While she lacks the public speaking charisma of her opponent, DeMello more than makes up for it with clarity around the issues and approaches to fix. I hope a majority of Ward 11 voters see this.
Agree! The City and Ward 11 would be so lucky to have her..
Past the mess and unfairness of the DFL endorsement process, a process that no longer serves the City, my hope is that people will reach out and try MEET both of these candidates before deciding how to spend their votes. It is an investment in their future.
Yeah I think where it gets contentious is the cost : benefit of municipal shoveling programs. I'm neither for nor against, but I think that's where the question gets interesting.
I am most definitely against it. I posted this on Robin wonsley's timeline a while ago. Of course she never responds. Granted. She probably thinks I'm a troll LOL
SOCIALISM : What could possibly go wrong? Well let's start with the municipal snow shoveling. IIRC this could cost the city tens of MILLIONS of dollars. Wouldn't there be a big need to buy equipment and hire people? This would likely require a BIG increase in property taxes or the creation of a new fee, which could face pretty strong opposition from residents ( you know like in SimCity), particularly those who already shovel their own sidewalks. Which for home owners is like what 90%?
Implementing a program on this scale is a large logistical undertaking. It would require a huge cadre of workers, an Armada of specialized equipment (i.e., sidewalk plows & snow blowers), and a highly detailed plan for clearing more than a thousand miles of sidewalks within a reasonable timeframe after a snowfall. The city would really need to define what constitutes a "snow event" and establish clear priorities and routes, similar to its street plowing operations.
You might not be aware of it, but currently people need to clear their own sidewalks. We have 24 hours to get it done. I know you're not a homeowner so you might not be aware of this. Municipal snow shoveling program would take longer, and it might even mean some residents would have to wait a few days? I mean let's face it a big snowstorm can mean 3 days before some of the streets get plowed. How long would it take for sidewalks? 4 days ? 5 days... I mean there's basically logistical issues to resolve as far as even getting people and equipment to the sidewalks that need to be shoveled .And in general government is not always known for efficiency so...
Listen, part of the deal with getting a house is you are responsible for it. Do I like to shovel snow? No, I do not. But I think it's part and parcel of the responsibility of being a homeowner. Same thing for those who have businesses or other property. The percentage of people who don't live up to this responsibility is Small What is it like? 5%?, Plus you have processes and procedures to deal with this within the current city system. Why should the homeowners and business owners and other property owners have to pay to have the city come shovel their sidewalk? This is just ridiculous.
P.S. And yes of course the city should offer help to help people who are handicapped, elderly, Etc And my understanding is there are already programs for that.
A well-stated case against it based on cost and service quality. We probably agree more than disagree. But just to say, I am a homeowner and very familiar with requirements on shoveling.
Yep, like I said, I just copied and pasted that from what I shared with Wonsley. I didn't mean to direct it at you personally. She has a tactic of always telling one side of the story. Sometimes I like to try to highlight the other side to introduce a little bit of nuance to her One-sided narrative
I am going to isolate this comment to one issue from this interview. She seems to not quite understand the issues around municipal snow removal. I would encourage her to read up on this so she can answer the questions better next time. The issue is not about helping elderly and disabled, that's already available. The issue is should the city spend millions to put in the socialist agenda and remove snow from sidewalks for all.
I must admit, I’m not well informed on the full extent of what is intended. I thought they tried a pilot last year, we had less snow than normal, and so there was money left in the budget.
Yes. The socialists want a citywide snow removal system for sidewalks. I don't think they care if it costs a million or 100 million. That's what they want to do. I'm being a little bit snarky.
The pilots reflected that it cost about half what they thought it would cost. Unfortunately this will be taken as a green light to move forward with expanded program.
She sounds like a true Democrat, not a Moderate Democrat, maybe we should adopt that title instead of one that implies "not as much". Words do have meaning these days so maybe let's use them appropriately.
While she lacks the public speaking charisma of her opponent, DeMello more than makes up for it with clarity around the issues and approaches to fix. I hope a majority of Ward 11 voters see this.
Agree! The City and Ward 11 would be so lucky to have her..
