Well this week Mayors from around the country are meeting in Minneapolis at the league of cities National Convention. They're starting to gather today. We thought it would be a good opportunity to focus on some of the issues facing your not only the nation's cities but more specifically the cities in Minnesota and more specific still the issues facing Minnesota's two largest cities Minneapolis. And st. Paul both Minneapolis. Mayor Coleman have been good enough by the today to stop by to a take your questions. Thanks for both of you to both of you for coming in really appreciate it pleasure to be your first year in office has it turned out being mayor turned out to be what you thought it was going to be. Is it been any fun and I'm waiting for sure to just tell you right off the bat that it's been that everything. I thought it would be and more and while it is probably a very important one of most difficult jobs that I've ever had that in my life. I got to tell you that it'sIt's fun. It's hard, but I'm having a lot of fun with it and I'm absolutely and completely you're dedicated to to my work and then living in the city and doing the things that are citizens are doing and then we have this job with which is it's a lot of fun because he have so many folks there who are there to help the city has a big heart a big heart st. Paul doesn't in Minneapolis and there are so many folks who have in the year that I've been to they stepped up to the plate. They they say they are going to help and they have help and so it's made the job much easier, but it's a great time to be a mayor of a great City and I think we have two great cities here. Is there any one thing that you wish you would have been able to get done by now that you haven't been able to do I wish that I really would have been able to have the realities of a of a crime in the violence of reflect the other perception that actually exist the are in my city. So the people would really going to understand what we're doing and how much are PragueThat the other we really are are making in the public safety of Rena. We need to do more certainly in in in that area. So I thought I'd say that first then secondly, I'd say that there's a lot of a concern in the city Minneapolis amongst our residents about how quickly we're moving through the revitalization in the re stabilization of our neighborhood. We got a lot of wonderful tools and resources out there and it's taking us a little bit longer to get those resources or to the citizens and that they are growing impatient able to deliver on the promise. I made to open the Holiday Inn Town Square and that troubles me in part because it's a symbol that we have Hotel space in this town is is booked up where there's no question that there's a man ever that that that empty space is a symbol of of negative things. I think we've got a long way to a racing at the activity on the riverfront has moved ahead at a pace far beyond what I could have imagined.But that one little piece of something we haven't been able to do and in the end you got to make choices about how many dollars you put on the table, which the return you got to work it out. It'll work at the financing some of these projects PR bit more complex. When you sitting in this seat, then when you're buying for this season, so I haven't been able to live on that one. We are still moving forward this for this project. I am hopeful I'm confident but not that's one of them. I look at it and say I just haven't done what I what I thought I could deliver who still living in the in the central City's these days do we have a good mix of people of races income levels and so on or keep hearing about Minneapolis and st. Paul being like a most segregated cities in the nation at least in terms of economic income levels is the range of a residence of living in our in our city and at the end of variety of income levels, but I will say that there's a growing number of people in City of Minneapolis or living below the poverty line we have toAlso in the City of Minneapolis over the last 10 years. We have seen an increase in the number of people who represent a different the racial groups and the and the city has had some difficulty coming to grips with it's a growing diversity. It has that impact on our public schools and impact on their perception of a stability of neighborhood and I've got to be honest and tell you it has an impact on on our crime rates are in the city. And so we're going to have to pay some attention over the next several years with these changing Dynamics these changing realities and kind of work through them what the answer is what the prescriptions are. I can to tell you I today but it first starts with communication and acknowledging the fact that the City of Minneapolis is changing a population of great strength.The challenge that there but the neighborhoods in st. Paul a very strong are they these cities are safe cities as he always got to look comparative Layman to the benefit of growing up in Brooklyn. We have among the safest cities I think in the country, but when I went out to Louisville to try to pitch the Hibernians to have their convention hear the competition was Philadelphia and and in my pitch the same fault was it safe and it's clean and they will be comfortable and welcomed here and those delegates voted in the most of these caused. By the way. What is overwhelmingly overwhelmingly to come to Saint Paul because it's seeing a safe and clean so we got a good solid business challenges, but we're moving forward. I think the economy is coming back little more robust. The confidence is coming back and I will do okay. Okay, one of the things you mentioned earlier was that the mayor and city council members from across the country are here in Minneapolis. I've had an opportunity to talk with us several of them over the last 24 hours as they've arrived into the Twin Cities area. One of the things that I think that they would say is a dumb Minneapolis-St Paul and Faye.The state of Minnesota Twins to you know, set the tone across the country about the ways in which problems that cannot be solved. And so while I recognized of the fact that we have growing problems in the Twin