can announce that this will be
handled and outline how (with respect to pay back schedule, etc...).  We
don't have time or resources to spend on cleaning this up.  She could have
and should have fixed this a couple years ago.  The fact that we are now
talking about $29K is only because it has festered so long.  It wasn't $29K
after the first couple months.

Like most of you I'm sure, when I pay my monthly bills, I would notice an
extra $500 or $1000 in my checking account and would wonder what bill wasn't
paid.  That would enable me to find out the problem in much less time than 3
years. Since she had the benefits and did not pay the bills, she should fix
it. 

This is not the kind of issue I expect to hear about from a Director of the
Board - of anything, let alone MPS.

On a side note, this does raise a great question (as someone noted to me)
about the checks and balances in the "system".  I do not recall hearing
anything about this at the Board meetings in the last year and a half.  I
also don't recall hearing about this in audit findings or the financial
report from Deloitte and Touche (I think it was D&T) last February.  If it
is in fine print, it was not spoken of during the Board presentation.  I
will look through the report tonight.

As much as all of you, I'd rather be talking about how to reduce the class
sizes, new books, teacher training, etc  However, Director Johnson is in
charge of this issue going away.  I'm looking for her plan.

Thank you,

Tom Madden
MPS Parent



On 11/14/05 9:28 AM, "Diane Wiley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> I agree with you Pat, it is outrageous that this kind of "computer glitch"
> should be allowed to occur.  What I was responding to was a previous post
> where someone suggested that Audrey should just "clear it up" -- she only
> gets around $13,000 a year anyway as a school board member, right?  Many
> many people over the years have complained about the school district's
> accounting, how you can't understand it and how often there are serious
> mistakes [remember the $7 million dollars we lost in federal funding 8 or 9
> years ago because they were using the meager Special Ed funds on regular
> ed?]  I also think that it's a crying shame that you're not making even
> $29,000 as a school aide.  I know how important the aides are, having a kid
> with "needs"
> 
> Diane Wiley in Tangletown, disgusted again about the district and struggling
> to remember that there isn't enough money being put into the schools in the
> first place
> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
>> Behalf Of Tom Madden
>> Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 1:35 PM
>> To: 'Minneapolis Issues'
>> Subject: Re: [Mpls] MPS "computer glitch"
>> 
>> Thanks for the article Dan.
>> 
>> Forget David Jennings.  What about personal responsibility?  If this
>> were me, I would not let this stay unresolved for even a few months,
>> let alone years.  Settle up now.  Get the benefit, pay for the
>> benefit.  Man, this stuff makes me angry.
>> 
>> There is a large group of parents, city-wide and across most MPS
>> schools that are working together to make positive changes in
>> overcrowded classroom sizes, the achievement gap, the need for an
>> actual increase in funding from the state/federal level and teacher
> stability.
>> 
>> Meanwhile, the Board and Administration now get to be side tracked on
>> something that should have been settled a couple years ago.
>> 
>> One person can clear this up today.  If it takes a credit card or two,
>> so be it. That shouldn't be our (taxpayer, parent, administrative staff)
> problem.
>> 
>> Tom Madden
>> Lowry Hill
>> 
>> On 11/11/05 6:46 AM, "Dan McGuire" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> 
>>> http://www.startribune.com/stories/1592/5720561.html
>>> The minute  that David Jennings found out about the error in
>>> billing, it ceased being a "computer glitch" and became a top level
>>> management problem of board compensation.  How many other $30K problems
> did he let
>>> go unresolved?   $30k here, $30k there; it adds up.
>>> 
>>> Dan McGuire
>>>  Ericsson
>>> 
>>> REMINDERS:
>>> 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at
>>> http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in
>>> violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before
>>> continuing
>> it on the list.
>>> 
>>> 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
>>> 
>>> For state and national discussions see:
>>> http://e-democracy.org/disc

Re: [Mpls] Doug Grow on the "Death of the Old Guard"

[Cooney, Dale]

Correcting myself here: Bob Fine failed to get endorsed. (See. There is
hope!)

-Dale Cooney
Central


On 11/14/05 9:44 AM, "Cooney, Dale" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Its that very same insular party apparatus that allows the Walt Dzeidzics
> and Bob Fines of the world to secure relatively pain-free DFL endorsements.

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Re: [Mpls] Doug Grow on the "Death of the Old Guard"

[Loki Anderson]

"Cooney, Dale" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Its that very same insular party apparatus that allows the Walt Dzeidzics
and Bob Fines of the world to secure relatively pain-free DFL endorsements.


> It seems we have to correct this error almost every couple weeks. Bob Fine 
> has never been a DFL endorsed candidate for the Park Board. In 1997, when he 
> was elected an at-large commissioner, the DFL endorsed Rochelle Berry-Graves 
> and George Puzak. There was no endorsement on the third seat as the 
> convention adjourned with Annie Young still a few votes short. In 2001, the 
> DFL endorsed Tracy Nordstrom for the District 6 seat. And this year there was 
> no endorsement given.

