By Colette Davidson

It you’ve ever walked or biked around Lake Calhoun then you’ve probably seen the bril-liant gold dome nestled in the trees just south of Downtown. For many, the dome’s origins and whereabouts remain a mystery. Most people just want to know: What the heck is it?

The gold dome belongs to St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, located at 3450 Irving Avenue South. The church, built in the shape of a cross, faces Lake Calhoun and has been a welcoming community to Greeks and non-Greeks since 1957. This year, the church will hold its 18th annual Taste of Greece Festival September 8 to 10, including live Greek music and dance, chicken and lamb dinners, a Greek wine tasting Friday and Saturday nights, and a raffle for two tickets to Athens, Greece.

Although most people know St. Mary’s Church for its Greek Festival, most members of the church enjoy the traditional Sunday services followed by coffee with friends in the North hall of the church, youth activi-ties and a true sense of com-munity. Many have belonged to the church since its inception and the members are tight. Of course, the church welcomes newcomers with open arms, and is currently working on a project called “Koinonia,” or Community, where groups are forming in neighborhoods throughout the Twin Cities and surroundings suburbs, organiz-ing prayer discussions, wisdom reflections, and sharing of life experiences. Koinonia, which meets once a month for an hour and a half, is a nice addition to Sunday worship, especially for those living far away from the Minneapolis Orthodox com-

munity. The church also gives priority to its youth programs. This year’s Project Mexico team took teens to Tijuana where they lived and worked in an orphanage and built homes. With the help of the national Orthodox sector, St. Mary’s also sent a youth group to Kenya to help build a church.

The Greek Orthodox commu-nity in Minneapolis has been around since the 1890s but was only given the current St. Mary’s worship space in 1957. The land that is now used to serve a bustling church com-munity was once a log cabin for missionaries serving the Dakota tribe of Native Ameri-cans. The cabin, built in 1834 by Samuel and Gideon Pond, was later destroyed for parts by the Native Americans them-selves, who needed the logs to strengthen their residences. The land then became the large Cal-houn pavilion owned by Colo-nel William S. King in 1877, and later, the Lyndale Hotel. In 1898, the hotel was destroyed

by fire and the land was bought by Frank B. Forman. Forman built an extravagant 20-room mansion with a grand lawn and a pillared entrance. After both Formans had passed away by 1949, the mansion was sold to the Northwestern National Life Insurance Co., who quick-ly made plans to turn the space

into a multi-storied office build-ing. The disgruntled neighbors, who thought the new build-ing would ruin the peace and quiet of their neighborhood, protested until the land was eventually auctioned off in two parts in 1957: as condominium residences and as the St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church. Reminders of days gone by can be found in the pillars that remain on the church grounds from the Forman years, as well as tracks from the old streetcar line that once passed in front of the church.

The Orthodox faith is relative-ly new to most Minneapolitans. Based on traditional interpre-

tations of the Bible, the reli-gion does its best to not deviate from its original teachings by the Apostles. For this reason, many consider Orthodoxy to be the strictest of each of its faiths, whether in Christianity, Juda-ism or other religions. At St. Mary’s, worship time is liturgi-cally based and “hasn’t changed much with the times,” says Syl-via Kafkas, the Church Admin-istrator. Services last almost two hours and are intended to be prayerful and internal rather than participatory. Although the priest leads his service in a chant, worshipers don’t sing or

Remington PRoPoses UPtown HeigHt moRatoRiUm By Aaron Rubenstein

Council Member Ralph Rem-ington announced at the August 17 meeting of the Uptown Small Area Plan Steer-ing Committee that he will introduce legislation imposing a moratorium on new buildings in Uptown taller than the four stories permitted by the area’s zoning. He said that the details are still being worked out and that he would introduce it in two or four weeks (presumably at the Sept. 1 or Sept. 22 City Council meeting).

Building height in the Uptown area has been a contentious issue in recent years — includ-ing such developments as the Edgewater at Lake Street and East Calhoun Parkway, the

Covering the Neighborhoods of CARAG and ECCO in the Uptown Area September 2006 • Volume 2, Number 9

Letters .......................................................... 3

Election .................................................. 5–13

CARAG Report ........................................14

ECCO Report .......................................... 16

Ralph Remington ....................................18

inside

Photo Left: Tom Wargin Sculpture at Uptown Art Fair

Opa! a Look at st. mary’s greek orthodox Church

smAll AREA plAn continued on page 20

opportunity knocks

eDitoRThe Uptown Neighborhood News is seeking a new editor. Pay is based on an expectation of 20 to 30 hours of work a month. Knowledge of the ECCO/CARAG neighborhoods preferred.

We want to hear from you! Call 612.259.1372 or email uptownnews@yahoo.com.

ECCO Annual labor Day parade plansMonday, September 4, East Calhoun Community Organization will host the annual Labor Day Parade. Events begin at 2:45 p.m. (assembly and decoration) at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church (35th and Irving). The parade starts at 3:00; dinner is at 4:15 and bingo at 4:45. Dinner is provided; please bring salads and desserts to share.

The parade of decorative floats and costumed residents will be led by the Southwest High School marching band from St. Mary’s, east on 35th Street, north on Holmes Avenue to 32nd Street, west to Irving and back to St. Mary’s. Call Robin Cook at 824.9145 for details.

Editor’s Note: Election Cov-erage Begins Page 5

VOtE in thE pRimARy sEptEmbER 12.

We asked questions of each candidate in this fall’s gen-eral election for elite local, state and national represen-tatives. A portion of their responses will be printed this month and next in the Uptown Neighborhood News as part of this paper’s com-mitment to free and open discussion.

elections

GREEk FEstiVAl continued on page 2

Photo by Jeffrey Farnamthe famous gold dome of st. mary’s rises to the east of lake Calhoun.

Greek Festivalsept. 8th - 10th

see details on page 2

� • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

speak much. The sole call-and response portion is performed by the choir, which sings back to the priest’s chants from their spot in the chapel balcony. As for the Greek aspect of the St. Mary’s worship services, one of the only cultural reminders is during the Lord’s Prayer, where the priest reads in English and in Greek. Less than half of the parish community is actually Greek, mostly because of the slowdown in immigration in recent years. Still, one will find the essence of Greece in parts of the community, especially in the older generation, and in much of the artwork in the chapel.

Part of the tradition and aes-thetics of Orthodox church design is its use of iconography. Through this strict and specific way of painting, the iconogra-phy at St. Mary’s uses religious images to teach people about Christ’s life, death and resur-rection, including a twelve painting series highlighting Christ’s most important peri-ods. The inside of the chapel’s gold dome contains a painting of the icon, Christ Pantokra-tor, the Greek word meaning “all-powerful and “all-mighty.” On a blue backdrop meant to signify the sky and the whole universe, Christ is shown to be the ruler of all creation. Encir-

cling the dome is a phrase writ-ten in Greek, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8: 12). Behind the altar, laden with turquoise mosaic tiles and vibrant paintings in gold, red, and green, is Platytera, the icon of Theotokos, also known as

Mary the Mother of God. The wall between the altar and the center of the chapel is called the iconostasis, an icon screen that separates the priest from the worshipers for most of the service. The altar rests on the east wall where the sun rises, in accordance with conventional Byzantium design, directing worshippers into contempla-tion with God to remind them that Christ is the Light of the World. Besides its beautiful paintings, stained glass doors and mosaics, the St. Mary’s cha-pel has retained much of its ‘50s charm with checkerboard win-dow cut-outs, argyle patterned carpet and a cylindrical chan-delier rimmed with light bulbs that hangs overhead.