Cities area that we have to pay some attention to I also from my experience here and I and I think Nora would have tested the same that we really do have the capacity if we will take it out to look at our problem squarely and come up with Solutions. So that the really I can improve the quality of life of our children and our families here in Minnesota is first we have a highly mobile. I citizenry citizen participation in both our art. Our communities are where National model and that means we got a lot of hands coming to the table to help solve all problems Foundation Community very very strong very very active McKnight's the Saint Paul Foundation the Wilders Northwest area on and all very very active participants in dealing with social issues as well as economic development business Community very vested.The Arts Community very strong. So we've got a lot of strengths here and then you know what challenges did to Bill Donovan to motivate people to to work with us me sneak one more question in before we get to the collars a lot of hand-wringing among Democrats now with the Republicans having done. So well earlier or November in the November elections. They apparently the federal feds are going to cut back in the States going to hold it. Are you folks ringing your hand time to time to shut down here. You're both Democrats after all I don't think it's a time to shut down but I do think it's a time for us to re-evaluate our what services are most important in critical do the attacks parasites in our cities. And I think we also have to find ways to deliver Services more effectively improve. How comes I think people are willing to pay for something that they believe that they're getting and a question of that many of them have is are we getting enough of what we're paying and the onus is on now people like on Norman and I in the city council's that we work with to make sure that theyThey are getting efficient and effective services that are that are measurable in terms of a quality of life or in in the cities of that we represent. That is we we were I can pay me last year. We both knock on a lot of doors. We heard a message that we we came in at the st. Paul this year as a zero increase and it's tax leggings to the city portion of it. We have scale back the size of government in Sunday's we've done re-engineering with a licensed inspection operation is work on a process whereby next year you'll be able to go to one place one office to get any license in the city in a 48-hour turn around. So we are doing the things that others have been called upon to do so, I'm not wringing my hands. In fact, I'm welcoming folks Democrats and Republicans into the mixer. I view my job is is it's a nonpartisan Jacquees out of the meeting yesterday Shannon die with a beheaded met Council the cement Suburban Mayors and the question was asked if we can you bring in a Republican mayor from the Houston suburbs and I turned to shine and then she Graces I don't evenAll the political affiliation of my fellow Mayors. I've never asked him. I've never asked him. This is not up for us. It's not a dfl agenda Republican and we've got to keep costs down. We going to make this the city of Fort about living here for. We got to make it safe. We got to make it clean and then so we're not that I don't believe tied into the Hood in a partisan idiot logical agendas. We're just trying to do the things that have to be done to make sure people want to live in our cities yesterday are the mayors of Minneapolis and st. Paul Sharon sayles Belton and Norm Coleman and off we go to the phone. So Jeff from Minneapolis has been waiting patiently. Go ahead sir.Hello, Mary Sharon sayles Belton. I'd like to ask you a question, you know concerning the increase in in violence and crime in the city primarily. I work for a company that moved from the city. We tried to buy a building in the city and found at the government. They had so much to say about it that we ended up moving to the suburbs into a into a new building and expanding and growing and I still live in the city have a roommate that was left in a pool of blood for Dad for individuals committed the crime three were play bargained and charges were not brought against them as a result only one of them was convicted and and basically what I'm trying to say is that I see a correlation between crime and and violence and Welfare and yet I see the city in couraging an increase in in welfare and therefore actually being ParkFor a contributing factor to the growth in the crime by providing and incentives for people to live a lifestyle that that is negative. And therefore companies are moving people are moving when they can they can afford it and I will listen to your comment first. Let me tell you that the City of Minneapolis economy continues to grow and there are businesses who are moving into the city growing and expanding. I think we have to acknowledge the fact that they're we do have a growing problem of crime and violence are in the city and I think will show that the air as I you look at the the budget that bees that's being proposed the right now all by myself and supported by the city council the budget reflects an increase in the public safety activities. So we are putting more police out on our streets and we're trying to get our please to operate Smart light. I think the real question that you're asking me is one about the role that the city plays.Ini creating a a welfare economy. So in Oak end of a welfare state First let me tell you that I don't believe that the City of Minneapolis is in fact doing that. I think the City of Minneapolis is really trying to respond through some of the program some of the limited programs that it has on the table to look at some of the root causes of crime, poverty and the violence most of the work that. We do at the municipal level is focused on addressing the needs of children early childhood development programs are the way in which the City of Minneapolis is trying to get at the issues of poverty the issues of violence. We do believe that those issues are related. If we don't get at those underlying issues associated with poverty more and more of our children and as well, they're the