 

> And Walt Dziedzic's endorsement was anything but pain-free. Despite being 
> nominated by Julie Mattson Ostrow and despite having a significant number of 
> our younger voters leave after RT Rybak's convention walk-out, Commissioner 
> Dziedzic still needed three ballots to overcome the last minute candidacy of 
> Peter Vevang.


Loki Anderson

Downtown

hoping more facts get entered into this thread





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Re: [Mpls] Doug Grow on the "Death of the Old Guard"

[freealonzo]

I nominate Mr. Cooney post below as "Post of the Year."   A fantastic 
analysis in a pithy 250 words.

Dean E. Carlson
East Harriet, Ward 10


- Original Message -
From: "Cooney, Dale" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Monday, November 14, 2005 9:44 am
Subject: Re: [Mpls] Doug Grow on the "Death of the Old Guard"

As a fairly new DFLer and Rybak supporter, I find  Wizard Marks post a 
bit ironic.
> 
> I too find that the DFL can be a bit stagnant, but I've come to that 
conclusion for opposite reasons. It was the DFL party itself that came 
within a whisker of endorsing Peter McLaughlin for mayor. It seems that 
his years of toiling within the DFL apparatus had paid off. But his big 
convention victory now seems grossly out of touch with the will of 
rank and file DFL voters in Minneapolis.
> 
> Its that very same insular party apparatus that allows the Walt 
Dzeidzics and Bob Fines of the world to secure relatively pain-free DFL 
endorsements.
> 
> So while, at a city level, much of the entrenched DFL spins its 
wheels fighting "old school" versus "new school" battles at 
conventions,  the DFL citizenry seems more than willing to take the 
lead by electing progressive,reform-minded candidates--particularly to 
the open seats.
> 
> I have a great deal of respect for the activists that have been 
working hard and continue to work hard to make the local DFL a vibrant 
party. But perhaps the sitting-in-a-gym-for-11-hours-on-a-Saturday 
system of endorsements is a
> bit too high a hurdle for the typical Minneapolis DFLer.
> 
> -Dale Cooney
> Central
> 

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Re: [Mpls] Doug Grow on the "Death of the Old Guard"

[Cooney, Dale]

As a fairly new DFLer and Rybak supporter, I find  Wizard Marks' post a bit
ironic.

I too find that the DFL can be a bit stagnant, but I've come to that
conclusion for opposite reasons. It was the DFL party itself that came
within a whisker of endorsing Peter McLaughlin for mayor. It seems that his
years of toiling within the DFL apparatus had paid off. But his big
convention victory now seems grossly out of touch with the will of rank and
file DFL voters in Minneapolis.

Its that very same insular party apparatus that allows the Walt Dzeidzics
and Bob Fines of the world to secure relatively pain-free DFL endorsements.

So while, at a city level, much of the entrenched DFL spins its wheels
fighting "old school" versus "new school" battles at conventions, the DFL
citizenry seems more than willing to take the lead by electing progressive,
reform-minded candidates--particularly to the open seats.

I have a great deal of respect for the activists that have been working hard
and continue to work hard to make the local DFL a vibrant party. But perhaps
the sitting-in-a-gym-for-11-hours-on-a-Saturday system of endorsements is a
bit too high a hurdle for the typical Minneapolis DFLer.

-Dale Cooney
Central

On 11/13/05 1:55 AM, "wmmarks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Some of my friends (and DFLers) are arguing that the DFL is toast. It's
> too corrupt and past the point where it can clean house and is too
> arrogant to do so anyway. That could be true.
> 
> WizardMarks, Central
> 

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Re: [Mpls] Green legislative candidates

[David Shove]

It is not cherry-picking.

At the CITY level, for city-level offices,the GP is second. For several
house races it has been second. It is a grass-roots party.

The main problem for higher office is that so far only one Green has been
elected to ANY state legislature in any of the 50 states - over 7000
seats, one Green, in Maine. Everyone is worried about "wasting" a vote,and
so voting for a lot of dead-wood DPers instead, thus guaranteeing that
change will take only that many more years. The GP is grassroots, and
fearful voters keep it to the city level.

I suspect the reason some people may wish to represent the GP as third
even at the city level is that they wish to strip it of power and push a
right-wing agenda, support privatization of parks, etc. The numbers won't
support it.

