Who’s REALLY the Boss at Minneapolis City Hall?
By THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS MINNEAPOLIS
This is the third in a series of six articles about the 2023 Minneapolis City Election, brought to you by the League of Women Voters Minneapolis. All articles available at lwvmpls.org/for-voters
If you’re willing to take on the job, you can claim your rightful power in the running of our city by voting in local elections. And there’s a significant one coming up this November 7th. Due to redistricting, all thirteen Minneapolis Wards will be choosing council members, the people who will speak for you and your neighborhood at City Hall, and advocate for the issues you deem critical to the quality of life in the City of Lakes.
With the recent voter-approved change in the city charter redistributing duties between the mayor and the council, the newly elected city council will focus on creating ordinances and using the power of the purse. In other words, making the rules we all live by and approving which programs and services get money and how much. That’s why being an informed and active local voter is so essential.
For instance, in this session, the Minneapolis City Council has worked on legislation setting rules about the security of reproductive healthcare facilities, including whether protestors may or may not block walkways.… Read the rest “Who’s REALLY the Boss at Minneapolis City Hall?”
From the Desk of State Representative Hodan Hassan
By REP. HODAN HASSAN, District 62B
Friends and neighbors,
The historic 2023 legislative session has officially ended. For the first time in a decade, we were able to move past gridlock and work together under DFL leadership to make some of the most robust investments in Minnesota’s families we’ve ever seen. We also successfully protected reproductive freedom, made major moves towards clean energy, cut taxes by $100 million, cracked down on catalytic converter thefts, expanded voting rights, strengthened gun violence prevention measures, made investments to address the housing crisis, legalized adult-use cannabis, and made major investments for infrastructure improvements across the state – and that just begins to scratch the surface.
One thing I want you to know about me is I put my constituents in South Minneapolis first. That’s why I fought for robust investments for our community and delivered over $78 million for Minneapolis Public schools, $27 million in grants, and $9 million in business loans through NDC and MEDA for South Minneapolis to rebuild Lake Street and other cultural and economic corridors sustaining infrastructure damage after the murder of George Floyd. I also championed major investments in our community’s economy. I’m incredibly excited to share these victories with you, but make no mistake: there is more work to be done in 2024 and beyond.… Read the rest “From the Desk of State Representative Hodan Hassan”
PHC: The Absurd Society
By MARTI MALTBY
This morning, one of Peace House Community’s members stopped by to say hi. He hadn’t been here for a few months, and I was glad to see him. When I asked how he was doing, he smiled, said, “I’m doing alright”, and held up his hands to show me that all his fingers had been amputated this winter because of frostbite. I expressed sorrow at his situation, but he continued smiling and said, “Oh, you know how it is being homeless. This happens. But I’ve learned how to sign my name. I can use a fork now.” After a few more minutes of chatting he left to get on with his day, and I came back inside to try to make sense of what I had just seen and heard.
Every winter, people lose anything from their fingers to their lives because one of the richest states in the richest country in the world can’t figure out how to pay for proper housing. We’re more comfortable watching some people suffer so that others can live luxurious lives than we are with solving this problem.
As someone whose wife has Amazon Prime, and who can get almost anything they want without leaving their living room, I am one of the ones with a luxurious life.… Read the rest “PHC: The Absurd Society”