adults are going to move into a life of crime and violence as a way of of meeting their needs. It is irresponsible. It cannot be tolerated and our criminal justice system has to do Is it effectively but I am convinced if the municipality does not get at those underlying issues. We're going to see more crime and violence on the street the criminal justice system has the hold people accountable and I believe that it should do that. I am been a strong advocate for holding people responsible for their behavior. And we do need a stronger criminal justice system that does not the play to plea Bargains and otherwise letting people off for the heinous crimes that they commit against the citizen jury and I do not want you to believe that the government in the City of Minneapolis condones or supports that it is quite the opposite. Let me just jump in a little bit on the on the violence issue and I think it's important that we live in a violent society and you can't escape. I mean read the papers being in the in the suburb of there is violence in the suburbs. Violence in rural areas and certainly there is violence in the core cities and I think we have to Simply recognize that and then do the things that we can to make our communities safer and it's not all the government that's going to have that that either ability or responsibility one of things that we're doing in st. Paul we go a safe cities initiative. We we did a sweep just The Weeknd XO logo on the east side where we bought our young people from our future for sword on Utica National a service group together with the community leader is the district council people the block clubs with the elected officials and my Public Works people. They're picking up the garbage at my cops there but it was a community effort. I have a budget that we're trying to put 30 more cops on the street, but that's a little that's a piece of the puzzle. And so what we need is one of the community to be involved at 2 to be vigilant. We need parents and families to do a better job of bringing up kids and the government can't do that. We we have to provide opportunity opportunity that's week. We can create an environment but there's a lot of responsibility out there and I think we'll have to look in the mirror what to do. Let's go take a caller from Saint Paul Sheldon's on the line. Meaning that I have a tendon. I'm not an expert on is the Metropolitan stability act that Myron orfield legislator from Minneapolis has been working on which looks at some of the structural elements to concentrate concentrated poverty a couple things that struck me were if I understood correctly open up the housing opportunities for our city workers were unemployed and underemployed particular in the southwest area of the Metro region Also may be sharing a tax base regionally to address the disproportionate number of social service related issues that the inner cities have. I'm wondering where the mirror stand on that particular act if they're supportive of it both smiling here and I will tell you why yesterday should I know I had a meeting and then there was no media and there was no press release it was myself and shine Leah sells belt and then a couple Suburban Mayors and met Council daddy right out in the Met Council and we talked about these very issues. Can we left that meeting with a commitment for us to look at the dollars in to see where they coming from and where they're going and what we can do to do to have a more Equitable sharing of the tax tax base. We discuss the issues of housing opportunities and in recognition that the city's cannot be the repository of of of of all poverty and in that we need to provide opportunity for a for all throughout the the the the region I want to applaud me ourselves built by when I get back to the crime issue in particular. She was the one who not too long ago organize the meeting of Mayors and Chiefs of police and I participate as a co-host but really she was The Depression to put this together to say how we going to look at crime on a regional basis if criminals don't don't worry about those little signs that say Maplewood all West Saint Paul or Minneapolis when they do their there, they're good Dirty Dirty deeds and so we've got to learn to overcome those little those narrow or artificial and the barriers and in terms of working together. Yes. We need to really be more aggressive in Being at at the issue of Metro stability and ensuring that there are housing opportunities throughout the region. Just in the chorus City and I can tell you in st. Paul know when things were looking at it is putting a cap say no more low-income housing and that may sound hard or harsh. But really what we have to do is work hand-in-hand with the Suburban neighbors and long cut myself and I just want to say I love the job to be in St. Paul. I'd love that to happen. The fact there's a lot of jobs are not in St. Paul. They're inside the Suburban areas on the one hand one of things without working on it for fighting for a week or reverse commute and transportation from the urban areas to other jobs are on the other hand. It doesn't make sense to create housing opportunities where some of those jobs are in we need to work with us Suburban neighbors to make that happen with committed to anybody is willing to give up all their tax money. Uu to send it back to the central cities. You know a good chunk of it. I should say one of the things that we have to come to grips with this at Something's Gotta change. Something's got to give here if people who have low incomes are trapped in the City of Minneapolis and st. Paul because there aren't housing opportunities in the surrounding the Suburban areas and they don't want to create that housing then they I think they have to acknowledge that they're going to have to give the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and st. Paul warehousing support that has to happen. If they decide that they want to create opportunities for people to be able to live wherever they choose to live and where they can afford to live then I think they need to do some other things too. And we need to acknowledge their needs in that regard. They have to build a Human Service