Good Intentions no substitute for Authentic engagement East Side Pig’s Eye improvement plans
Plans to clean up Pig’s Eye Lake may be well meaning, but were drawn up without public consultation.
Pioneer Press
In St. Paul, taxes rise and rise and rise. Can we talk more about this?
Late last month, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter proposed a supplemental budget in addition to the one he proposed in August, and the City Council must finalize the tax levy before Dec. 31. Do the mayor and City Council view the maximum levy of 22% as extra cash with which to pay for additional projects …
In St. Paul, taxes rise and rise and rise. Can we talk more about this? Read More »
Letters to the Editor: Why single out that candidate?
We couldn’t agree more that candidates need to “listen, explain and engage” with the residents, as Tane Danger wrote on Wednesday’s opinion page. I do wonder why he singled out Patty Hartmann in the Ward 3 City Council race as not being available for a candidate forum. That is far from the only time that has happened …
Letters to the Editor: Why single out that candidate? Read More »
Trash, fees, franchises … St. Paul keeps making costly legal mistakes. Why?
Some people think St. Paul’s current organized trash collection system stinks. No matter where you side on that issue, I think we can all agree that the legal missteps the City made in moving forward with that system were particularly foul. Simple analysis in 2017 should have led officials to understand that a referendum could …
Trash, fees, franchises … St. Paul keeps making costly legal mistakes. Why? Read More »
Let’s know more before we let St. Paul levy more fines
St. Paul’s City Charter is the city’s version of its constitution. It should not be easy to change. Yet, without much if any public awareness, input or debate, our City Council is on the verge of adopting an ordinance to amend the City Charter to give the Council broad power and authority to impose civil …
Let’s know more before we let St. Paul levy more fines Read More »
Judge the Ford site process by openness and accountability, not just by number of meetings
Saint Paul STRONG has observed the Ford Site decision-making process playing out contentiously in our city. A recitation of this process was recently the subject of an opinion piece by Council Member Chris Tolbert in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. What has not been addressed are the reasons why this is increasingly the subject of …
How to address St. Paul’s $32 million ROW hole
Thanks to a unanimous Supreme Court decision, St. Paul seems finally to have “found religion” concerning its problematic $32 million Street Assessment Program, known as the Right of Way maintenance assessment (ROW). The City has conceded that it has no defense to the 2011 court challenge by two Lowertown churches and it has now made …
The High Cost of TIF in St. Paul
St. Paul is yet again setting itself up for more public subsidy lost to private development. As we struggle every year at budget time just to retain and fund our limited public services, more taxpayers are questioning the wisdom of these tax-free development deals. A spokeswoman for the mayor recently made the comment that tax …