The list of accomplishments by Council Members are if anything laughable. So for comic relief I will watch for more on the accomplishments of Robert Lilligren and the others. Sitting through meetings without real input is not exactly the "experience" we usually think of as positive. Experience at doing nothing but glad-handing? I believe what is needed is leadership experience, not just being there.
The same is true for many Wards. Minneapolis simply does NOT have the quality of leadership that it previously enjoyed. Alice Rainville, Tony Scallon, Lisa McDonald, Steve Minn, and yes even Brian Herron with his unbelievable service and attention to needs of people in his Ward and in other Wards, showed leadership that simply is not present in Minneapolis today. Donald Fraser, and even Sharon Sales-Belton showed more leadership; small as it was.
Heck, as much as I went after Dean Zimmerman for his involvement with the Sabris, I have to admit he gave better personal service and attention to those in his Ward. Dean also NEVER would have sold out the neighborhoods to Rybak, and lead the effort to kill NRP. In that Lilligren did show leadership, he did lead the destruction of NRP at the behest of the Mayor. One wonders what number of pieces of silver he was offered for the knife in the back of the residents of Minneapolis.
I also found the recent comment about Lilligren following Brian Herron and Jim Niland's lead on re-opening Nicollet fairly laughable. As someone with specific knowledge of that proposed development, I found NO leadership from either one on the re-opening. As for Sears, please get real. Sears was going to happen regardless of Lilligren, or without the present developer. While Mayor R.T. Rybak had something to do with selection of the developer who did it, prospective developers of the Sears site were seeking out Sharon while she was still Mayor. I think I might still have pictures of Dean Kallenback meeting with developers when he was running for the Sixth Ward eight years ago. Sears was going to happen regardless!
Let's see experience:
1. Experience with selling out the Library after spending how many millions on the new building?
2. Experience with killing NRP, a nationally and internationally acclaimed program of community empowerment and participatory democracy.
3. Experience with that joke of a "Green Roof" on a sports stadium, that expert’s say IS a joke.
4. Experience supporting the hidden regressive taxes called "Fees"
5. Experience adding "Storm Water" fees unfairly on poor renters in the inner-city.
6. Experience attempting to put "Lighting Fees" on the backs of poor residents of Minneapolis.
7. Experience of being in office and mismanaging a City while regressive taxes on poor homeowners and renters rose about two hundred percent in eight years
Yes, one would have to say Robert and the present Council Members have "Experience" in office!
With all of this, there is very little chance that Robert Lilligren will NOT be the next 6th Ward Council Member. The new system, with no primary to consolidate support (and opposition) and air issues will so split the opposition that it will be nearly impossible for anyone to defeat Robert.
By the way, that is why there was no opposition and full support for the new system by the sitting politicians. They had to be laughing when that passed. The ONLY way to unseat a sitting incumbent is to build momentum through a primary run, which is why NO ONE seems to care about the present election. WHY should the media cover this election, it is pretty much a done deal if someone doesn't get indicted. The ONLY place the IRV system will be effective is the races for seats where there is NO incumbent. IRV guarantees that sitting politicians have even less chance to be thrown out. So why should the media cover the races? There being any chance for "new" news in these elections is fairly slim. So why waste ink and space that suburban readers do not care about anyway.
Yes, I think we will have to wait four more years to get real change in Minneapolis. Unless RT Rybak gives up his seat as Mayor to run for Gov.; but what are the chances of that? It is why RT is running for a seat as Mayor which he clearly no longer desires. It gives RT job insurance for four years, and possibly more with the new system limiting any challenger from having any real chance of ousting him. If RT does the ethical thing and gives up the Mayors office when he runs, then we will have a scramble for his seat that might open up Minneapolis for some new, and possibly more effective, leadership.
Of course there is always the chance that a whole lot of people will like the musical fun, and common sense of the Old Papa John. After all the reason RT was first elected was he was saying much the same things as Papa John is now saying. Of course with more polish and more fluff than Papa John.
