Minneapolis Observer Quarterly - City Hall Diary

Identity Theft

Sat, 19 Aug 2006 10:31:05 -0500

We’re relatively certain that when our hard-working council members are out amongst the rabble, they often go unrecognized. Theirs is not, after all, the sort of high-profile position that is often featured on the evening news (so long as they steer clear of the FBI, at least). But in the familiar confines of City Hall, everybody pretty much knows everybody else.

City Hall Diary: Thinking outside the planter box

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 12:54:15 -0500

The city has worked long and hard to spruce up downtown, but that doesn’t mean that beauty and practicality don’t sometimes collide.

Take last week's encounter between members of the Transportation and Public Works Committee and the well-meaning folks from the Carlyle condo project on Third Avenue. The Carlyle blueprint originally called for planters connected to the building, a plan that was rejected by Heritage Preservation Commission. So the developers moved the planters out to the curb, a plan that was vetoed by the Public Works Department because they interfered with pedestrian traffic. Distraught, the Carlyle folks appealed the decision and came to the committee hoping for some compromise.

February 10: Funkytown

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 11:41:41 -0600

Today’s council meeting was dragging through a protracted debate about the joys and sorrows of the city’s current garbage contract, when quite out of the blue the p.a. system in chambers erupted with a thumping disco beat from some unidentified source. The music left council president Barbara Johnson speechless, but our mayor, seated at the far end of the dais, jumped right into some righteous dance moves.

Missing Wally

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 09:09:00 -0600

We learned today that Ward 9 Council Member Gary Schiff is a bit of a basketball fan--at least when a certain player is on the court.

This revelation came to light midway through the council’s agenda when the matter of a new bar’s liquor license approval came up for a vote. The establishment, called NBA City and located in the Target Center, where our Timberwolves play, caught the attention of CM Schiff, who suggested the council place a rather peculiar condition on its liquor license approval.

Black Like Me

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:14:18 -0600

With the mayor and the City Council gradually moving through its biennial re-appointment dance, we’ve had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Duane Reed in chambers more often than usual.

Mr. Reed, the articulate leader of the local chapter of the NAACP, typically appears whenever there is a mayoral appointment to be confirmed. He strides up to the podium and cautions council members about “transparency” in the appointment process and the need to cast a wide net so applicants of all backgrounds may be considered.

Going Away (Please) Party

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:42:57 -0600

We’re not privy, of course, to the really inside political wrangling that occurs at the upper levels of City Hall, but we were reminded today in council chambers that there are dark dealings that seldom are exposed to the public light.

A Fitting Show of Patriotism

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:44:29 -0600

The City Hall rotunda was packed for this morning’s inauguration, with such luminaries as Sen. Mark Dayton and St. Paul Mayor-Elect Chris Coleman in attendance. Even our furtive police chief, William McManus showed up, resplendent in his dress blues.

Comedy Central

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:45:56 -0600

The best of several great lines in today’s farewells to the four Council Members who are ending their City Hall service came from the ever-intriguing Natalie Johnson Lee.

She tipped her cap to city staff, who “have to serve multiple personalities--sometimes in the same person” before turning to Mayor R.T. Rybak and quipping, “Work on the hair thing, OK?”

Thank You and Good Night

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:47:20 -0600

We stumbled today on a bit of history. Mr. Jim Moncur, who for 30 years labored in the city’s license department, was making the rounds to say goodbye. Unencumbered by suit coat or tie, the affable Mr. Moncur made his way among staffers and council members at the Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee, receiving handshakes and hugs all around.

Homeland Security

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:49:07 -0600

We stopped off at the mayor’s office before today’s CODEFOR meeting and were delighted to see Mayor Rybak’s bodyguard, Officer Mike Kirchen. We chatted for a few minutes about our shared rotator cuff problems (he’s having surgery next year; we’re not), and as we ambled down the hall toward the council chambers for the weekly police meeting, I asked him where the mayor was.

Touché

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 12:07:08 -0600

(November 18) Today’s otherwise uneventful City Council meeting ended with a surprise: the redoubtable Ward 13 independent, Barret Lane, delivered his two-week notice, informing his colleagues that he was skipping off to the private sector a month early and installing his successor, Betsy Hodges, on December 5.

A Self-Interested Vote

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:50:15 -0600

There was a changing of the guard in chambers today, as Council Member Barret Lane, the often-crusty independent voice of the 13th Ward, formally stepped aside to make room for his successor, Betsy Hodges.

The Bodyguard

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 12:05:48 -0600

(November 3)We came downtown this morning to witness the final public debate between Mayor R.T. Rybak and Commissioner Peter McLaughlin and had the good fortune to meet Officer Michael Kirchen, the young man whose job it is to serve as the mayor’s bodyguard.

October

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 13:51:19 -0500

September 12
Nuclear Reaction
Former fire chief Rocco Forte was holding forth today on the city’s disaster preparedness challenges in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He regaled members of the Health and Human Services committee with scenarios that, under the circumstances, took on more immediacy than some would have preferred. This, of course, did not prevent Council Member Paul Zerby from speculating on the safety of the region’s nuclear reactors, which caused committee chair Natalie Johnson Lee to grimace slightly.

The Omnibus Furry Animal Bill

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:57:57 -0500

(August 19) We have always thought of Council Member Gary Schiff as the council’s most aggressive legislator, as he has shown a keener interest than most in tweaking our bulging volume of laws in order to solve some problem. But this morning we could only sit open-mouthed and aghast as CM Dan Niziolek, the loquacious 10th Ward representative, came forward with no fewer than five new ordinances, addressing everything from environmental management to ferrets, rabbits, and rabies regulation.