I think back to when I moved to Minneapolis in 1986. Minnesota had a reputation of being a high-tax state, but also one having a high quality of life. Our workforce was phenomenal in large part because our education system was superb. Healthcare was the best in the nation. Access to public services such as parks set us apart too. It was easy to find a good life.
Businesses looking at the big picture saw reason to set up shop and invest in Minnesota. While it was difficult to get people to move here, it was even more difficult to get them to leave.
I wouldn’t mind being a little more tax competitive than 44th in the nation. But I don’t want it to be a race to the bottom. There’s a reason I live here instead of Texas or Alabama.
We should focus on getting back to the basics of livability. Fix the crime, fix the homelessness, fix the open air drug use, fix the education, fix the healthcare, and good things will happen.
Beyond livability, the easy part really ought to be creating a business-friendly environment. So many of the problems for businesses today are self-inflicted by idealistic politicians. The Hennepin Ave project and demonization of landlords are just a couple of many examples.
I miss the days 20 years ago where we barely knew who our council members were. Or at least speaking for myself. Back then we didn't have activist driven faux outrage screaming into the social media every other day. Robin Wonsley with her provocative posts trying to stoke division every single chance she gets. Or Chavez, or Chuhgtai . It's so tiring.
I wonder about the impact of activists on the overall business climate in our city....all that hate and rage isn't good for anyone, and many want to avoid contact. Wouldn't be be great if all the DSA believers were put into a their own town and allowed to run it, without the presence (or dollars) of anyone who did not support their beliefs? Just think....no police, jails, or capitalism!
Did you notice, many of the protesters no longer remember what specifically they are protesting and have started to combine and mix them up, even if they are contradictive to each other.
The CC oversteps its legal boundaries when it regulates private labor relations, transportation in a metro area and the like. All city power is devolved from the state. The CC thinks contrary.
You mentioned needing to step outside traditional party lines to find a solution but the real problem is that the party platform changed into something divisive and even hateful. What we need to do is return to the original party ideas and goals.
We need government leaders that actually love our country, state and most of all city without guilt or shame. This anger everyone wakes up with is actually learned so it's time to start teaching what is good instead of concentrating on what is not or not even real.
We need to start supporting our businesses, small and large and teach the good aspects of capitalism because I bet most people have forgotten or never learned what they are.
We also need a city government interested in doing the job they were hired to do, run the city in a manner that supports it's residents and businesses instead of working against them. Who would pay for a dinner if the meal was prepared by a server because the cooks were too busy entertaining the guests. It's like they have failed to understand the concept that their job as originally described is important and that this lack of understanding makes us the constituents feel unimportant.
We need to change this extremely negative view of the future that our Governor and his Met Council has adopted because it's making too many feel as if there is no future, no wonder everyone is angry. This negative view allows for the justification of virtually everything most of us do not want along with a failure to recognize that people are clever, strong and capable. This negative view assumes only one future outcome and that we must move tward it as fast as possible without even looking for an alternative. We are nothing if not clever. When pushed we fight so why not encourage us to be more so we can create a better future insteadof waitingfor an end that may not happen.
Thanks for sharing survey results in your well written and thoughtful comments. Minneapolis has been at a turning point for some time, and we can only hope and try to to influence leaders to focus on priorities that will get us out of the gradual decline of our city.
Re Competitiveness and Minneapolis Public Schools: we are way past that. I have school aged children and it is rare to meet anyone that chooses MPS. MPS is somewhere parents and their kids end up, usually because they have no other choice. I know parents who may be proud of MPS after the fact, but I have never ever met a single parent who deliberately moved to Minneapolis to put their kids into school here. On the other hand, I have lost count of the parents who left when it was time for their kids to enroll.
Well-written piece. We're a tight-knit community, but all of us live in our own bubbles, and some of our bubbles are extremely vocal and powerful in getting their way. Unfortunately, being anti-business is the sole focus of many bubbles in the city.
The DFL Caucus bubble is the most powerful and when it's not scolding one another on Bluesky, it's rabidly organizing (via a strong network of 501c4 non-profits and labor unions) for hyper-partisan candidates.
The only way to temper this is to get rid of the caucuses and perhaps also remove the gerrymandered city council ward maps.
Lastly I wish more of our city council members a) had kids and b) sent their kids to Minneapolis Public Schools. It's unclear to me how many, if any, fit those criteria (I think only 4 of 13 city council members have kids and none of the 5 DSA members do). Same for the County commissioners, same for the Park Board, same for even the School Board itself. I think if you have kids, your experience of the world and yourself changes. And your politics change because you realize they're more important than your ideology.
I understand your point about how having children might change the perspective of some officials. At the same time, when it comes to running for office, not having children can actually be an advantage. Campaigning is an all-encompassing effort that often crowds out family life.
If we want more people with children to run, we may need to rethink parts of the system. Campaigns require constant fundraising, public appearances, and door-knocking. Candidates who can attend every rally, house meeting, and event without worrying about childcare or family schedules naturally have more flexibility. That advantage may help explain why many candidates tend to come from circumstances that allow them to commit that level of time.
