I don’t know what the discussions look like behind closed DFL doors, but I have to believe topic number one is dealing with the fraud and topic two is what to do about the DSA. To me the fraud issue is straightforward: design better systems and provide much stronger oversight.
The DSA dilemma perhaps is more complex. The DFL wants as many people under the umbrella as possible. But embracing the DSA simultaneously scares away rural DFL’ers and moderates, and energizes the Republican base. My belief is it’s not worth it to the DFL to embrace the DSA. They need to clearly and publicly distance themselves. At the same time, the DFL needs to acknowledge and address the realities (affordability, homelessness, etc.) that spawned the DSA in the first place.
Yesterday, auditors reported that DHS staff responsible for overseeing the Behavioral Health program had been backdating paperwork and were unable to verify that required site visits had taken place. Everywhere auditors look, they seem to be finding problems. At this point, it appears unlikely that fraud and oversight issues will be resolved anytime soon.
Systems appear to be total crap. I mean total crap.
About 15 years ago I was part of a team implementing 4 ISO standards at our corporate site. ISO done correctly ensures these problems don’t happen. Internal audits are built in, and the internal auditors are audited by an independent 3rd party external auditor. One year our site was audited 8 times from various angles.
The state would do well to pursue ISO certification.
Thank you for this piece. I so appreciate you drawing attention to CM Osman, with his history of being more than just crime adjacent, on all things theft and fraud.
Monday was an outrageous display, by what is still the majority on the council. We know this was all pounded out by this group, beginning shortly after the city election, as they EXCLUDED so many who were elected here in Mpls.
In terms of how we, in Mpls, look to those around the state and the country, especially by placing Osman as the VP on the council, this makes for excellent news coverage for many, doing more damage to this great city and state, as we continue to get hurt, and unnecessarily so.
CM Osman, you have hurt the City and the Somali community here, as did everyone who voted to put you into these City positions on Monday.
Thank you for reporting on the new and old mechanics of our student city council. Unfortunately they appear to be setting up the actual decision makers to be primarily DSA ideologists. It is discouraging to believe that on the first meeting of the year they have already worked at freezing out the moderate voices that residents worked hard to elect especially with the current climate of Minnesota fraud and discourse politics. It should be obvious to anyone truly interested in helping Minneapolis residents and businesses thrive and survive that the council must use every single prior work/life/lense experience that the entire council members possess to restore confidence in our elected officials. Egos must get out of the way and common sense needs to prevail.
Please continue your efforts of sharing these important insights about our local politics. We need to continue to build a group of loud voices in our city to ensure the council, mayor and governer hear from the collective community when we believe they are coloring outside the lines.
I would ask one thing: how could you not at least put one of the more moderate council members in as the "minority leader"? Now, the moderate democrats have no voice in the leadership of the council, and therefore the majority of the city is not represented at all in the leadership.
In what deliberative assembly, anywhere, does the presiding officer "invent" the positions of "Majority Leader" and "Minority Leader" and then have the entire body elect each of them? Especially when there are 12 members of one party (DFL) and one member of no party? And when the 12 members of that one party are divided into two identifiable factions, with one marginally larger than the other (because it also contains the one no-party individual)... but the Majority Leader and Minority Leader are both from the larger faction? And the "Minority Leader" promptly proclaims that the "minority" she intends to lead... includes, as a member, the Majority Leader?!?!? This all sounds like a high school social studies project where the assignment is to set up a new legislature... and these 13 students get a collective "F". I can't wait for my CM's first community meeting, so I can ask him what in the world they are DOING...?!?
Terry, You wrote: "...many local reporters and publications... are baffled by how one YouTube video could instigate the type of change that multiple reports from local outlets could not." The problem here is that the local publications in question are guilty of not understanding the changing face of media - and media consumption - in America. Folks CAN (and DO) get coverage that figuratively says "Here is what we learned, and because of this, So-and-So MUST BE MADE TO PAY BECAUSE THEY ARE BAD !!!" And folks seem to like this. (sigh)
Now, I love "Minnesota Reformer". I really do. And if you have ever subscribed to the nation-wide "umbrella" group to which they are affiliated, States Newsroom, you know that the good folks at MN Reformer are WAY less partisan and slanted in their coverage than their "parent" is. MN Reformer is two or three YEARS into uncovering embarrassing aspects of the MN multi-frauds scandal, and, lately, they have not been shy about reminding us, their readers, of that fact.
However, they just refuse to take the REQUIRED next step toward full news-media relevance in today's world - by shouting in their work something to the effect of "THIS is BAD, and the SCREW-UPS need to be MADE ACCOUNTABLE...!!!