Past the mess and unfairness of the DFL endorsement process, a process that no longer serves the City, my hope is that people will reach out and try MEET both of these candidates before deciding how to spend their votes. It is an investment in their future.
Yeah I think where it gets contentious is the cost : benefit of municipal shoveling programs. I'm neither for nor against, but I think that's where the question gets interesting.
It could be tied to a volunteer program, a way for people to give back
I am most definitely against it. I posted this on Robin wonsley's timeline a while ago. Of course she never responds. Granted. She probably thinks I'm a troll LOL
SOCIALISM : What could possibly go wrong? Well let's start with the municipal snow shoveling. IIRC this could cost the city tens of MILLIONS of dollars. Wouldn't there be a big need to buy equipment and hire people? This would likely require a BIG increase in property taxes or the creation of a new fee, which could face pretty strong opposition from residents ( you know like in SimCity), particularly those who already shovel their own sidewalks. Which for home owners is like what 90%?
Implementing a program on this scale is a large logistical undertaking. It would require a huge cadre of workers, an Armada of specialized equipment (i.e., sidewalk plows & snow blowers), and a highly detailed plan for clearing more than a thousand miles of sidewalks within a reasonable timeframe after a snowfall. The city would really need to define what constitutes a "snow event" and establish clear priorities and routes, similar to its street plowing operations.
You might not be aware of it, but currently people need to clear their own sidewalks. We have 24 hours to get it done. I know you're not a homeowner so you might not be aware of this. Municipal snow shoveling program would take longer, and it might even mean some residents would have to wait a few days? I mean let's face it a big snowstorm can mean 3 days before some of the streets get plowed. How long would it take for sidewalks? 4 days ? 5 days... I mean there's basically logistical issues to resolve as far as even getting people and equipment to the sidewalks that need to be shoveled .And in general government is not always known for efficiency so...
Listen, part of the deal with getting a house is you are responsible for it. Do I like to shovel snow? No, I do not. But I think it's part and parcel of the responsibility of being a homeowner. Same thing for those who have businesses or other property. The percentage of people who don't live up to this responsibility is Small What is it like? 5%?, Plus you have processes and procedures to deal with this within the current city system. Why should the homeowners and business owners and other property owners have to pay to have the city come shovel their sidewalk? This is just ridiculous.
P.S. And yes of course the city should offer help to help people who are handicapped, elderly, Etc And my understanding is there are already programs for that.
A well-stated case against it based on cost and service quality. We probably agree more than disagree. But just to say, I am a homeowner and very familiar with requirements on shoveling.
Yep, like I said, I just copied and pasted that from what I shared with Wonsley. I didn't mean to direct it at you personally. She has a tactic of always telling one side of the story. Sometimes I like to try to highlight the other side to introduce a little bit of nuance to her One-sided narrative
Oh got it, I didn't pick up on that. Thanks.
I am going to isolate this comment to one issue from this interview. She seems to not quite understand the issues around municipal snow removal. I would encourage her to read up on this so she can answer the questions better next time. The issue is not about helping elderly and disabled, that's already available. The issue is should the city spend millions to put in the socialist agenda and remove snow from sidewalks for all.
I must admit, I’m not well informed on the full extent of what is intended. I thought they tried a pilot last year, we had less snow than normal, and so there was money left in the budget.
Yes. The socialists want a citywide snow removal system for sidewalks. I don't think they care if it costs a million or 100 million. That's what they want to do. I'm being a little bit snarky.
The pilots reflected that it cost about half what they thought it would cost. Unfortunately this will be taken as a green light to move forward with expanded program.
She sounds like a true Democrat, not a Moderate Democrat, maybe we should adopt that title instead of one that implies "not as much". Words do have meaning these days so maybe let's use them appropriately.
This is an old article on municipal snow removal from sidewalks. But it has some good background information.
https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2023/02/is-minneapolis-fed-up-enough-with-snowy-sidewalks-to-pay-for-a-citywide-path-plowing-program/
Some more recent information with an update on the pilots Etc
https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/06/24/minneapolis-sidewalk-snow-clearing-cost