infrastructure out in the Suburban communities that can help low-income people who might relocate their continue to be strong healthy and viable are in a suburban community. They will show all of us together have to agree upon a transportation system that serves, you know, the citizens wherever they might live so that they might get to the job centers. I have tens of thousands of people coming into the City of Minneapolis everyday from the suburbs for the jobs in the downtown. I have citizens in the City of Minneapolis and Norm Judson St. Paul who want to get jobs are out there in the suburbs and do we don't have a public transportation system that helps them to get. We've got good reverse commute going on with the private. Some of the private companies. It is not sufficient for us to use that reverse commute program to meet the needs of our citizens. So they've got something you know that that we want and that we have something that that they need and in the context of that we are to find some common ground Norman and I and the other Mayors from the Suburban communities made a commitment yesterday morning to try to find that Common Ground outside of the legislative process and take that package and move forward and it may be some of the things that Myron orfield is talking about me come to light through our new partnership and it may be that some of the things that we've been talkin about as Mayors suburban and Metro might also get the light of day in the context of this new partnership, but a mandatory cross District school desegregation program in the Twin City area. William talked about so far are voluntary program. So but I think a lot of people suggest that just isn't going to work. I personally don't agree that I don't think it's going to work. I think people want it to work and I think people have good intentions and they you know, they think that this is the solution to the problems that were facing in our Urban schools. I'm just personally not convinced the of that and I'd really like to ask ask all of us to try to think through some different options. I want to see a strengthening of neighborhood schools within the city where that's possible and then that becomes a great challenge. I do believe in volunteer Partnerships rather than than mandating people to do things that did. I don't know if those things work. I also think that we got to look at God creating greater education opportunities in the question is Charter Schools is an issue that there's one that's going to be before the school board coming up those in the paper about it. Just the other day. We need to create greater educational opportunity in our course. It isn't getting back to the last messenger. I do believe that there is a greater recognition that strong Urban centers are essential to strong Regional Center isn't as the the first ring several experienced much of what we've experienced in terms of changing demographics in terms of some issues of crime and economic development that there that understanding spreads and so I see greater possibilities of partnership today with with a service because they realize it's not us against them it is we got to be strong for them to be strong and I are going to get the lot more involved in the discussions that are going on at the legislative level about the the school aid formula. Neither. One of our school districts are get the level of financial support that they need to do the educational job that they need to do with the students that we have in our school district, and we need to have School Aids formula that is Equitable that gives us the resources that we need to get the job done. If our children are have a competitive education quality education. They're going to be self-sufficient as adults in our community and we've got to do something about that for the bridge at the except at the expense of a city's having the ability to provide the basic Services police and fire and things of that nature. That's one of the concerns we have that if you did if you shift the dollars over and take me to put it in this area and you suck it out from the other area, then you have real problems in end. I certainly recognize clearly our responsibility to live within our means to do to be as efficient as possible and I believe we're demonstrating that but we we have a challenge here and that is to ensure quality education for a kid, but do not do it at the expense of our ability to provide the very basic services that citizens deserve so that they Will continue to make the choice to live to work to grow families and jobs in the course it is so you folks are getting a little nervous about talk about the capital of being talked about increased State funding for Education. Everybody raises their hands as that's a good idea, but then the trade-off would be a sharp cut in Aid to local governments, right and you don't think so much of that idea before affordability counted people choose choose to live in the city and is longer than we are doing like share. I'm thinking the government spending. So I would really recognize the importance of merging consolidating make it more efficient with the election Bureau in the city of st. Paul marriage with the county saved under $1,000. We did a consolidation of of roads and Highway Maintenance with accounting saved over $400,000. We are the counties picking up the records and identification functions of a police department to close to add another Half Men. And I wasn't saving so we're doing those things and wait and continue moving in that direction, but we got to make sure that we have the capacity ability to provide the basic services that Citizens need and that they deserve and is on the line for Minneapolis, which I'd like to thank both of mirrors for providing the opportunity to and right now I've lived in St. Paul I've lived here for about 18 years and I care a great deal about both these cities and I'll probably never live in the suburbs. I've been involved quite a bit recently in the NRP process and I'm kind of concerned about the dwindling Vitality of the city and the prospect of sustainable development and I have also witnessed in my half my lifetime here at considerable rivalry