Nice article, Terry. You’re a very good writer.
I think back to when I moved to Minneapolis in 1986. Minnesota had a reputation of being a high-tax state, but also one having a high quality of life. Our workforce was phenomenal in large part because our education system was superb. Healthcare was the best in the nation. Access to public services such as parks set us apart too. It was easy to find a good life.
Businesses looking at the big picture saw reason to set up shop and invest in Minnesota. While it was difficult to get people to move here, it was even more difficult to get them to leave.
I wouldn’t mind being a little more tax competitive than 44th in the nation. But I don’t want it to be a race to the bottom. There’s a reason I live here instead of Texas or Alabama.
We should focus on getting back to the basics of livability. Fix the crime, fix the homelessness, fix the open air drug use, fix the education, fix the healthcare, and good things will happen.
Beyond livability, the easy part really ought to be creating a business-friendly environment. So many of the problems for businesses today are self-inflicted by idealistic politicians. The Hennepin Ave project and demonization of landlords are just a couple of many examples.
I miss the days 20 years ago where we barely knew who our council members were. Or at least speaking for myself. Back then we didn't have activist driven faux outrage screaming into the social media every other day. Robin Wonsley with her provocative posts trying to stoke division every single chance she gets. Or Chavez, or Chuhgtai . It's so tiring.
I wonder about the impact of activists on the overall business climate in our city....all that hate and rage isn't good for anyone, and many want to avoid contact. Wouldn't be be great if all the DSA believers were put into a their own town and allowed to run it, without the presence (or dollars) of anyone who did not support their beliefs? Just think....no police, jails, or capitalism!
Did you notice, many of the protesters no longer remember what specifically they are protesting and have started to combine and mix them up, even if they are contradictive to each other.
The CC oversteps its legal boundaries when it regulates private labor relations, transportation in a metro area and the like. All city power is devolved from the state. The CC thinks contrary.
You mentioned needing to step outside traditional party lines to find a solution but the real problem is that the party platform changed into something divisive and even hateful. What we need to do is return to the original party ideas and goals.
We need government leaders that actually love our country, state and most of all city without guilt or shame. This anger everyone wakes up with is actually learned so it's time to start teaching what is good instead of concentrating on what is not or not even real.
We need to start supporting our businesses, small and large and teach the good aspects of capitalism because I bet most people have forgotten or never learned what they are.
We also need a city government interested in doing the job they were hired to do, run the city in a manner that supports it's residents and businesses instead of working against them. Who would pay for a dinner if the meal was prepared by a server because the cooks were too busy entertaining the guests. It's like they have failed to understand the concept that their job as originally described is important and that this lack of understanding makes us the constituents feel unimportant.
We need to change this extremely negative view of the future that our Governor and his Met Council has adopted because it's making too many feel as if there is no future, no wonder everyone is angry. This negative view allows for the justification of virtually everything most of us do not want along with a failure to recognize that people are clever, strong and capable. This negative view assumes only one future outcome and that we must move tward it as fast as possible without even looking for an alternative. We are nothing if not clever. When pushed we fight so why not encourage us to be more so we can create a better future insteadof waitingfor an end that may not happen.
Thanks for sharing survey results in your well written and thoughtful comments. Minneapolis has been at a turning point for some time, and we can only hope and try to to influence leaders to focus on priorities that will get us out of the gradual decline of our city.
Re Competitiveness and Minneapolis Public Schools: we are way past that. I have school aged children and it is rare to meet anyone that chooses MPS. MPS is somewhere parents and their kids end up, usually because they have no other choice. I know parents who may be proud of MPS after the fact, but I have never ever met a single parent who deliberately moved to Minneapolis to put their kids into school here. On the other hand, I have lost count of the parents who left when it was time for their kids to enroll.
Well-written piece. We're a tight-knit community, but all of us live in our own bubbles, and some of our bubbles are extremely vocal and powerful in getting their way. Unfortunately, being anti-business is the sole focus of many bubbles in the city.
The DFL Caucus bubble is the most powerful and when it's not scolding one another on Bluesky, it's rabidly organizing (via a strong network of 501c4 non-profits and labor unions) for hyper-partisan candidates.
The only way to temper this is to get rid of the caucuses and perhaps also remove the gerrymandered city council ward maps.
Lastly I wish more of our city council members a) had kids and b) sent their kids to Minneapolis Public Schools. It's unclear to me how many, if any, fit those criteria (I think only 4 of 13 city council members have kids and none of the 5 DSA members do). Same for the County commissioners, same for the Park Board, same for even the School Board itself. I think if you have kids, your experience of the world and yourself changes. And your politics change because you realize they're more important than your ideology.
I understand your point about how having children might change the perspective of some officials. At the same time, when it comes to running for office, not having children can actually be an advantage. Campaigning is an all-encompassing effort that often crowds out family life.
If we want more people with children to run, we may need to rethink parts of the system. Campaigns require constant fundraising, public appearances, and door-knocking. Candidates who can attend every rally, house meeting, and event without worrying about childcare or family schedules naturally have more flexibility. That advantage may help explain why many candidates tend to come from circumstances that allow them to commit that level of time.