With its rich history, the St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church has become a staple in the Uptown community. Besides its faith services, the church rents out space to a Montessori school, Alcoholics Anonymous meeting groups, and plays host to the annual ECCO Labor Day picnic. Whether you’re looking for faith, fun or friendship, the community at St. Mary’s defi-nitely delivers. So, when your eye catches a piercing gold glare on your next bike ride around Lake Calhoun, you’ll know what is blinding you.

Colette Davidson loves Uptown and appreciates writing about

local institutions.

GREEk FEstiVAl continued from page 1

news, stoRy iDeas anD LetteRs to tHe eDitoR uptownnews@yahoo.com UNN, 711 West Lake St. #303 Minneapolis, MN 55408 (612) 259-1372

managing eDitoR mary Ann knox

CoPy eDitoR bill boudreau

managing BoaRD Appointed/Elected Reps: Gary Farland, Chair (ECCO) 824-6744 Ralph D. Knox, Secretary (ECCO) Carrie Menard (ECCO) Anna Matthes (CARAG) Kay Nygaard-Graham, Treasurer (CARAG) 825-3637 Jill Bode, Vice-chair (CARAG) Volunteer members: David Peterson Mary Ann Knox Bill Boudreau

aDveRtising Anna Matthes 824-6183 amatthes@visi.com

PHotogRaPHeRs Jeffrey Farnam, Kay Nygaard Graham, Naomi Oshiro, David Peterson

newsPaPeR CiRCULation CARAG/ECCO Circulation: Bill Boudreau 825-0979

ContRiBUting wRiteRs Colette Davidson, Gay Noble, Aaron Ruben-stein, Scott Schiefelbein, Jacqueline Varriano

ContRiBUting CoLUmnists Dave Frankowski, Ralph Remington. Dave Veeser

gRaPHiC Design & PRoDUCtion Kelly Newcomer 824-1092 kelly@kellynewcomer.com

minneaPoLis City CoUnCiL Tenth Ward Ralph Remington, 673-2210 ralph.remington@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

CRime PRevention sPeCiaList Tom Thompson 5th Precinct SAFE Unit, Sector 2 3101 Nicollet Ave Minneapolis MN 55408 Serving the neighborhoods of; CARAG, East Harriet, ECCO, Kingfield, Linden Hills, Lyndale, West Calhoun

5tH PReCinCt CommUnity attoRney Lisa Godon 673-2005

Uptown Neighborhood News reserves the right to refuse publication of articles or advertisements as it sees fit. But we will see fit to publish most things, don’t worry. Copyright © 2006. Uptown Neighborhood News.

Uptown neighborhood newsUptown Neighborhood News is a monthly publication of Calhoun Area Residents Action Group (CARAG) in cooperation with the East Calhoun Community Organization (ECCO). UNN cov-ers the news of and is delivered free to households within the area bounded by Lyndale Ave. S. and Lake Calhoun, between Lake Street and 36th St. W. Extra copies are distributed to businesses in the Uptown area, along Lake Street, and Lyndale and Hennepin Aves. Circulation is 5,100, with a pass-along readership of 10,000. Publication and distribution is near the first weekend of every month. Subscriptions are available for $30 per year, prepaid. Send check to: UNN, 711 W. Lake St., Suite 303, Minneapolis, MN 55408.

Contributors are area residents who volunteer their time to bring the news of the area to residents. Articles, letters to the editor and story ideas are welcomed and encouraged. The editor reserves the right to edit for length, clarity, relevance to the area, or other reasons. Editorial and advertising guide-lines are available. Please contact the editor:

Photo by Jeffrey Farnam

CoRReCtionThe hours of operations at Vera’s Cafe were incorrectly reported last month. Vera’s (2903 Lyndale Avenue) is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. We regret the error.

october issue of Uptown neighborhood news:

Deadline for submissions

september 22.

18th annual

greek FestivalFriday, sept. 8 noon to 10 p.m.

saturday, sept. 9 noon to 10 p.m.

sunday, sept 10 noon to 7 p.m.

HigHLigHts:

• Third annual 5K run, Fri. 7 p.m. — 1K kids walk, 6:30 p.m.

• Kids Turbo Slide, Obstacle Course and Climbing Wall

• Authentic Greek Costumed Dancers

• Shop the Plaka for Greek Giftware, Jewelry, Paintings, Sculpture

• Greek Wine Tasting after 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday

• Classic Greek Cooking Demonstrations

• Eat Souvlaki (Shish Kabob) and Pastitsio (Food of the Gods)

• Win Fabulous Trip to Athens

Photo by Jeffrey Farnamthe Christ Pantokrator icon on the inside of the chapel’s gold dome.

SEPTEmbER 2006 UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS • �

Letters to the Editor Policy: Write to us, provided you write fewer than 250 words! Your letter may be edited and we don't know if it will be published, but we will certainly try to do so. We need to know your name, address, phone num-ber and neighborhood.

Before rushing into granting conditional use permits and variances on unproven devel-opment concepts that don’t address the top Uptown liv-ability issues, council member Ralph Remington, members of the Minneapolis Planning Commission and ECCO board members may want to consider the following issues.

• Will the current and future transportation infrastructure adequately support the added level of ‘high-density’ develop-ment?

• What will be the effect on res-idents and small business own-ers when Uptown enters into a prolonged period (2-plus years) of major construction proj-ects? What will be the effect of adding the Hotel Uptown to the existing scheduled devel-opments (MoZaic, Calhoun Square redevelopment and the

Portico)?

• Will this project help alleviate the more “pressing” Uptown issue – available parking? This project may add some addition-al parking spaces but unless it is free, patrons to Uptown will continue to opt for parking on residential streets, as evidenced by the low usage of the “paid-parking” lot that currently exists across the street from the proposed Hotel Uptown.

• Why is it that no hotels (of any size) have already been built in the Uptown area? Do the marketing research depart-ments of many of the regional and national hotel chains not regard this as a viable market? Why hasn’t there already been a large vocal public outcry for the need for a hotel in Uptown?

• Shouldn’t we put a morato-rium on any further large scale

questionable developments until the Small Area Plan has been developed?

• If no hotel is built and noth-ing is developed in the 31st and Holmes street location, will residents and businesses of Uptown suffer?

• If conditional use permits and variances are not granted to Option 1 (ED. NOTE – six stories) of the proposed Hotel Uptown project, how probable is it that the independent inves-tors will actually go ahead with Option 2 (ED. NOTE – four sto-ries)? How probable is it that, if this hotel is not built now, the area in question will eventually contain unpopular develop-ments that don’t resolve a need, fit to scale or are publicly non-pleasing?

• Isn’t the purpose of grant-ing conditional use permits

and variances designed to help facilitate a genuine community need or improve a blighted area that would otherwise go unde-veloped? I wouldn’t consider the lots on 31st and Holmes to be “blighted,” nor would most people consider a boutique hotel to be high on the list of community needs.

• Is it really reasonable to believe that large blocks of rooms will be purchased by local businesses and corpora-tions when this hotel will have no proposed meeting facilities, will not be close to convention space downtown and won’t be near many large organiza-tions?