between the cities and the lack of Operation on a critical issues and I see light rail is probably being one of the greatest potential for stimulating sustainable development in the core cities, and I'm wondering if I could get if we could get a commitment from both the mayor's I have this time to recognize this problem and to put in place some sort of a formal system for stimulation of cooperation and the diminishment of rivalry between the to seize the deal with AAA shoes like bringing Light Rail to the city's anytime for a formula formal truce here for peace agreement between the city's first. Let me just tell you that thank you for the for the message. But the Norman I have heard this message. I quite many months ago and made the commitments. Before we were elected the mayor's to a work collaboratively on a number of important issues that we both share. It's easy for me to do that because I'm a native of St. Paul and I love the city in my church is here in my sisters are here and my mother's home. So I want to his thing father be successful and I've also watched as a member of the Minneapolis city council our government used by the taxpayers dollars to outbid undercut fight st. Paul tooth and neck to get the opportunities for development in to win them away from this city. And as we were going through that process, I always thought how silly and ridiculous. This was and Merrick home and thought it was silly and ridiculous to and we decided we wouldn't do it anymore. And we have it. In fact, we have collaborated together on issues of crime and violence most the recently the director of Public Works in the city of st. Paul met with the are Public Works officials and talked about the some of the training initiative. So that started in Minneapolis-Saint Paul from 5 years ago that we can learn from and so they're communicating and sharing information that's going to help us be more efficient. These things are going on. There's an honest-to-goodness real life partnership between this gentleman and I and Light Rail is on that agenda and I want the citizens of Saint Paul and Minneapolis to know that he's after we got elected we sweet sat down which I said that was in Saint Paul and we talked about what could we work on collaboratively? And then we look at light rail Light Rail was in at that time. I had instead of the issue is fully I Right now and I really do believe that that it is critical to the future of our core areas to to be to have a light rail system that it is one of the great opportunities if we miss we are going to be going to put us off to the side in terms of economic growth and development. And so we we need to do that for that was a completely made I'm smiling because some of these things are there little things but it just yesterday that made herself and I were talking about singing event to in Minneapolis for the Minnesota Orchestra Minnesota dance that my wife is dancing and Weiss Holden's version of The Nutcracker at the Orpheum in Minneapolis in December and then we talked about a co-hosting an event for those organizations in the end. Of course, I have a deep personal interest in that bad, but the little things he won one big thing related to culture is is that we had a face a little a crisis regarding the jujamcyn Ordway situation jujamcyn is a major Broadway producer. They produce that the hits that are shown both at the Ordway there Broadway series and at the beautiful state in Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis, and there was talk of them having a separate contract. Minneapolis wood would have had created a Battleground between the Ordway and the Orpheum and state there. We sat together in my office. We we called our respective heads of Economic Development and and directed them to work this out that we're not going to be fighting over this and lo and behold there's been a contract that has been signed for a couple of years, but we aren't we are not just just talkin the toy. We are walking the walk on on on working together and we are actively looking at ways to collaborate it is this at this is a great opportunity thinking in history in terms of two cities that have had this gray trial. I laugh again coming to Brooklyn how wide that Mississippi river is and how wide and deep the chasm between the two communities but for a lot of reasons to quit with Sharon's from a weird kind of my philosophical belief, we really are giving life and breath to decide you're working together jujamcyn, what way is one example, but they'll be many many more very briefly back to LRT Light Rail Transit. Isn't that pretty well dead in the water now though with the with the federal government talking and they have to cut Back substantially apparently and their budget in a lot of the funding for that light rail Transit project was going to come from the feds. Was it not? Yes, and I'll tell you what, we are in constant conversation with with Martin table or congressman from Minneapolis about LRT, because he pushed us a couple years ago to say get your act together in the Twin Cities and give us something on LRT because the federal dollars will flow we've got A watershed 1995 has got to be the year Minneapolis-Saint Paul the state of Minnesota and the federal government come to agreement on LRT two nights ago. I was in Downtown Minneapolis talking about our end of the discussion what happens with LRT as it comes into Minneapolis, we came to consensus in Minneapolis are business owners are downtown Council everybody holding hands coming over to Saint Paul to the legislature and saying this is got to be the year that we find funding for mass transportation. I know the same thing is going on in st. Paul. I know that the commissioner Transportation commissioner then is it cited and enthusiastic about us making some progress if we don't make it in 1995 you may be right. We'll be dead in the water and then Minneapolis and st. Paul in the surrounding metropolitan area will be behind the eight-ball. This is a region in our state and in our country that has to continue to prosper having a transportation system that meets the needs of the business and the citizens of this region is critical and we've got to get