Fruits of density: The Butanes at Nine Nights
The Butanes provide an amazing soul revue at the Minnesota Historical Society's Nine Nights of Music.
Two nutshells
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Public spaces
Klezmer group Millie and the Mentshn warm up for Number 2 of the Minnesota History Center's 2010 Nine Nights of Music series.
Message from your mama
If you go to a concert or other public event just to talk with your friends, go to a bar. If you stay at the event, attend to the event.
Those around you (and you know who you are) would appreciate it. We really didn't show up just to be forced to listen to you talk.
/testy
About time
From Senator Franken's website:
National League of Cities: Local Jobs for America Act Introduced in the Senate
Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) introduced the Local Jobs for America Act (S. 3500), last week, a companion to legislation that was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 4812) earlier this year.
Both the House and Senate bills call for much-needed assistance to cities and towns as they seek to protect essential services and avoid additional layoffs of municipal workers — a harsh reality many local governments are now facing as they enter the 2011 fiscal cycle.
“Cities and municipalities are faced with a terrible dilemma: how to balance budgets while providing critical public services,” Brown said. “While we are seeing the economy slowly recover, local communities cannot afford to do without essential services and further job loss threatens the fragile economic progress we’ve made. … The Local Jobs for America Act would help cities and municipalities save or create jobs even as they face budget crises.”
DFL Maplewood Endorsing Convention - Notes from the field
On June 15 DFL Senate District 55 held an endorsing convention for the Maplewood City Council seat to be filled by special election on August 10, 2010. The seat was vacated by the election of Mayor Rossbach. The special election coincides with the statewide primary.
Of the three candidates who have filed for the office, Marv Koppen and Elizabeth Sletten sought the endorsement. Rebecca Cave did not participate.
Results
| Marv Koppen | 39 |
| Elizabeth Sletten | 4 |
Education news
The Sunday Star Tribune for May 9, 2010 featured the fascinating front page article "State's bad teachers rarely get fired". Since it was designated premium content, it is just now available online.
Be sure to read the whole piece.
Unallotments unalloted
From Minnpost:
[The Minnesota Supreme Court ruling] affirms the previous ruling by Ramsey Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin. The summary sentence says:"The executive branch exceeded its authority under Minn. Stat. § 16A.152, subd. 4 (2008), by using that statute to balance the budget through reducing allotments before the budget-making process was completed."
DFL Fourth Congressional District Convention - Notes from the field
Diana Longrie challenged actual Democrat Representative Betty McCollum for the DFL CD 4 endorsement at today's convention in Roseville.
The 274 voting delegates split
| Representative McCollum | 272 |
| Ms. Longrie | 2 |
The Ramsey County DFL Convention, meeting in the afternoon, endorsed
- Conservation District 1 Supervisor - Janelle Anderson
- Conservation District 4 Supervisor - Carrie Wasley
- County Sheriff - Matt Bostrom
- County Attorney - John Choi
The failed model of 'he said, she said'
The Preamble to the Ethics Code of the Society of Professional Journalists:
Preamble
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues (emphasis added). Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.
From a poll taken by two preeminent institutions of journalism - the New York Times and CBS News:
So only 12% of those polled have learned the truth, which, according to William Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Center and director of the Retirement Security Project at the Brookings Institution, is that "taxes are at their lowest levels in 60 years".
"The relation between what is said in the tax debate and what is true about tax policy is often quite tenuous," Gale told Hotsheet. "The rise of the Tea Party at at time when taxes are literally at their lowest in decades is really hard to understand."
On bipartisanship
John Holbo at Crooked Timber:
Suppose you have a two-party system.
One of these parties enjoys/enforces total party discipline, the other, not: members of the latter party side with their own, or cross the aisle, on individual issues/votes, as conscience or self-interest dictate. Let’s call the completely disciplined party the Partisan Party. The completely undisciplined, the Bipartisan Party (to reflect its principled commitment to always keeping the door open to the higher value of bipartisanship!)
Over time, both parties will push positive proposals/ legislation. Quite obviously, the Bipartisan Party will be at a tactical disadvantage, due to its lax discipline. Less obviously, it will have an ongoing optics problem. All the proposals of the Partisan Party will be bipartisan. That is, a few members of the other party will, predictably, peel off and cross the aisle to stands with the Partisans. None of the proposals of the Bipartisan Party, on the other hand, will ever be bipartisan. No Partisan will ever support a Bipartisan measure. In fact, all proposals of the Bipartisan party will face bipartisan opposition – as a few Bipartisans trudge across the aisle (there are always a few!) to stand with the Partisans. Result: the Partisan party, thanks to its unremitting opposition to bipartisanship, will be able to present itself as the party of bipartisanship, and be able to critique the Bipartisan Party, with considerable force and conviction, as the hypocritically hyperpartisan party of pure partisanship.
[via Matt Yglesias]
Real Democrat [Updated]
Here is another view on the question "what does a real Democrat look like?", this time from Georgia.