--David Shove
Roseville



On Sun, 13 Nov 2005, Shawn A. Dorisian wrote:

>   People may not all the facts, but overall the Green Party in Minneapolis is 
> till third overall in the vote.  I hope that those who are supporters of the 
> Greens will stop cherry picking, and actually deal with apples as apples and 
> oranges and oranges.
>
>   Shawn A. Dorisian
>   Phillips
>
>
>
> -
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>
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> 
>
> Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn 
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RE: [Mpls] MPS "computer glitch"

[Diane Wiley]

I agree with you Pat, it is outrageous that this kind of "computer glitch"
should be allowed to occur.  What I was responding to was a previous post
where someone suggested that Audrey should just "clear it up" -- she only
gets around $13,000 a year anyway as a school board member, right?  Many
many people over the years have complained about the school district's
accounting, how you can't understand it and how often there are serious
mistakes [remember the $7 million dollars we lost in federal funding 8 or 9
years ago because they were using the meager Special Ed funds on regular
ed?]  I also think that it's a crying shame that you're not making even
$29,000 as a school aide.  I know how important the aides are, having a kid
with "needs"

Diane Wiley in Tangletown, disgusted again about the district and struggling
to remember that there isn't enough money being put into the schools in the
first place

-Original Message-
From: Pat Bohn [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 10:13 PM
To: Diane Wiley
Cc: 'Tom Madden'; 'Minneapolis Issues'
Subject: Re: [Mpls] MPS "computer glitch"

I have some issues with a school board member being allowed to build up
this kind of debt to the district.  As an employee of the school district, I
can tell you that when there's a "computer glitch" with the payroll
deductions like medical premiums from a teacher  or educational assistant's
check, the money is recouped over the next few paychecks. No other employees
get special deals
to pay partial medical premium deductions.   This fall the first payperiod
for educational assistants was only three days and yet the district took all
deductions from that check.  Many ed. assts
ended up with checks for a few dollars and some others who's pay wouldn't
cover all deductions actually had them taken from the next check.
That $29,000 is money the district didn't have for other uses.  $29,000
is more than I make in a year(even if I work summer school), as an ed. asst.
in the district for 19 years. I'd rather the money had gone toward something
that helps students instead of carrying a debt for a board member.

Buzzy Bohn
Folwell


Diane Wiley wrote:

> I agree that it needs to be cleared up, but who among us has an extra 
> $30,000 laying around -- come on -- if you get paid what most of us get
> paid, you probably are spending most of it on living.   diane wiley -- who
> does definitely NOT have an extra $30
>
> -Original Message-
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On 
> Behalf Of Tom Madden
> Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 1:35 PM
> To: 'Minneapolis Issues'
> Subject: Re: [Mpls] MPS "computer glitch"
>
> Thanks for the article Dan.
>
> Forget David Jennings.  What about personal responsibility?  If this 
> were me, I would not let this stay unresolved for even a few months, 
> let alone years.  Settle up now.  Get the benefit, pay for the 
> benefit.  Man, this stuff makes me angry.
>
> There is a large group of parents, city-wide and across most MPS 
> schools that are working together to make positive changes in 
> overcrowded classroom sizes, the achievement gap, the need for an 
> actual increase in funding from the state/federal level and teacher
stability.
>
> Meanwhile, the Board and Administration now get to be side tracked on 
> something that should have been settled a couple years ago.
>
> One person can clear this up today.  If it takes a credit card or two, 
> so be it. That shouldn't be our (taxpayer, parent, administrative staff)
problem.
>
> Tom Madden
> Lowry Hill
>
> On 11/11/05 6:46 AM, "Dan McGuire" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> > http://www.startribune.com/stories/1592/5720561.html
> > The minute  that David Jennings found out about the error in 
> > billing, it ceased being a "computer glitch" and became a top level 
> > management problem of board compensation.  How many other $30K problems
did he let
> > go unresolved?   $30k here, $30k there; it adds up.
> >
> > Dan McGuire
> >  Ericsson
> >
> > REMINDERS:
> > 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at 
> > http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in 
> > violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before 
> > continuing
> it on the list.
> >
> > 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
> >
> > For state and national discussions see:
> > http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html
> > For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract 
> > 
> >
> > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - 
> > Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, 
> > Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
>
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>
> For stat

[Mpls] Duh??!!

[Jared Chester]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5724628.html

If given a choice, the train will win every time.  Can we please move
beyond the Bus Rapid Transit fad now?  

Jared Chester
Nokomis East. 
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Re: [Mpls] Green legislative candidates

[Shawn A. Dorisian]

  People may not all the facts, but overall the Green Party in Minneapolis is 
till third overall in the vote.  I hope that those who are supporters of the 
Greens will stop cherry picking, and actually deal with apples as apples and 
oranges and oranges.
   
  Shawn A. Dorisian
  Phillips



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Re: [Mpls] Election post mortem ..connecting more park board dots (long)

[Niel Ritchie]

Kumbaya! Brother Scott Nieman calls for healing. Since
he was instrumental in creating the bad blood going
back to 2001, it’s no wonder he wants to move on, and
quickly! 