started now or we're going to be left behind the council. We have an Administration in st. Paul. We have a County Board that are all now lined up on there. No pun intended on the same track. And if you look at the Portland in the St. Louis is UFC cities that have light rail has spurred logo. Neighborhood development and those folks who didn't want to be on the system and I was coming is now a violin to get on the system to do to make it happen with the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country in the only one without it without a rail system. I really do believe it would be a tragic mistake. If we would have missed this opportunity. We will look back in the next 10 years and say that we didn't do something that we should have done. I am going to Washington this week. I'm not leaving Sunday be there Monday. It's the first trip in my ear and office that I have taken to Washington and I'm going to meet with the something to wrestle Representatives folks on both sides of the aisle, but one of my major purposes is going to try to push Light Rail in to see what we can do to make sure that that we have the opportunity to move for this year. It's about the economy and it's also about the environment and it's about the fact that we cannot continue to lay concrete to connect the cities across this region anymore. It's got to change. A question and please do both mayor. My wife was killed in pedestrian in a control Crossing in Highland. What we are living with is 300,000 pedestrian to be activated in a two cities over the Christmas holidays in the downtown and other places. What we are looking for is curb to curb on Watt give us more time because we're all pedestrians of the time we get out of a baby crib priority now is to move Vehicles as rapidly as possible. When are we going to shift the priority over to The Pedestrian very dangerous, but we're alright Philip has been a very strong advocate for pedestrian safety and he's right on the mark and saying that we've got a way to look at people at the first in and I believe that it was trying to do that in St. Paul. One of the things that I've been involved in recently is to a review of the time that you have on crosswalks and then Measure that and is that sufficient I was in a meeting and the Marine Park area st. Paul not too long ago and it was interesting. It was a major issue that was for so many residents of the community. We clearly what we have to do more to make it clear that pedestrians do have the right of way. Do I have the right of way and then that's that's almost an attitude thing. It's a mindset thing and also it's an enforcement thing. That's the little it's interesting read. My jobs are relatively simple. A little things you got to do. Well in traffic enforcement is a may seem like a little thing in the scope of a problem in the universe puts a big thing. If you live in a neighborhood in cars are shooting down your street at high rates of speed and you worried about the safety of your kids. So certainly the commitment is there to do the right thing and we can do our best to live up to that commitment. One of the things that I think we also need to talk about it again at this call is some it's timely in that we just talked about the light rail Transit. We really do have to reduce our Reliance on the automobile a lot of the traffic that just going to grow in our downtown. Communities over the holidays are going to be individual people are in an automobile. I'd love to have them on master and supplication moving through our downtown. It doesn't negate. The other fact that pedestrian safety has got to be absolutely number one. That won't be an issue in a mass transportation a system. The other thing that. We are going to do and in Minneapolis is during these, you know, these peaks of of higher traffic volume volume. We put more traffic officers on the street more of our police reserves on the street who will help us to disregard the light. I went we need to so that the pedestrians can move across the intersections a lot more safely. That's a it's a Band-Aid. For the holiday season, and I think we need to find new and different ways to talk about The Pedestrian safety overall. Maybe, you know some new information in those Public Safety your booklet that people got pay Summit. Listen to when they renew their license or something so that they're reminded that that the automobile doesn't control the streets that they are there as well for the protection of the citizens of our community Richard Gere next with your question. Thank you. I think this would be primarily for Sales Belton relation Minneapolis mayor, maybe mircom would like to comment in general about I've been sitting government watch her since the early seventies. I guess when I was more actively involved in the good news is I think it appears to me. Anyway that city government has become more citizen oriented and two significant extent more responsive to communities in neighborhoods. And I see this particular with administrative staffs will certainly have their own opinions, but don't seem to be pushing their own agendas and and that didn't always seem to be the case and then I appreciate you know, The Disappearance of some of the old Empire Building administrators who really wielded some Power City coordinator. Tommy Thompson comes to mind. I'm wondering is if we fail to replace that old structure within effective or at least even competent new one and it at Point 2 Series of development issues in particular from from the LSG identical to the more recent townhouse development on the Cedar Lake Wetlands to even such things as in the Saint Mark's Cathedral is decision to tear down a house to 1st and development Loring Park area in each of these situations. It seems it that seemingly confident citizen representatives are not any match for the developers. We're advancing their own point of view when making decisions without all the information in hand and then being threatened with lawsuits, once the information provided by citizen groups gives cause for them to consider changing her mind and those kind of represents this image of incompetence Indian men, of course, the elected officials get play in