Secrets of the City

Let’s have an elected Met Council! Maybe they’d actually do something right.

That’s exactly right. The Met Coucil is not responsible to anyone but the governor. I’m sure in six months we will hear about how they are going to cut more inner city services and expand more in the suburbs.

How can we make that a campaign issue in 2010?

I think it should be a campaign issue. It would bring about the inevitable Portland comparisons, but we really do need it. Pawlenty has proven that tying the Met Council to the executive puts the Met Council at risk for neglectful thinking.

I wish there was someone out there with the sensibilities Elmer L. Andersen, the late and great governor, or Arne Carlson or someone like that who would stand for office.

Instead, we get folks like Pawlenty, Hatch, etc. We deserve a lot better if we’re going to make it.

OMG! Watching the vid of Jason’s son, Seth, “reading” the book totally made my morning.

“What’s the beeeeeg deeeeiill, it’s just a bus”
“LET ME DRIVE THE BUS”

TC Sidewalks needs to make the font color on the side bar darker…

It’s now going to cost me $2.25 to take the bus 20 blocks? A round trip on the bus would cost me $4.50.

Parking in the ABC lot costs $5.00.

Walking is free.

I haven’t seen the video of Seth “reading” but my new favorite person is this little Canadian kid named Daniel Cook who has a TV show where he learns about other people’s jobs on his show This Is Daniel Cook.

of course the met council are a bunch of bums, they’re hand picked by t-putz to shit on the cities he hates so much.

I’m glad some other people are getting on the elected met council bus, because that’s the only way I can see that we can ever insulate the metro from a hostile governor elected by outstaters and suburbanites.

Also, as I’ve said before, I wouldn’t be as opposed to fare hikes in theory if they would move to a zoned fare system. That way taking the bus 20 blocks across town would cost less than riding 20 miles from some far-flung suburb, as it should. Flat fares always screw the short-trip riders, moreso when fares increase. The equipment they have is definitely capable of zoned fares, although it might require a touch of reprogramming (I’m not familiar enough with it to know … cjc?). All you need is a core zone with mpls and st paul, and possible a couple older/urbanized suburbs (think richfield), then start jacking the fares up based on how much further you go beyond that. so slp would probably have a different fare than plymouth. WHAT A SHOCKER! It’s almost like driving further costs more too!

Potentially very good transportation news for Minneapolis. Streetcars!!!

And one of the potential lines goes past my house. I’ll take the streetcars over the buses rumbling past my house, thanks.

god, if minneapolis can actually figure out how to fund streetcars I might regain some hope for the future of this metro.

We had street cars. This picture will make wayne cry!

The last streetcars in Minneapolis were burned in 1954. James Towley (left) presenting check to Fred Ossanna (right) with a burning streetcar behind them (1954).

Bix – Daniel Cook has been replaced by Emily Yeung. I think it was an affirmative action thing.

Thanks Alliecat. Taken care of.

Muuuuch better! Now I can read it without squinting!

And I miss Daniel Cook. I think he’s popped up on Oprah a time or two. Emily’s cool, too. Both kids are far more engaging on TV than I am, which makes me cry a little inside.

I know Emily Yeung replaced him but there are no good videos. Daniel Cook is still my favorite. Especially when he starts talking about his trophies to Kurt Browning. Also, word on the street is in the episode where Daniel Cook goes to the police station he asks if it would be okay to shoot someone for being noisy. Next time I go to Canada on business, I hope he hangs out with me and does an episode on my job.

‘m glad some other people are getting on the elected met council bus, because that’s the only way I can see that we can ever insulate the metro from a hostile governor elected by outstaters and suburbanites.

The suburbanites would be able to vote. Your group think mentality here assumes that everyone would vote your way. Their is a growing call from many republicans to have an elected body vs the current structure of the met council changed. It is the only unelected body other that portland and it is bullshit. I would like to see is dissolved but if that can’t be done let’s have an election and have it filled with elected individuals rather than some politically correct appointee.

Dissolved? You foolish folk. Our cities working together has helped us to become much more cohesive on a planning level than metros in Phoenix or the like.

Also, Portland’s elected metropolitan body is a good model. Not perfect. But it’d work well here.

Ah yes, politically correct appointees like Annette Meeks, who “represents” District 7 on the Met Council (that’s most of Minneapolis).

You may remember her from such politically correct groups as the Center for the American Experiment and the Freedom Foundation.