Update:
Minnesota 6th Congressional District DFLers have endorsed another actual Democrat, State Senator Tarryl Clark.
The 'but for' test
Vice President Biden explains the 'but for' test:
[From a CBS Special Report. The entire speech is here. The extract is from about 2:30.]
President Obama, a real Democrat
President Obama spoke to the House of Representatives Democratic Caucus on Saturday, March 20,2010 to encourage a 'Yes' vote on health insurance reform. During his remarks he defined what it means to be a Democrat:
[From a C-Span youTube. The entire speech is here. The extract is from about 5:30 in the 3rd segment.]
Land use regulation, density, and sprawl
Matt Yglesius makes a bullet point style argument about land use regulations, density, and sprawl
— Throughout America there are many regulations that restrict the density of the built environment.
— Were it not for these restrictions, people would build more densely.
— Were the built environment more densely built, the metro areas would be less sprawling.
Diana Longrie subject of council administrative presentation from City Attorney
From the Maplewood City Council packet for March 22, 2010, Agenda Item M-1:
CITY ATTORNEY REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MARCH 22, 2010
The City of Maplewood recently became aware that Diana Longrie, in her private practice as an attorney and during her tenure as mayor of the City, represented Patricia Gearin and Wipers Recycling LLC at the same time that Ms. Gearin, Wipers Recycling LLC and Gearin LLC were engaged in litigation against the City and various City officials. Ms. Longrie participated in meetings of the City Council that were closed for attorney-client privileged discussions of litigation strategy relating to the lawsuits brought by Ms. Gearin and her companies. Ms. Longrie did not recuse herself from those discussions, nor did she disclose to the City that she represented Ms. Gearin and Wipers.
More specifically, the City is aware of the following facts in the public record:
• Diana Longrie, a licensed attorney in the state of Minnesota, was elected to office in 2005 and sworn in as Mayor in January 2006. She became a paid public official of the City of Maplewood at that time. Her term of office ended on January 4, 2010.
• A company called Wipers Recycling, L.L.C., moved into the City of Maplewood in the summer of 2007. The company is owned and operated by Patricia Gearin.
• Ms. Longrie represented Ms. Gearin and Wipers Recycling LLC in a civil matter, Recovery Systems Company, Inc. v. Patricia Gearin, Wipers Recycling LLC., 27-CV-06- 14894, Hennepin County, Fourth Judicial District. Court records indicate that Ms. Longrie represented Ms. Gearin and Wipers Recycling LLC from May 2007 until the conclusion of the litigation in November 2007.
• In August 2008, Ms. Gearin, Wipers Recycling LLC, and Gearin LLC brought a federal civil lawsuit against the City and City officials disputing the City’s building and fire code decisions with respect to her building, among other issues. Patricia M. Gearin, et al. v. City of Maplewood, Minnesota, et al., 08-5019 (PJS/AJB). That case is still pending.
• In February 2009, Ms. Gearin, Wipers Recycling LLC, and Gearin LLC brought a state civil lawsuit against the City and City officials disputing the City’s building and fire code decisions with respect to her building, among other issues. Gearin, LLC, et al. v. Vecoplan, LLC, et al., 62-CV-09-1924, Ramsey County, Second Judicial District. That case is still pending.
• In September 2009, Ms. Gearin, Wipers Recycling LLC, and Gearin LLC appealed the decision by the City and its building official that Ms. Gearin changed the use of her building and needed a new certificate of occupancy. They appealed this decision to the state board of appeals of the Department of Labor & Industry. In September 2009, the board upheld the decisions of the City and its building official. Ms. Gearin, Wipers Recycling LLC, and Gearin LLC appealed that decision. That case is still pending before the Office of Administrative Hearings.
• After Ms. Gearin, Wipers Recycling LLC, and Gearin LLC brought a federal lawsuit in August 2008, the City tendered defense of the claims to its insurance provider, the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT), which accepted the claim. The LMCIT contracted with the firm Greene Espel P.L.L.P. to provide the actual legal defense services and Robin Wolpert was assigned as the principal attorney to the file.
• As part of the process of defending the City, Ms. Wolpert met periodically with the City Council in closed sessions to hold attorney-client privileged communications with the Council regarding litigation strategy. During these meetings, the City Council sought legal advice, and Ms. Wolpert provided legal advice, regarding the pending lawsuits. The closed sessions regarding the pending lawsuits that Ms. Longrie participated in included sessions on September 8, 2008; February 23, 2009; July 6, 2009; and September 14, 2009.
• After Ms. Longrie’s term ended, the City learned that she represented Ms. Gearin’s company Wipers Recycling LLC, in another civil lawsuit from April 2009 to the present, Bro-Tex, Inc. v. Wipers Recycling, LLC., 62-CV-09-6032, Ramsey County, Second Judicial District. Court documents indicate that Ms. Longrie appealed the conciliation court decision on behalf of Wipers in May 2009 and remains counsel of record.