bed. Wondering if it isn't really more of a staffing issue. Well having a live to LSG I and and I won't say the same for the St. Marks a tissue and all of that but I will tell you that I believe that the owners would lie lies one. Now the elected officials we hire professional staff to give us information and I think our professional staff do that and then we look at that information and then we decide what we want to do a very often or I should say very often, but from time to time we set aside the professional opinions of are very competent staff and every now and then we set aside the wishes of the citizens of the neighborhood now, When that happened, let's hope that it happens taking into consideration that maybe people were looking at the short-term when and not the long-term view Maybe. When it's political and we have set aside the Judgment of our professional staff Perhaps Perhaps. I said, it happens every time but it's perhaps because a point of view that was not explored comes to light but I think of the onus is on the elected officials. The onus is on the elected officials to hire professional staff and and to listen to that professional staff and when they don't and they make a bad decision to be held accountable by the taxpayers of that Community. There are a couple of Givens about economic development in St. Paul and that is it near the commuter to be involved in the community be at the table and it's a heck of a lot better. If communities with you all good ideas. Do not flow from third floor of City Hall New to the m&a for my planning and economic development agency and infact us as we continue to downsize government. What we need to do is Reach out and then in service or customer more directly have a new business knows this you you you got to be as close to the customer as possible and So within the neighborhood particular and Sample, we have citizen groups that are close to the customer. And so ultimately are my vision is how is in can be done not actually Just Vibe ipde, but by The Neighbourhood how is in groups and we can be a flow through a Channel of the Dallas. But but let let let the decision be made it that local level Economic Development issues can be done the same way. We're in the process of of I think reclaiming or are Riverfront a wonderful wonderful vision of what this incredible Riverfront can be that's going to happen by working with the neighborhood's they they are there at least the major stakeholders it certainly it's the City's river. I mean everyone's involved but clearly the folks on the west side or major stakeholders, and they got to be right there and they got to be working together and saying yeah, this is something they wanted to happen the same things true for Irvine Park and Dayton's Bluff. And so we we need to work with our neighborhood groups in order to make things. When it happens a lot smoother in a lot better when people are at the table, so and I think we're moving in that direction. I don't think we've had to slow up a excited about the possibilities of economic development in st. Paul is that the river is one example, I in fact, I think it's a meeting tonight on the west side and they going to be folks are talking about a ballpark and took folks talkin about the amphitheater and talkin about soccer fields until I met a range of other things for them to be meeting with members of the community. So the community is going to be up to date and know what's going on and they going to be able to have their say as to what makes sense and what doesn't make sense to go back to the phone to Michael's on the line from Champlin going from Champlin. My wife just took a job on in Downtown Minneapolis and we transferred our son to an inner-city school. We found that he's able to get better education that amount of Surrey school. That's a joint venture between Target and the City of Minneapolis. The school has the top scorers in the city. It's a school where Kids and a lot of white kids from the suburbs are coming in to an X1 School in an integrated setting clothes to wear. Their families are working downtown is he? Kannamma call the corporate people are going to gather with the city people they're paying for it. I think it's a place where there's a joint venture that meets the needs of everybody and forms a different kind of community. It's a community school. Anyway, let the community of people that live and work in the downtown area. It brings in a mix of people of all colors and races and is very very Cheeseman oriented. This is not a paid political announcement actually tried to get a copy of this comment and replay it again and again, and again, it's a great school and I'm very familiar with it. It's a half a block away from a from City Hall. Did you have a question? I have a question. There's some question about closing some of the inter-schools. Do you know what's happening with that? There's a meeting. I believe that the Education on the yet. It's either the 6th or the 8th of December. A lot of the Year parents whose children go to the Downtowner schools are going to go to the Board of Education meeting and asked the board not too close and or consolidate that these School these schools in a location outside of the downtown. There's actually three of them the Montessori there's an open school and then there's a business orientated school called Chiron that's over at the in the Basilica area. The idea is that the board would combine all of these and and again send them to a location that's outside of the downtown. I'm going to hope that the working parents of those downtown schools show up at that board meeting and voice of their opinion. I also want to just share with you in all honesty that a decision has not been made to do that. It is a proposed. But if we don't show up and help the Board of Education know that we want the convenience of those schools in the downtown core. Another decision could be made by that group. And so we have to speak up. I wanted to share with you a call or that my son goes to one of those schools and I as a parent I am very vested in in that proximity to the work being maintained. We have some time should give him the importance of the schools to