I understand why they don't do it - In a state, county, and city run by DFLers, it's hard to really SCREAM about government screw-up events without looking like you are a part of the opposition to the DFL (i.e. - a tool of the GOP). But it is absolutely necessary. It's "tough love". Otherwise, the kinds of things they DO write just seem boring to all save politics junkies like you and me... until somebody comes along with sensational (and probably not even fair) video with an ATTITUDE.
And then one's protestation that one has been on top of the story for YEARS is met with "...Yeah. OK. Whatever... But... DID YOU SEE THIS VIDEO?!?!" It's not fair, but it will keep happening until local media outlets understand the media environment we HAVE (rather than what you, and I , and they, may wish we had) and start to behave in ways that not only inform, but also MOVE people to ACTION.
I wish we still lived in a time in which it was enough for journalists to just ferret out the facts and report, and expect that office-holders and institutions and voters will then "do the right thing". But we don't live in that time any more. ACTION requires the fact-finder ALSO to DRIVE appropriate response from the Body Politic.
I just want to note that it’s quite possible (likely?) that the real reason Walz ended his run for a third term was the then impending release of the auditors report. That report is far more substantive and damaging than any “citizen journalism”. I watched part of the House oversight committee hearing and it sounds like this could easily lead to criminal prosecutions of people within the Walz administration and possibly Walz himself depending on what further evidence is uncovered. Walz is blowing smoke when he deflects to YouTubers and Trump. There’s a lot of rope here and he could be the body swinging at the terminal end if he’s not careful.
Waltz's comments are typical, he has become to narcissistic to see that he could be culpable of doing something wrong. He is not running for the betterment of the state, not because he did anything wrong.
The DSA appears to be using violence prevention money and direct legislative grants from supporters in the legislature to help fund their political base. Cutting off these funding sources is a good first step. Also much better oversight of these grantees by the attorney general.
The Park board elections were a complete disaster for our parks and our city. So many people did not pay attention to these elections. Starting with the endorsements that came out of the fraudulent convention.
I don’t know what the discussions look like behind closed DFL doors, but I have to believe topic number one is dealing with the fraud and topic two is what to do about the DSA. To me the fraud issue is straightforward: design better systems and provide much stronger oversight.
The DSA dilemma perhaps is more complex. The DFL wants as many people under the umbrella as possible. But embracing the DSA simultaneously scares away rural DFL’ers and moderates, and energizes the Republican base. My belief is it’s not worth it to the DFL to embrace the DSA. They need to clearly and publicly distance themselves. At the same time, the DFL needs to acknowledge and address the realities (affordability, homelessness, etc.) that spawned the DSA in the first place.
Yesterday, auditors reported that DHS staff responsible for overseeing the Behavioral Health program had been backdating paperwork and were unable to verify that required site visits had taken place. Everywhere auditors look, they seem to be finding problems. At this point, it appears unlikely that fraud and oversight issues will be resolved anytime soon.
Systems appear to be total crap. I mean total crap.
About 15 years ago I was part of a team implementing 4 ISO standards at our corporate site. ISO done correctly ensures these problems don’t happen. Internal audits are built in, and the internal auditors are audited by an independent 3rd party external auditor. One year our site was audited 8 times from various angles.
The state would do well to pursue ISO certification.
Thank you for this piece. I so appreciate you drawing attention to CM Osman, with his history of being more than just crime adjacent, on all things theft and fraud.
Monday was an outrageous display, by what is still the majority on the council. We know this was all pounded out by this group, beginning shortly after the city election, as they EXCLUDED so many who were elected here in Mpls.
In terms of how we, in Mpls, look to those around the state and the country, especially by placing Osman as the VP on the council, this makes for excellent news coverage for many, doing more damage to this great city and state, as we continue to get hurt, and unnecessarily so.
CM Osman, you have hurt the City and the Somali community here, as did everyone who voted to put you into these City positions on Monday.
Hi Terry
Thank you for reporting on the new and old mechanics of our student city council. Unfortunately they appear to be setting up the actual decision makers to be primarily DSA ideologists. It is discouraging to believe that on the first meeting of the year they have already worked at freezing out the moderate voices that residents worked hard to elect especially with the current climate of Minnesota fraud and discourse politics. It should be obvious to anyone truly interested in helping Minneapolis residents and businesses thrive and survive that the council must use every single prior work/life/lense experience that the entire council members possess to restore confidence in our elected officials. Egos must get out of the way and common sense needs to prevail.
Please continue your efforts of sharing these important insights about our local politics. We need to continue to build a group of loud voices in our city to ensure the council, mayor and governer hear from the collective community when we believe they are coloring outside the lines.