• Ms. Longrie represented Ms. Gearin and Wipers Recycling LLC while she was an elected and paid public official and while her client was also suing the City in multiple forums (state, federal, and administrative). Specifically, from the spring of 2009 until the end of her term, Ms. Longrie simultaneously was an attorney for Wipers Recycling LLC and Ms. Gearin and a participant as mayor in closed sessions regarding the suits of Wipers Recycling LLC and Ms. Gearin against the City. Ms. Longrie did not disclose her representation of Ms. Gearin and Wipers Recycling LLC to the City. The City never consented to Ms. Longrie’s actions. Ms. Longrie attended attorney client privileged meetings to discuss litigation strategy related to the pending lawsuits against the City.
Members of the City Council, based on the information contained in this report, I will be reporting these facts to the appropriate state agencies for further investigation.
[Reformatted from the packet PDF. Any formatting errors are mine. Stephan]
DFL Senate District 55 news
Most of the attention of the 160 or so delegates to today's DFL Senate District 55 convention was focused on gubernatorial candidates. The state convention delegate selection process begins by forming a variety of sub-caucuses. Each sub-caucus gathers as much support as it can for some combination of candidates and issues. Most are centered on a gubernatorial candidate and some additional concern, say 'Rybak for universal health care'.
However, about 20% of the delegates, creating by far the largest sub-caucus, set aside expressing a choice for governor to make a united statement that Democratic support should go to an actual Democrat, in this instance 4th Congressional District incumbent Betty McCollum.
Diana Longrie attended the convention asking for support in a challenge to Representative McCollum.
Please leave your car home
While I have no great love for IBM, this commercial is interesting from an urban policy point of view.
I am not sure if it is still true today, but in the 90's the Twin Cities campuses of the University of Minnesota made it expensive to bring a car on campus (difficult, inconvenient, costly parking) and provided free, fast, and frequent mass transit via their dedicated bus service. Shockingly, most students left their cars home and rode the bus.
Fun with municipal data - Updated
This chart documents Stage 2 of the Molsen Hydrologic Cycle.
Update
Astute reader TM points out that this chart only captures that portion of the cycle deliberately enhanced by civil engineering, missing deposits at exterior collection points randomly disbursed in settled areas.
Scam Alert - Census related identity theft
The Maplewood Police Department has issued this scam alert via Nixle:
LATEST IDENTITY THEFT SCAM TRENDS: U.S. Census Scam
Beginning March of this year the U.S. Census Bureau's will send out a short questionnaire to every household in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in an effort to collect important demographic data. As a citizen, you are required by law to respond to the 10 short questions. From April to July, those that haven't completed their census will receive a visit at their home address from a census taker.
Identity criminals are taking advantage of the census law and targeting unsuspecting victims in an attempt to steal sensitive information. The scams perpetrated range from fraudulent emails designed to obtain sensitive information to attempts to impersonate census collectors.
Most Citizens don't think twice about sharing personal information with a census worker, and that's why these scams can be very effective. It's important to remember there are distinct differences between a real census worker and an identity thief posing as a census worker.
U.S. Census workers will have identification, a handheld device and a confidentiality notice. But these things can be easily fabricated, so it's important to know what census workers will not do:
• They will not ask for your Social Security number or financial information, e.g. bank or credit card accounts.
• They will not ask you for money or say that you owe money.
• They will not harass or intimidate you.
• They will not contact you by email- only by phone, by mail, or in person.
For more information on this scam or variations of it visit the Social Security Administration’s website at www.ssa.gov. Use the search function and enter keywords "email scam".
Address/Location
Maplewood Police Department
1830 County Road B E
Maplewood, MN 55109Contact
Emergencies: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 651-249-2600
[h/t LC]
Ho hum - building codes
Effective government, in this case enforced building codes, saves lives.
Earthquake scientists, building engineers and political scientists in Chile and the United States agreed that even though half a million homes were heavily damaged during more than 120 seconds of shaking, the fact that so many Chileans survived was a testament to the nation’s enactment and enforcement of stringent building codes.
Summit smackdown
Sen. Dick Durbin to Republicans: "You think it's a socialist plot and it's wrong? For goodness sakes, drop out of the federal employees health benefit program."
WØrd of the day: Piñata
From wikipedia, Piñata:
A piñata is a brightly-colored papier-mâché covering either a clay container or cardboard shape. It may have originated in China. Marco Polo discovered the Chinese fashioning figures of cows, oxen or buffaloes, covered with colored paper and adorned with harnesses and trappings. Special colors traditionally greeted the New Year. When the mandarins knocked the figure hard with sticks of various colors, seeds spilled forth. After burning the remains, people gathered the ashes for good luck throughout the year. The term 'Piñata' has also come to mean mean a sort of punching bag in the wider sense.