Mike Schlecht Virginia Kuhn

East Calhoun Residents

opinions lettersQuestions to Consider before Allowing the hotel Uptown

By David Anderson

My wife and I moved into CARAG just over a year ago. We were excited about all the charms of the Uptown scene, especially the short walks avail-able to Lake Calhoun, the res-taurants near Calhoun Square, and the grocery store.

Not wanting to bite off too much, Beth and I bought a charming old duplex, moved in, got married, and ran off to Hawaii for a wonderful honey-moon, all in a span of one week. We returned 16 days later, ready to turn our new house into a home. That’s when we learned about nuisance violations.

As first-time homeowners and landlords, Beth and I knew we had a lot to learn. But we were confident we could figure things out quickly, especially with a little friendly help from our neighbors. Sadly, instead of warm smiles, a hot-dish, or a welcome card from those neigh-bors, we received two letters for different NUISANCE CON-DITIONS reported anony-mously to the city.

In fairness, we were guilty of both violations. The lawn had grown surprisingly tall while we were away, and since we were brand new to lawn ownership, it just hadn’t occurred to us to line up someone to mow it. We scrambled to acquire a relic of a mower from a friend, and took care of VIOLATION #1.

The second violation was one of those obscure bits of Min-

neapolis vehicle code that no newcomer could be expected to intuit: We had apparently inflicted the streets with an ABANDONED VEHICLE. There’s plenty of parking on our street, but we had left my car in front of a neighbor’s house instead of directly in front of our own. Since we were on our honeymoon, we failed to move it for over three days. Voila! A second NUISANCE CONDI-TION notice was born.

Just this week, we received yet another violation notice, this one for an even more innocu-ous vehicle problem. Wouldn’t it have been just as easy (and much friendlier) for the neigh-bor who noticed this to tell us directly, instead of reporting the problem to the city?

Sure, it’s great that our city has this system of reporting nuisance violations, as a solution of last resort. But skipping direct com-munication with your neigh-bor (such as knocking on their door to chat or even leaving a friendly note about your con-cern) and immediately reporting the offending party to the city is plainly passive-aggressive.

It was a disappointment to learn that our new home was located in a neighborhood where such passive-aggression was the cul-tural norm. If it were just a ques-tion of disappointment, though, we would put it behind us. But this kind of disconnected atti-tude severely inhibits our neigh-borhood’s ability to deal with problems of real significance, because it shows an unwilling-

ness to communicate openly and work together with fellow citi-zens of our neighborhood.

If we can’t knock on our neigh-bors’ doors and ask them nicely to cut their lawns, how can we combat the truly meaningful problems we face, such as the rise in street crime (punctuated by the murder on Girard Avenue this year), or the development plans that may threaten the very character of our neighborhood?

Beth and I have chosen to respond to these anonymous neighborhood conflicts not with outrage, but outreach. We’ve resolved to meet each of our neighbors, opening lines of com-munication and hopefully mak-ing a few friends along the way. Our vision of a pleasant, safe, and vibrant Uptown neighborhood is rooted in a strong sense of com-munity and communication.

If you’d like to join our efforts, here are a few suggestions we have for building a stronger Uptown community:

• Go for a stroll. The best way to meet your neighbors and enjoy your environment is to walk around. Make it a habit − every evening after dinner, go for a walk down your street. It’s a great chance to get exer-cise, collect landscaping ideas, and chat with neighbors you encounter on the sidewalks or front porches you pass.

• Meet your neighbors. Do you personally know everyone who lives on your street? If not, just knock on their door and

introduce yourself. We’re not all going to become fast friends, but it’s important to know who your neighbors are. Perhaps our house wouldn’t have been burglarized this spring if our neighbors had recognized the intruder as a stranger.

• Communicate concerns directly to your neighbors. Imagine the difference if our anonymous informants had written us a note instead of reporting us to the city. First, we could have apologized directly to them. More importantly, we all would have benefited from the show of mutual respect.

• Embrace renters. We’ve detected a certain anti-renter bias from some the CARAG homeowners we’ve encountered. The reasons are understandable – renters and absent landlords may not care as much about the neighborhood as homesteading owners do, and renters tend to have high turnover. But maybe some renters would stay longer if they felt they were part of a welcoming, open community.

• Cultivate an attitude of friendliness. They say that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% attitude. If we all cultivate a positive attitude about our neighbors, we’ll all benefit.

I don’t think we’ll ever know who reported us to the city, but in case they’re reading this arti-cle, we’d like to say:

We’re sorry. We want the neighborhood to look great, and we let you down last summer by

the neighborhood Could Use some neighborliness…

GlAD tO hAVE A pApERThank you for your work to produce the Uptown News. We lived in our ECCO home for 20 plus years, lived in Cali-fornia for eight-and-a-half years and returned to ECCO last year. When we heard the East Calhoun News no longer existed, we were saddened. But, so glad to see that Uptown News stepped in to fill the gap.

Linda ToddEast Calhoun

Opinions Policy: Please submit your opinion pieces to the editor. We encour-age thoughtful essays about anything that’s going on in the neighborhoods. On occasion, we will solicit contrasting views on one subject and run multiple opinions. We reserve the right to edit for space or clarity, taste and legal concerns.

OppOsE AFtERbAR hOURsThere is an article elsewhere in this edition about the liquor license requested by AfterBar restaurant for 913 West Lake Street. The owners of this res-taurant appear to have been quite successful in recruiting their friends and supporters to speak at two public meetings — and to write letters of support to the City. I strongly encourage anyone who opposes having an establishment on Lake Street near Bryant that serves alco-hol until 2 a.m. and food until 4 a.m. daily to send an email to the City saying so. This kind of community input matters to city staff and council members. Please email liquor licensing inspector philip.schliesman@ci.minneapolis.mn.us and copy Council Member ralph.reming-ton@ci.minneapolis.mn.us. You can consult the CARAG reso-lution on the CARAG website for information and points (see article). This is a very important issue of neighborhood livability and appropriate, balanced land use.

Aaron RubensteinCARAG Zoning Committee

Chair

not responsibly tending to our lawn. As you may have noticed, we’ve kept it well mown ever since. Next time you have a concern, please don’t report us. Instead, help us. If you simply knock on our door, you’ll find that we’re polite, friendly, and ready to work with you. We’re on the same side.

David Anderson is a professional singer and a freelance webmaster, graphic designer, and ski instructor.

� • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

By Scott Schiefelbein

“I want great, fresh, locally grown sweet corn and I want it for 10 cents an ear,” I grum-bled to myself as I stood in the produce section of a neighbor-hood grocery store pondering my options. Unsatisfied with the price and selection available at the supermarket, I decided to head to some local farmers’ markets in search of corn and whatever else I could find.

I found that three Minneapo-lis markets are in full swing

through the fall months. The selection of produce has changed a bit. Many early sea-son products are still available, but root vegetables like carrots, potatoes and onions are more abundant than greens. Apples and pumpkins are appearing and yes, there is corn! There are also flowers, meat, cheese, bread, many specialty items, information and entertain-ment.

The midtown public market, located on East Lake Street and 22nd Avenue South, fea-

tures farmers, processors, or food sellers producing items locally in Minnesota or Wis-consin, especially organic grow-ers. Midtown Market is open through the end of October on Tuesdays 3:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The market always has live music. It also offers community information tables, cooking demonstrations and other events. On the slate for the fall is a Native Ameri-can Day Celebration, which will be held on Saturday, Sep-tember 30. The celebration will include entertainment, activi-

ties for children, and health resources.