I would ask one thing: how could you not at least put one of the more moderate council members in as the "minority leader"? Now, the moderate democrats have no voice in the leadership of the council, and therefore the majority of the city is not represented at all in the leadership.
One would think some of our city council would be worried about the Feds coming here to audit. There is a chance one or 2 will not finish their term.
In what deliberative assembly, anywhere, does the presiding officer "invent" the positions of "Majority Leader" and "Minority Leader" and then have the entire body elect each of them? Especially when there are 12 members of one party (DFL) and one member of no party? And when the 12 members of that one party are divided into two identifiable factions, with one marginally larger than the other (because it also contains the one no-party individual)... but the Majority Leader and Minority Leader are both from the larger faction? And the "Minority Leader" promptly proclaims that the "minority" she intends to lead... includes, as a member, the Majority Leader?!?!? This all sounds like a high school social studies project where the assignment is to set up a new legislature... and these 13 students get a collective "F". I can't wait for my CM's first community meeting, so I can ask him what in the world they are DOING...?!?
Richard Carlbom seems to be in waaaaay over his head.
Terry, You wrote: "...many local reporters and publications... are baffled by how one YouTube video could instigate the type of change that multiple reports from local outlets could not." The problem here is that the local publications in question are guilty of not understanding the changing face of media - and media consumption - in America. Folks CAN (and DO) get coverage that figuratively says "Here is what we learned, and because of this, So-and-So MUST BE MADE TO PAY BECAUSE THEY ARE BAD !!!" And folks seem to like this. (sigh)
Now, I love "Minnesota Reformer". I really do. And if you have ever subscribed to the nation-wide "umbrella" group to which they are affiliated, States Newsroom, you know that the good folks at MN Reformer are WAY less partisan and slanted in their coverage than their "parent" is. MN Reformer is two or three YEARS into uncovering embarrassing aspects of the MN multi-frauds scandal, and, lately, they have not been shy about reminding us, their readers, of that fact.
However, they just refuse to take the REQUIRED next step toward full news-media relevance in today's world - by shouting in their work something to the effect of "THIS is BAD, and the SCREW-UPS need to be MADE ACCOUNTABLE...!!!
I understand why they don't do it - In a state, county, and city run by DFLers, it's hard to really SCREAM about government screw-up events without looking like you are a part of the opposition to the DFL (i.e. - a tool of the GOP). But it is absolutely necessary. It's "tough love". Otherwise, the kinds of things they DO write just seem boring to all save politics junkies like you and me... until somebody comes along with sensational (and probably not even fair) video with an ATTITUDE.
And then one's protestation that one has been on top of the story for YEARS is met with "...Yeah. OK. Whatever... But... DID YOU SEE THIS VIDEO?!?!" It's not fair, but it will keep happening until local media outlets understand the media environment we HAVE (rather than what you, and I , and they, may wish we had) and start to behave in ways that not only inform, but also MOVE people to ACTION.
I wish we still lived in a time in which it was enough for journalists to just ferret out the facts and report, and expect that office-holders and institutions and voters will then "do the right thing". But we don't live in that time any more. ACTION requires the fact-finder ALSO to DRIVE appropriate response from the Body Politic.
I just want to note that it’s quite possible (likely?) that the real reason Walz ended his run for a third term was the then impending release of the auditors report. That report is far more substantive and damaging than any “citizen journalism”. I watched part of the House oversight committee hearing and it sounds like this could easily lead to criminal prosecutions of people within the Walz administration and possibly Walz himself depending on what further evidence is uncovered. Walz is blowing smoke when he deflects to YouTubers and Trump. There’s a lot of rope here and he could be the body swinging at the terminal end if he’s not careful.
Waltz's comments are typical, he has become to narcissistic to see that he could be culpable of doing something wrong. He is not running for the betterment of the state, not because he did anything wrong.
An excellent piece, just out in Minneapolis Times on this.
https://minneapolistimes.com/real-solutions-to-fraud-in-minnesota/
The United States of Somalia
https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/the-united-states-of-somalia
The DSA appears to be using violence prevention money and direct legislative grants from supporters in the legislature to help fund their political base. Cutting off these funding sources is a good first step. Also much better oversight of these grantees by the attorney general.
In other news, Parks Board chair Tom Olsen plans to introduce a measure to close the parkways to cars at tonight’s meeting. https://minneapolistimes.com/park-board-president-tom-olsen-proposes-closing-parkways-to-cars-as-first-act-as-park-board-president/
The Park board elections were a complete disaster for our parks and our city. So many people did not pay attention to these elections. Starting with the endorsements that came out of the fraudulent convention.
It was a mistake to allow park board endorsements to stand.