the very existence of the city and I suppose vice-versa shouldn't there be more cooperation may be a consolidation of jurisdiction schools and City. I don't know if the consolidation of a jurisdictions is the answer but I do think that the school environments have to be more family-friendly we have a model in Minneapolis. We're pushing Citywide if it catches on we have combined the school the park board are non-profit daycare centers in our community clinics in one building. We call it the One-Stop shopping for families. You can bring your infant into the school building up to your 8th grader after school. There's a program to keep them there in to provide them with support until parents get off from work and can pick them up. So from infancy to the 8th grade, you can get your immunizations up-to-date a nurse to see your kid if they think there's a sore throat and after school program waiting pools from the park board a full range of family service. If we can do more of that. I think that our families are going to be excited about staying in our school system that continue to provide them with a good Endemic a curriculum for their kids at the school district 2 County the three of us or the responses of the children's initiative and we are creating in st. Paul family centers places where you can take your kids for maybe immunizations. It made me information about for his programs are available with special needs Etc. But we're putting that together we served together in a joint property tax advisory committee, which is really been a vehicle for us to look at our budgets and figure out ways in which we can collaborate greater use joint use of space of purchasing a 30 healthcare insurance arrangements. So we are moving together clearly people make choices about whether they going to choose to live or leave or areas based on the quality of education. And so we need strong school system in st. Paul by the waist both public and private schools are Catholic schools religious schools, and then other private schools are a very strong part of the elite the fabric of Saint Paul and that's good. That's a good thing. And as I said before the same opportunities and I was charter schools with Free public education to create some other types of programs. We need any choice in our in our in our system when he quality education and we all need to be concerned about that is married and I don't control the school district. I have to work and and and and and and I believe we're doing that. I have great admiration respect for dr. Gaines and I we've got a pretty good relationship and we can have to continue down that path. The neighborhood anymore. Nice to talk to you. We live in this my husband and I live in the city by choice. My husband owns a business in Minneapolis. We live in a neighborhood that they need your love to trash and I homeschool my kids. I am concerned because I came from the East Coast where there was much more accountability between school district and city, but I see out here with this this special school district and I'm concerned because I volunteer in the public schools not in the downtown things but in the inner city schools and what I am seeing routinely is when I try to teach sewing kits in my craft store in 5th grade or telling me it's only the second time in their lives next to a ruler kids can't read a regular crack kids cannot do the basic things that they need to be able to do. I find myself doing what we're about out of time. You have a question. Briefly, what's your question? What can you do about this to hold these schools accountable for they will actually teaching this subject matter and these kids are not just the ones who are the ones that are supposed to have problems with one of the things that we are doing in Minneapolis is we're bringing the private sector the business Community are educational institutions both secondary and Elementary to one table to talk about the development of a curriculum that really will provide people with the skills that they need to take the jobs of tomorrow that's happening. I think you're describing something else. I think you're talking about how are children received skills that help them just navigate through life, you know the cooking the sewing the cleaning the basic health and hygiene. We're going to have to find some ways of endured reintroducing those things into our curriculum or making sure that in the non in the nonprofit. World War II children are our learning there some of their social and there recreational skills that we introduced her into those two are formed what I call skills for life because our children don't know how to fend for themselves. They don't know these basic skills. I learned them in school. I learned them in my home that's not happening for our children. And if they don't learn those things they're going to be out there in a lot more trouble than we're staying today had a breakfast this morning with her business people in the one of the concerns that was raised was about the quality of employees. It wasn't their ability to do the particular job function. It was questions about work ethic about language about punctuality kind of basic life skills in and really we need to do what we can and that's working with families supposed to supporting kids and end family what the role of government is it that's when I have enough time to talk about that today, but really got to get back to this vase evaluation. How do we bring up kids who wanted to stand right and wrong will have a sense of responsibility you are accountable and that's a great. That's right for values. You been talkin about education and work self respect and personal responsibility and we have to restore those things and all of our children and all of the adults of our community about that and to push those of those issues wonderful discussion what you can't get away which city you got 15 seconds, which city has the best snow emergency removal system that we have a great system in st. Paul, but we're going to we're together. We did get our snow plow to 24 hours. If you want a 5th grade Minneapolis and st. Paul Minneapolis and st. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman.