‘Miscellany’ Archives
Mayor Frey’s La-la Land
By MARTI MALTBY On July 30, Mayor Jacob Frey sent out a weekly update that claimed, among other things, that “Under Mayor Jacob Frey’s leadership, Minneapolis is seeing meaningful progress in addressing unsheltered homelessness.“ The update went on to tout the lower costs to the City in encampment closures and a reduction in 911 and 311 calls (85% and 87% respectively) involving encampments. Overall, the Update painted a rosy picture of homelessness in Minneapolis under Mayor Frey’s leadership. Marti Maltby I doubt many alley readers agree with Mayor Frey’s message. Yes, the City has cracked down on encampments, reducing many problems associated with encampments. But the problems associated with homelessness . . . well, those are still with us. The crackdown has simply scattered encampment dwellers to other parts of the neighborhoods. And the problems have moved with them. I don’t need to belabor the point. Anyone who lives or works [...]
Behind the Decisions: What the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) Does for Minneapolis
by LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS This is the fourth article in the League of Women Voters Minneapolis 2025 Democracy Series. All articles will be available at lwvmpls.org/democracy-series/ In the November election, you will have the opportunity to select members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET). What responsibilities do these board members have? How might decisions made by these boards affect you? How can you make an informed decision on who to vote for so your choice of candidate aligns with your values and concerns? Responsibilities of the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) BET may not be on your radar every day, but the decisions it makes affect you greatly. This board decides the maximum cap on the total property tax dollars our city government can collect. This is called a levy. Before setting the levy, the board holds public hearings to listen to Minneapolis residents’ opinions. For 2025, the city’s overall property tax levy [...]
An Origin Story of the alley
“Let me make the newspaper and I care not who makes the religion and the laws.” . . . Wendell Phillips 1811-1884 the alley’s first issue was January 1976. Forethought and planning spanned years. The “press” “dummy” was cut and pasted on an improvised glass table lit by a lamp below beginning September 1975. One person led production in a living room at 25th St. & 18th Av. with several people and influenced by Phillips' neighbors. Photographs were developed in a closet-size darkroom. Why? Conversations between neighbors hoped for a better way to talk with bureaucrats and politicians about changes happening to their Neighborhood; and for a means to talk with each other, 22,000 people of Phillips. Inner city life became complicated due to Federal urban renewal after the Great Depression and FDR’s New Deal, 1933, following WWII. Maps, charts, graphs, legal language, and Robert's Rules of Order were a foreign language to many. People wished for [...]