Steve Nelson rightly pointed out Nieman’s questionable
ethics, serving as the Park Board rep in the redrawing
of district boundaries in 2002.  For list members who
may not have been closely following the Park Board at
that time here’s a bit more of the history and
context. It helps partially explain the energy behind
the budding Park Board Reform movement.

Bob Fine was an At-Large Park Commissioner from
1997-2001. In 2001 he decided to run for the 6th
District seat being vacated by Nieman, whose father
(and brother?) had served on the Park Board before
him.  

Fine lost the DFL endorsement that year to an
energetic, young candidate, one Tracy Nordstrom, who
campaigned aggressively on issues of forest management
and environmental stewardship. 

Nieman publicly supported Fine to be his replacement,
along with Shannon McDonough who basically managed the
campaign. (McDonough went on to become the treasurer
for the PIP’s during their massive, developer-financed
campaign this year.)

Following a narrow victory, Nieman, in a Fine display
of intimidating behavior, filed a post-election
campaign practices complaint against Nordstrom in
Hennepin County. The case was referred to Ramsey
County to investigate. Following hours of phone
interviews and likely thousands of tax dollars spent
on the investigation, the complaint was dismissed as
groundless. 

As Steve Nelson observed, Nieman was then appointed
with the help of then Park Board Chairman Fine to
serve on the Redistricting Commission to help re-draw
the park district boundaries. Apparently, this was
based on the legal theory that nothwithstanding the
rules, Scott’s a fair and trustworthy guy.

Serving alongside Nieman, also representing the Park
Board was none other than Tony Scallon, a well-known
political operative, former City Council Member and
recently one of Peter McLaughlin’s many campaign
managers. 

When the new park maps were done, (in the words of
Gomer Pyle) surprise, surprise! Tracy Nordstrom's
house was moved oddly out of the Sixth District and
into a new Fourth District for this year's elections. 

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/redistricting/docs/parkplan-neighborhoods.pdf

There’s a little dingleberry of East Calhoun blocks
now at the bottom of the fourth district. That’s where
Nordstrom lives. 

So Nordstrom, who was quite likely to take Fine out in
a rematch in 2005, (especially considering how poor
his performance and editorial reviews have been),
would now have to face Vivian Mason, a frustrated and
outspoken critic of Fine and the Board majority. 

Can you say gerrymander? Sure you can. 

Fast forward to today. The Nieman family has a
controversial, sports complex at Fort Snelling bearing
their name and rumors persist about Nieman’s son being
interested in the 6th District seat.

Bob Fine helps engineer the hiring of his
under-qualified high school classmate, Jon Gurban, to
be superintendent, a job he did not apply for. Not
surprisingly Gurban has turned out to be a
disappointment.

A worn-out Vivian Mason retires. Tracy Nordstom wins
handily in a brand new district against the PIPs
hand-picked, well-financed candidate, by working hard
(again) and having a strong reform message. 

And the status quo dodges a bullet as Fine narrowly
wins a bitter race with a lot of help from the De
LaSalle land deal backers, a mix of Catholic voters
and other religious conservatives.

Fine continues his campaign’s tradition of
intimidation, this year carefully timing an 11th hour
complaint against his opponent, Jim Bernstein over
campaign literature Bernstein had been using for
months. 

Fine’s desperate attempt to avoid responsibility for
his record, wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars on
hearings that consumed three judges for three full
days the week before the election. 
The bulk of the claims were dismissed and the
remaining few that hinged on whether Fine mad a
“priority” of cleaning up Lake of the Isles and dutch
elm disease are likely to be appealed and overturned.

Fine is continuing to press his claims, but in his
zeal to cover up his dismal record, he apparently
swore under oath that no one associated with his
campaign had filed a campaign complaint against
Nordstrom in 2001. 

Given Nieman's 2001 efforts, will this too become an
issue?

Stay tuned…..


Niel Ritchie
Linden Hills







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RE: [Mpls] Green legislative candidates

[David Brauer]

Robin notes:

> David Brauer writes:
> 
> "the Greens fielded no state legislative candidates in Minneapolis in
2004."
> 
> There were two Green candidates for state house last year.  Tom Taylor in
59A and Becki
> Smith in 59B.  I know that Tom came in second, beating the Republican
candidate.

My profuse apologies to both candidates. I'm still a bit too locked onto
South Minneapolis; I'm anxious to break out of that habit in my new life.

Tom did indeed beat the Republican, Valdis Rozentals, 21 percent to 17
percent. Becki finished behind Republican Amanda Hutchings 22 percent to 13
percent.

I think overall, the GOP still qualifies as Minneapolis's number two at a
state level, but I should not have excluded the two Green legislative
hopefuls from my analysis.

David Brauer
Kingfield

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