The kingfield Farmer’s mar-ket is on Nicollet Avenue just past 43rd Street. It is open on Sundays 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. through October. Kingfield is small but there is still plenty to see and hear. The market hosts the Youth Farm and Mar-ket Project. Master Gardeners from the University of Min-nesota’s Extension Services are on hand to respond to concerns about how to cut back plants, how to fertilize lawns and what all those little red bugs in the back yard are (They’re baby box elder bugs, which are hav-ing an exceptionally prolific season). In addition, there are pastries and coffee for those who are just looking for Sun-day morning breakfast.

The largest and oldest market in Minneapolis is the minneap-olis Farmers market. The main space, located off I-94 near Lyndale Avenue, is open daily from 6:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. through December. The mar-ket also hosts a satellite location on Nicollet Mall (between 5th and Tenth Streets) on Thurs-days from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. through October. The market has a huge selection of Minnesota grown fruits and vegetables, produce from out-side the state, farmstead prod-ucts, craft goods and flowers.

One of the attractions of farm-ers’ markets is getting the chance to talk to the vendors about the products they sell. Many of them make the rounds of various markets throughout the region. Most love to talk about the things they grow, raise or make. Courie Bishop and James Fitzgerald of Dou-ble Rabbit Farm in Redwood County are in their first year of raising and selling heirloom produce like tomatoes, zucchini and maybe mushrooms later in the season. Despite the distance and high fuel costs, they like coming to the Midtown Market because of the great people. Ray Cannon of Uncle Ray’s Cook-ies works suburban locations as well as the Midtown Market and usually sells out wherever

he goes. Ron Shimanski of Shi-manski Orchards sells his fruit in Maple Grove, St. Louis Park, Hopkins and the Midtown and Lyndale Markets in Minneapo-lis. His best sellers are Honey Crisp Apples, which will be ripe and ready throughout the fall.

The harvest has not been kind to some of the producers. Joan Davidson of New Prague says that she lost most of her melons and squash to hail and other bad weather. However, her new crop of honey is excellent.

I finally found and bought my corn and quite a few other items. All of it was grown locally and on sale right here in Minneapolis. The corn cost more than the aforementioned 10 cents an ear but it was less expensive than at my local supermarket. Best of all, every-thing was fresh and delicious.

For those who wish to ven-ture outside of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture offers a list of all registered farmers’ markets in Minnesota at www.minnesota-grown.com. The site also has information on what’s available and what’s in season.

Scott Schiefelbein lives and eats in Uptown.

Paid for by the MAK Volunteer Committee • 620 Morgan Ave. S. • Minneapolis, MN 55405

• 100% voting record rating from the League ofConservation Voters

• Chief Author of the successful Completion ofthe Cedar Lake Trail to the River ($1.8 million)

• Chief Author of the successful Lake of theIsles Restoration to complete the parkrenovation in 2007 ($3.2 million)

• Chief Author of the Minnesota Coalition forthe Homeless bill–successfully secured$19.5 million for transitional andsupportive housing.

Serving You in theState Legislature!

Brought to you by 2626 West Lake, LLC.

Contact Tony Kriha at tony@landergroup.com

or 612-986-2511 to schedule an appointment.

LakeCalhoun

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ve.

Credit: naomi OshiroCaption Crsip fall apples await you at the King-

field market. Shown here is grower Ron Shimanski.

Photo: mastergs.jpgCredit: naomi OshiroCaption

Farmers’ markets in autumn

Photo by naomi OshiroAbundant late summer produce fills the markets.

Photo by naomi OshiroCrsip fall apples await you at the market. shown here is grower Ron shimanski.

Photo by naomi Oshiromaser Gardeners at the kingfield market. (l to r): Catherine Grant, paul husse and nancy Christian.

SEPTEmbER 2006 UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS • �

ERnEst lEhmAn (R)geomine@worldnet.att.net612.859.4159

Q1: The Board is set up under the state’s “Water Law.” It has lost most of its funding and staff in recent years and needs to re-consider its mission and

viability with regard to dealing with issues related to soil and water con-servation in this largely urban county of established municipalities, all of which have planning and enforce-ment capabilities. I am a professional licensed geologist with over 50 years experience and have served on plan-ning commissions (Plymouth Village) and have been active in neighborhood groups in Minneapolis. Based on this background, I believe I can contribute scientific and business experience to the Board at this critical time

Q2: Much of the wetlands in south Minneapolis have been eliminated

through both public and private devel-opment. Existing regulation and per-mitting requirements can be used to maintain and in some cases improve ones remaining. However the Board lacks any significant degree of author-ity to do so. At best it must use its persuasive powers with the various governmental agencies who do actu-ally regulate and with agencies and developers who undertake projects affecting wet lands.

Q3: As stated above, the Board lacks any significant degree of legal author-ity in these matters, which fall to the regulatory and planning authorities. Inappropriate use affects both physical and aesthetic quality of the lake and the area. I am personally opposed to inappropriate uses around Lake Cal-houn, including inappropriate housing development. Projects directly affect-ing other parts of the Chain of Lakes area, particularly on public lands, need to be carefully studied both from a technical and a planning perspective before being permitted.

�006 election coverage

hennepin County soil and Water Conservation board: District 2

DAn FlODanFlo4HCD@hotmail.com612.812.0069

Q1. The Hen-nepin Soil and Water Conser-vation District is a low profile organization that does good things for this county’s natural resources. The dedicated

board and staff work closely with resi-dents and other government officials to implement the provisions of the Wetland Conservation Act. We do this by provid-ing money and environmental education to promote projects that curb soil erosion and improve water quality. As the legis-lature works to develop a working, dedi-cated clean water legacy program for cleaning up the state’s impaired waters, HCD will play an integral role in man-aging those funds in Hennepin County. I’m excited to continue the work of the Soil and Water Conservation District Board as we forge new partnerships and plan a better future for water quality in Hennepin County.

Q2. Thanks to the work of such orga-nizations as the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and Hennepin Environmental Services, wetland areas outside of south Minneapolis are thriv-ing, integral pieces of our natural land-scape. Improvements have been made in south Minneapolis during the last ten years, but we can do better. The water retention ponds around Lake Nokomis are good examples of using natural systems to improve water qual-ity. Wetlands act as giant sponges dur-ing heavy rains, and as huge filters for our lakes and rivers. Hennepin Con-servation District can partner with MCWD and the Minneapolis Park Board to restore more wetlands in our city, simultaneously improving water quality and providing natural habitat. One specific area of concern for me is Diamond Lake, because the new I-35/Crosstown interchange project threat-ens to further degrade water quality there. I will work with residents and local groups to protect this important resource.

Q3. Everywhere in Minneapolis, the choices we make regarding new development can have lasting impacts on water quality. Historically, those

choices – such as large, impervious sur-faces including parking lots and roofs, reducing green space, and installing non-native plants and sod – have had negative environmental effects. This, however, is starting to change. At Hennepin Conservation District, we help organizations learn how to plant rain gardens and install low mainte-nance lawns that keep dirty water out of our lakes. We partner with other agencies and landowners to install ero-sion-reducing structures near rivers. Together, we can still do more, such as encouraging developers to use semi-pervious driveways and green roof designs that filter water, and requir-ing that new developments have no net impact on water quality. As a com-munity, we must encourage better land use practices near our lakes. As a part of your community, HCD can help.

this will be the first of three issues that will cover candidates running in city, state and federal elections. the primary is september 12, and the general election is November 7

hennepin County Attorney

1. Can you explain why the board is important, and why you should be elected to it?

2. What is the status of wet-land areas in south minne-apolis and what will you do to improve or maintain them?

3. Development around lake Calhoun in the shore-land Overlay District has been a controversial issue. What are your views on if or how land

use around the lake affects the water quality? What will you do to protect the Chain of lakes?

Q.

What Does the soil and Water board Do? The Board delineates watersheds and approves water management plans to be implemented by the state’s watershed districts and watershed management organizations. May compel municipalities to meet regulatory controls.

mikE FREEmAn (DFl)612-861-6453www.mikefreeman06.com

Q1: Crime reduction is without question my chief priority as Hennepin County Attor-ney. Violent crimes have penetrated many of our commu-

nities at an alarming rate. We need a renewed focus on public safety, and critical changes must be implemented to achieve this goal. First and foremost we need to commit more resources to public safety. Mayor R.T. Rybak pro-posed the addition of 43 officers as well as increases revenues for crime fight-ing technologies. I favor these chang-es, but alone, they are not enough. A

small percentage of criminals are responsible for a large percentage of the crime. That’s why I will fight to increase resources and direct them toward the thorough dismantlement of gangs and aggressive prosecution of repeat offenders. The top priority of my two terms as Hennepin County Attorney from 1991-1999 was crime prevention and I plan on devoting sig-nificant time and energy toward crime prevention initiatives again as well. If we are to reduce crime in our commu-nities, preventive measures must be at the forefront.

Q2: Drug trade and drug use are at the source of most violent and property crime. Breaking the cycle of repeated drug offenders involves a two-pronged attack. First, we must locate and crack down on drug suppliers. Attacking the supply-side requires better training for our law enforcement agents, particu-larly the Gang Unit. And when we do

arrest drug dealers, especially repeat pushers, we must put them away for long periods of time. Second, we need to offer practical and effective drug treatment programs for drug abusers who are motivated to stop. Success-fully accomplishing this requires an important partnership between pros-ecutors and communities themselves. Community involvement in the pros-ecutorial process is something Amy Klobuchar has championed and I plan to continue to use this successful tool in breaking cyclical criminal activity, especially as it relates to drug addicts.

Q3: Crime prevention is the most com-mon sense, cost-effective and proactive strategy to combat crime. And there is no better avenue to do this than by focusing on truancy enforcement. Truancy is a significant predictor of

1. What are your priorities as hennepin County Attorney?

2. What will you do to decrease the crimes of repeat drug offenders?

3. While your office pros-ecutes crimes, and traditionally does a good job with that, what will you do to prevent crime?

4. it is public perception that violent gangs cause much of the violent crime in minneapolis. how will you dismantle and prosecute these gangs?

Q.AnDy lUGER (DFl)info@andyluger.com 952-938-2999 www.andyluger.com

Q1: I will focus on the growing gang problem in Minneapolis and the surround-ing suburbs, repeat offenders, domestic abuse, white collar crime and issues

of abuse plaguing vulnerable adults. In addition, I will take a leadership role in creating an innovative and effective prisoner re-entry program in Henne-pin County. Most prisoners eventually return to their communities and we must do more to work with those who want to be law abiding citizens upon their release.

Q2: First and foremost, repeat offend-ers must do jail time. The vast major-ity of violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders with long criminal histories who spend little time in pris-on. As County Attorney, I will pledge to spearhead a Repeat Offender Unit to address the criminal justice system at its three phases. First, we must address the problem before it begins by provid-ing alternatives for our youth so they do not enter a life of crime. Secondly, we must concentrate law enforcement efforts on the relatively small number of people committing the vast major-ity of violent crimes. The seasoned prosecutors in the Repeat Offenders Unit will handle these cases. Finally, I am working with local and national experts on prisoner re-entry to design a program in Hennepin County to pro-vide job training, mentoring and hous-ing for ex-offenders determined to turn

What Does the County Attorney Do? The County Attorney is the chief prosecutor of all adult felony and juvenile crimes in the county. In addi-tion, the CA provides legal counsel to the county Board of Commissioners and all county departments, and represents the county in civil lawsuits, mental health commit-ments, child support and protection matters. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office employs 160 attorneys.

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phil WillkiEphilwillkie@earthlink.net612. 822.0522

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mn Attorney General1. What changes do you think are necessary in the Attorney General’s office, and why are you equipped to run it?

2. What are your views on the monitoring of health care com-panies? What will you do in this capacity?

3. What will you do to pro-tect our children – from drugs, predators, and internet crimes?

4. how will you protect the privacy and civil rights of min-nesotans?Q.

shAROn AnDERsOn (R)651.776.5835www.sharon4anderson.org

Q1: AG’s office by MS8.xx in the Executive Branch, has lost integrity there-fore WE must have whistle-blowers, layper-sons, forensic experts, learned

in electronic filings, as chief legal offi-cer for the state and citizenry. Have boards and commissions hire private lawyers, to avoid conflicts. Sharon must prosecute violations, election fraud, case fixing, white collar crime regard-less of persons in high places, MS 2.724 chief justice Water EDemA06-1150 as on file in compliance with Minne-sota Constitution Article III Separa-tion of Powers Doctrine. Sharon has no conflicts, is a legal forensic analyst, and is the only qualified candidate in re: Scarrella for Associate Justice 221NW2d562, not burdened with law license to operate the AG’s office, tech-nically administrative. ECF_P16591 Pacer Acct: sa1299. Mandates high morals, ethics, integrity, and honesty.

Q2: For 10 years now I’ve tried to let the public know of the data warehous-ing our medical records to France by www.bull.com for 3 billion yearly contract. Due to the murder of my husband and his 1-year commitment to Brainerd, no wonder lawyer Kevin Goodno has resigned. Close down these state health facilities, i.e., St. Peter, Brainerd and others, costing the taxpayers a fortune. Do the crime, do the time. Cancel the contract with bull.com, the U.S. has high tech to enforce electronic filings.

Q3: Arrest the parents: Meth heads illegally diagnosed bi-polar, arrest the doctors.

Q4: Enforce eminent domain compen-sations. Eminent domain: regulatory takings — house research. AG’s office must be open door policy for ALL. No one should be homeless or hungry. Teach the state and federal constitution in all schools to graduate. Eliminate 87 county attorneys, city attorneys, have 10 district attorneys, computer literate, downsize the courts, mandate ECF filings, eliminate bogus appeals with unpublished opinions, technically pub-lished. Prosecute hackers immediately. Mandate royalties for the names of persons published opinions copyright to the plaintiff and or defendants.

JEFF JOhnsOn (R)info@JohnsonForAG.org952.544.0372www.JohnsonForAG.org

Q1. The AG’s Office has become much too partisan and political the past few years; that must change. The main focus of the office should be to

protect Minnesotans from criminals (whether corporate criminals or violent criminals), not to promote the political future of the Attorney General. I am equipped to make this change based upon my 14 years of experience as an employment and business attorney, my chairmanship of the House Civil Law Committee and, most importantly, my strong bi-partisan record in the Min-nesota House. I have been chief House author the past few years of the most sweeping anti-meth bill ever passed in the country, fundamental reform of Minnesota’s eminent domain laws, the most significant lawsuit reform legisla-tion in two decades and Minnesota’s first law requiring corporations to notify individuals when their personal information has been stolen or lost. In every case, I’ve done so by work-ing closely with both Democrats and Republicans.

Q2. I give the Attorney General credit for his aggressive monitoring of HMOs in Minnesota. The AG’s Office has a strong record the past two decades of auditing health care non-profits and, in some instances, uncovering spend-ing excesses that don’t fit with the mis-sion of a non-profit company. I will continue to monitor all non-profits just as closely. I will also lead on a patient-focused legislative health care agenda that encourages innovation and com-petition in the marketplace.

Q 3: I believe that the most impor-tant role of the Attorney General is to protect our most vulnerable citizens — our kids — from criminals. The main focus of my campaign has been the fight against meth, sexual preda-tors and gang violence. In the House, I was the successful chief author of last year’s major anti-meth bill and of this year’s funding of a new unit within the Bureau of Criminal Apprehen-sion dealing exclusively with Internet crimes against children. I have set forth a very comprehensive anti-meth plan that I will pursue as Attorney General addressing education, treat-ment and an attempt to stem the flow of meth coming into the state. I will also lead the fight as Attorney General to require that all Level II and III sex offenders on supervised release wear GPS tracking bracelets so we can keep track of their whereabouts every min-ute of every day.

Q4: As Attorney General, I will con-tinue the role I have served in the House as a leader on identity theft pre-vention and protector of individuals’ private information. We have made some significant strides in the past two years on identity theft, but much more needs to be done. With respect to civil rights, I will take very seriously my job of providing assistance to county attor-neys throughout the state when they request help in prosecutions, including prosecution of criminal civil rights vio-lations.

stEVE kEllEy (DFl) steve@kelleyforag.org763.544.8691www.kelleyforattorneygeneral.org

Q1: I believe the office requires both legal and policy experi-ence. I have both. I have been a lawyer for 27 years, first work-ing to defend tenants of public

housing in New York City as a law stu-dent, then moving back to Minnesota and working for Mackall, Crounse & Moore, where I have been since 1983. I have trial and appellate experience in state and federal courts, including the Minnesota State Supreme Court. I have been fortunate to serve in the state legislature for 14 years. I authored one of the first Internet privacy bills in the nation and passed the groundbreak-ing Adverse Health Events Reporting Law. Giving voice to and defending the rights of children as Chair of the Senate Education Committee for the last three years has been one of my most rewarding experiences. I will continue the office’s tradition of vig-orously defending the rights of every Minnesotan, especially in the areas of health care, public safety, and privacy. I will champion the causes of consum-ers, patients, seniors, and children, and I will look to new ways to help Min-nesotans improve their lives.

Q2: I will continue the good work Mike Hatch has done holding health care companies and their executives accountable. No Minnesotan ought to worry that her hard-earned dollars are wrongly going into executive pockets when they should be going to bedside care. I will continue working to hold down costs and pay additional atten-tion to pharmaceutical companies’ drug sales practices. As attorney gen-eral, I will continue the work I started in the legislature, where I authored a bill mandating that hospitals report gross medical errors. I will work to enact universal health care coverage and improve health care quality and patient safety.

Q3. As I have been for the last three years as Chair of the Senate Educa-tion Committee, I will continue to be a strong advocate for children. I will work closely with local law enforce-ment to make our communities safer, focusing particularly on busting up meth rings. We must also provide spe-cialist resources to local law enforce-ment for sexual predator and Internet crimes. In the legislature I authored a bill targeting perpetrators of identity theft by prohibiting the electronic use of false pretenses, “phishing” by email, to obtain the identity of another per-son. I will continue that work as attor-ney general, protecting consumers and Internet users from identity theft.

Q4. I have a record of accomplishment in the legislature for supporting both privacy and human rights. I authored one of the first Internet privacy laws in the nation, as well as legislation estab-lishing privacy standards for use of cus-tomer information and restricting the use and display of social security num-bers. I will continue those efforts, espe-cially regarding financial and medical records. And I will work with county attorneys and other attorneys general

bill lUthER (DFl)bill@lutherforattorneygeneral.com612-309-0306www.lutherforattorneygeneral.com

Q1. Just as Min-nesota led the fight against big tobacco compa-nies who prey on children and HMOs who mis-treat patients, we must lead the fight against

price gouging and monopolies in the oil industry. As attorney general, my most important priority will be crack-ing down on gas and oil companies that gouge Minnesotans at the pump. In Congress, I fought to increase ethanol usage and fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks. I will use this experi-ence to continue to fight for Minneso-ta’s families as Attorney General. First, I will investigate oil company practices that drive up gas prices. For example, reports indicate corporate unwilling-ness to make repairs in a lax regulatory environment caused the recent spike in gas prices. Second, I will prosecute price-fixing and cheating. Whether it is the local gas station, their wholesaler or the oil company, I will not toler-ate companies that cheat consumers. Third, I will help Minnesota spear-head a nationwide effort to stop con-solidation and break up monopolies in the oil industry.

Q2. Nothing is as important to us as our health. For the last eight years, the Minnesota Attorney General’s office has been aggressively pursuing waste and abuse in the health care industry. As attorney general, I will continue to hold HMOs accountable. I will fight to protect Minnesota’s uninsured and underinsured. While Minnesota made progress on requiring hospitals to bill insured and uninsured patients the same costs for care, we need to pursue the same goal for other providers. In Congress, I fought to lower the cost of prescription drugs by importing drugs from Canada and opening the market for FDA-approved generic drugs. I will continue to fight prescription drug companies to lower the price of drugs. Given near-record profits, HMOs and drug companies cannot blame pre-mium increases on government action protecting patients.

Q3. From the farms of rural Minnesota to the neighborhoods of Minneapolis, the epidemic of methamphetamines has devastated too many families. While the Legislature has made prog-ress in controlling meth’s ingredients, I will strengthen the relationship between the attorney general’s office and local sheriffs and police depart-ments. In addition, I will work with local school districts and community organizations to create new education initiatives to prevent children from using drugs and to assist parents in guiding and monitoring their children. Protecting women and children from dangerous sexual predators will be a top priority for me. Because of budget cuts, too many sex offenders are being released from treatment centers and hospitals. As Minnesota’s chief legal officer, I will work with legislators to increase funding for the Minnesota Sex Offender Program, strengthen existing laws and propose new, creative legislation to protect citizens by target-ing repeat offenders.

lORi sWAnsOn (DFl)info@swansonforattorneygeneral.com(651) 452-1262www.swansonforattorneygeneral.com

Q1: I know how to run the Attor-ney General’s Office because I have been help-ing to manage it for the last seven years, first as Deputy Attor-ney General and

then as Minnesota Solicitor General. The Attorney General should be the “people’s lawyer,” standing up for peo-ple against corporate wrongdoers and other lawbreakers. This is work that I’ve been doing, know how to do, and will continue to do as Attorney Gen-eral. The next Attorney General will face new challenges, such as a federal government that increasingly wants to preempt states from protecting their consumers, patients, and workers. I will be vigilant in meeting this chal-lenge to make sure Minnesota con-sumers and citizens don’t fall through the cracks.

Q2: Health care costs are the larg-est cause of personal bankruptcy and a burden on policyholders and employers, and it is important for the Attorney General to protect consumers from health care abuses. I will take action against prescrip-tion drug companies that engage in price-fixing or unlawful conspiracies. I will take action against HMOs that improperly fail to pay benefits. I will fight efforts at the federal level to preempt the states from regulating health insur-ers. And I will closely monitor the insurers that implement the Medi-care Part D prescription drug benefit to make sure seniors are not ill-treat-ed. I can do this, because I’ve been doing it.

Q3: I will provide assistance to the county attorneys who prosecute these crimes to make sure our pub-lic remains safe. I will assist county attorneys in civilly committing dan-gerous sexual predators who are a threat to the community. I will use the bully-pulpit of the Attorney Gen-eral’s Office to try to restore some of the recent budget cuts to important areas like the Gang Strike Force and programs to prevent crime by at-risk youth. I will make sure that HMOs appropriately cover treatment for chemically dependent and mentally ill youth.

Q4: As Deputy Attorney Gen-eral, I took action against white supremists who sent their victims death threats, took action against banks and financial institutions to halt the sale of account numbers, social security numbers, and other private data, took action against HMOs that discriminated against the mentally ill, and took action against companies that overcharged people of color. I will continue to aggressively bring such cases as Attor-ney General.

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such as a youth natural disaster corps with uniforms and modest pay to train in providing disaster relief.

Q4. Civil rights can best be protected by assuring that affordable justice is available for all Minnesotans, that judges and public officers do not abuse their power, that all judges are fair and impartial, and that racism by public officials is totally eliminated. To achieve this, I advocate: outlawing the judge-made rule that allows judg-es to take $150 gratuities (tips) from lawyers, sending voters performance evaluations that inform them on how incumbent judges have performed their jobs, reforming the system so that the people choose new judges as our Constitution states, not the governor, creating a special court to try judges and public officers who disregard the rules, ignore the law, act illegally, and abuse their power, and institut-ing public funding of judge elections financed by lawyer registration fees. Laws to protect privacy and personal data exist. They need to be enforced more vigorously and violators need to be aggressively prosecuted.

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The Attorney General is the state’s chief legal officer serving the state’s 100 government agencies. Represents the state in state and federal courts. Makes rules, handles felony appeals, and prosecutes at the request of local jurisdictions. The AG issues opinions inter-preting state statutes and is the chief law enforcer in areas of consumer protection, antitrust enforcement and charities regulation. Learn more at www.ag.state.mn.us.

What Does the Attorney General Do?

JOhn JAmEs (ip)John@TeamMN.com.612.767.4465www.TeamMN.com

Q1: The Atto-rney General’s job is to repre-sent the people of Minnesota. The best way to do that? Get out of St. Paul to work with local officers

and officials to relentlessly focus on ensuring the public’s safety, protecting consumers and making our laws work for all Minnesotans. But, if all we get from the AG is enforcement, we’re not getting enough value. I’ll provide legal guidance to the Governor on the main issues that will make Minnesota prosperous and safe. I have 32 years’ experience as an attorney and led the Revenue Department, improving tax administration – fairer, faster, simpler. I’m running with the Independence Party’s Peter Hutchinson (Governor) and Team Minnesota. This Team is a new concept, an approach to govern-ment underpinned by a blindingly obvious idea: that elected officials com-mitted to the same goals, who already know how to work together, offer much more value to Minnesotans.

Q2: Health care costs are the biggest threat to our prosperity. If we fail to control them, we cannot invest in other things that matter. There simply will be no money. Team Minnesota’s health care initiative (www.TeamMN.com) solves the health care crisis and creates affordable, high-quality care for ALL Minnesotans. “Monitoring” health care companies has not cut costs. The problems behind those costs can only be solved with the input and support of health care companies, which have been dealing with a broken system themselves. Our health care system is sick! The AG should monitor insu-rance companies to ensure that Min-nesotans get the coverage they pay for, but there’s no need for a highly adver-sarial relationship between the AG’s office and health care companies. Bet-ter to have a relationship that encou-rages companies to make changes that will effectively meet the needs of their customers, while ensuring access, qua-lity and affordability.

Q3: Children are our future and deserve our highest priority. Team Minnesota will focus on early child-hood education, to give every child a great beginning, setting children on the road to success and reducing drug use. The AG’s Office will also work to strengthen child protection ser-vices. Protecting children from drugs requires education to reduce demand and multiple measures to reduce sup-ply. Protection against predators requires public information and effec-tive law enforcement. Internet crimes require an aggressive education pro-gram for parents, children, teachers and librarians to understand how to avoid risks involved with the Inter-net. I will provide more aggressive public safety leadership, coordinating law enforcement efforts and shaping a results-oriented legislative agenda. I will leave St. Paul regularly to talk with Minnesotans and local officials to understand the unique challenges in each community. The AG’s office will lead the effort to better coordinate our

DAlE nAthAn (ip)dalenathan@usfamily.net651.454.0505dalenathanforag.com

Q1. The Attorney General should greatly increase his or her efforts in draftingcreative legisla-tion that will sig-nificantly reform our legal and social systems.

I have drafted such legislation. Clear goals; a competent, hardworking staff; strong leadership; commitment; and mission. These are the keys to success as attorney general. My goals are clearly stated and achievable. My staff will include highly competentand dedicated people who know how to work with the legislature to get reforms. They will aggressively pros-ecute wrongdoers. I have proven lead-ership skills as chief counsel of a very large business unit (now Lockheed-Martin, Eagan), president of a national association, and experience as a private lawyer for citizens in major litigation for 26 years. My commitment is totally to serving the people of Minnesota. My mission is to draft reform legislation as I have done, and energize Minnesotans to press their legislators to enact the reforms we need.

Q2. Closely monitoring health care companies is essential, but much more is needed to get lower cost health care for all Minnesotans. The system I favor will cost about one-half of what health care now costs while providing expanded services and more choice. This proposed system is brilliantly explained in a DVD “The Missing Piece,” copy available on request. I propose as my primary goal to achieve this by implementing the MUHCC/COACT plan described in the DVD with modifications. I also propose banning ads for Viagra, Cialis, etc., and forcing pharmaceutical companies to reduce their prices by the costs they save, assessing a 5 percent health impact fee on trans-fat foods to raise addi-tional funds we need for health care coverage, defining a basic health care package that health care companies must provide, incentivizing preventive health care, and reducing wasteful health care expenses such as excessive emergency room care.

Q3. Increasing surveillance and aggres-sive prosecution are part of protectingour children from drugs, predators, and Internet crime. But again, more is needed. We must redevelop areas of blight and crime to eliminate gangs, drug sales, illegal weapon possession, and conditions that foster violence against our children. I propose livable wage zones (like tax-free zones) that incentivize redevelopment and benefit workers just as we subsidize industry. I propose using ignition interlocks to reduce repeat DWI offenders by 65 percent and make our streets and roads much safer. I favor increasing afford-able housing to strengthen family life. I favor a law that protects pension benefits and guards against impover-ishment by failed pension promises. We need to redouble efforts to keep teenagers in school with programs that provide incentives to stay in school

pApA JOhn kOlstAD (Gp)info@PapaJohnKolstad.org612-237-5696www.PapaJohnKolstad.org

Q1: The Attor-ney General needs to be more aggressive with corporate waste, fraud and abuse. The Attorney General’s office should extend the protection

they provide to consumers to small independent businesses. I have run a small business for 26 years and have been active in the civic and business organizations; small businesses are the economic engine of Minnesota. Pro-viding them support increases jobs and strengthens the economy. I would cre-ate a division to protect small indepen-dent businesses against powerful and abusive large corporations. This is an area I have deep personal experience with and understand what needs to be done and why it would be beneficial tothe people of Minnesota.

Q2: I applaud the work of Mike Hatch and his staff regarding the investiga-tion and audits of the health insurance companies and HMOs. The audits reveal enormous waste and fraud within these companies. I would con-tinue the investigations and audits, but I would pursue criminal penalties against the executives and the Board of Directors. (This is not yet done by Mike Hatch.) I would also move to block heath care dollars from being used for campaign contributions or lobbyists who give money on behalf of health insurance companies. In addi-tion I would move to severely limit executive salaries and stock options. However, the real answer to our health care crisis is to get rid of the insur-ance companies all together and move immediately to universal health care through a single payer system, Medi-care for all Minnesotans. It would save Minnesota $1.5 to $3.0 billion per year.

Q3: This is primarily the responsibil-ity of the police, law enforcement and parents. The Attorney General can propose new laws if flaws or loopholes are found in the current laws. Educa-tion and accurate, factual information regarding drugs are of vital impor-tance. Making more, tougher drug laws has not solved anything. We need to provide an alternative posi-tive option. People need to have jobs that provide a decent living. Predators need to be identified and then provid-ed with real and effective treatment. Internet crime is relatively a new area and I’d pursue new, aggressive tools to find and prosecute or block these criminals and prosecute their Inter-net provider or the nation that allows this conduct. The Attorney General’s office can go after the big corporations who ultimately benefit from this ille-gal and predatory behavior.

Q4: The United States and the State of Minnesota have wonderful consti-tutions, which protects both the right to privacy and civil rights. I would aggressively defend both rights at every opportunity. The U.S. Congress has abdicated its responsibility under the Constitution to declare war, yet allows the President to wage war unimpeded. The President has invaded privacy and grossly violated the civil rights

around the country to prosecute and prevent identity theft. I will stand up for those without power, against those who misuse power. I will maintain an innovative AG’s office that looks for new ways to help people improve their own lives. I will maintain high stan-dards for quality and public service, fairness and justice.

Q4. Companies and government agen-cies that fail to protect employee and customer information must face stiff consequences. Unfortunately, stories of stolen or lost company laptops are becoming a norm rather than an occa-sional occurrence. Worse has been the irresponsible behavior of compa-nies failing to tell their customers in a timely manner that their personal information is at risk. I will fight to strengthen laws to notify and protect consumers whose personal data, held by businesses and other entities, have been stolen. I will also join with other attorneys general to fight against fed-eral legislation, heavily favored by industry, which would pre-empt state notification laws, set a weaker national notification standard and remove states from the enforcement picture. Social justice has been important to me my entire life. I’ll take on the landlords and corrupt financial institutions that prey on the elderly, working families and communities of color.

crime-fighting efforts across commu-nity lines.

Q4: Protecting citizens’ constitutio-nal rights is a core AG responsibility. Much of the work occurs through the Department of Human Rights and the federal EEOC, which must be effec-tively coordinated with legal recourse. The AG’s Office will review admi-nistrative procedures to ensure that Minnesotans get fair treatment in their dealings with state and local govern-ments. If you see a problem, let the AG’s office know! Privacy is a special challenge. Minnesota must work with Attorneys General from across the country. Federal legislation may be needed. Faced with new technologies, the rapid exchange of information and increasingly sophisticated methods of identification theft, the AG’s office must stay abreast of the latest technolo-gies that could infringe on our privacy. Citizens must have the knowledge of how their private information is used and the ability to limit that use. Cri-minal activities must be vigorously and effectively prosecuted.

of many. If he can do it to them, he can do it to us. I have serious concerns regarding the violations of privacy and civil rights by law enforcement and large corporate entities. I would do all I could under the authority of the Attorney General’s office to protect the civil liberties of all Minnesotans.

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JUAl CARlOs CARlsOn (ip)218.436.2131

CHOSE NOT TO PARTICIPATE

RiChARD bUllOCk (ip) 651.464.7358

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abbreviations:

R = Republican

DFL = Democrat

iP = independence Party

gP = green Party

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JOhn t. UlDRiCh ( R)juldrich@visi.com612.722.2287www.johnuldrichforussenate.com

Q1. As indicated in my web, it is essential the U.S. move with flank speed (on all fronts) to reduce or eliminate off shore energy sourcing! Biofuel (Minnesota’s con-

tribution) needs to include corn, sugar beets, wood fiber, solar, wind power and expanded hydroelectric. National-ly, the U.S. needs to promote all of the above but include sugarcane in the mix due to its higher sugar-to-energy ratio. Hydrogen-to-fuel research needs to be accelerated. On the national level, new mandates for fuel-efficient vehicles are essential. Both state and federal should encourage light rail, personal transporters and a return to the bicycle as both fuel conservation and a physi-cal fitness tool. Global warming: U.S. needs to take the leadership in the Kyoto program. We have both a moral obligation (biggest contributor to glob-al warming) and are a major stake-holder in bringing this problem under control. Perhaps Minnesota could host the next major conference?

Q2. In principle, yes – am in favor of both. As a practical matter however, designing and implementing such a program is a daunting task if one is to stay with a market-driven philoso-phy. The Massachusetts Plan is worth watching as a “work-in-progress.” Because medical care is a composite (and highly complex) blend of infra-structure (people, bricks and mortar), research (disease and pharmaceutical) we need to make sure that whatever plan is advanced takes all of these play-ers into consideration. I am not famil-iar with any “socialized medicine” program that could be a role model for this country. There is however some potential merit in having a two-tiered system – a basic form of state and federal universal care and then an independent, “free market” plan. In principle, this might work but the “devil-in-the-details” specter calls for introspection at one level, futuristic extrapolation at another.

Q3. Iraq is a moral, financial and emotionally draining quagmire — no debate here. I am not however, in favor of a unilateral, set-time withdrawal. Those who propose such a move are not giving “three-dimensional chess” its due and proper consideration; should we pull out, leave that coun-try to sort itself out via civil war is to invite not only chaos throughout the Middle East but perhaps, the world. People tend to forget that Islam radi-cals have already declared “jihad” – all out religious war. People tend to forget we have a binding commitment to help Israel defend itself. We do this now through military aid at over two billion dollars a year. Should that country face annihilation, I don’t believe anyone in this country would say we should let them be overrun. Citizen or senator, I, for one, do not wish to see a “holo-caust” take place on my watch.

Q4. I am very concerned that the present administration (read White House) has taken upon itself powers that it should not have. Congress has

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U.s. senate1. What will you do to make our country less dependent on oil? What else will you do about global warming?

2. Do you believe in univer-sal health care and a single payer system? What is your plan to insure more people and to address rising health care costs?

3. since the U.s. invasion of iraq, the society has broken apart, and terrorism and inter-nal strife are increasing. What is your solution to the problems of iraq and the U.s. presence there?

4. the current administration has restricted civil liberties in the name of protecting us from ter-rorism. Do you support or oppose such restrictions, and what do you predict for the civil liberties of Americans in the future?

Q.

elections

hAROlD shUDliCk (R)hshudlick@unique-software.com 952.891.5511www.shudlickforsenate.com

Q1. The role of the federal g o v e r n m e n t is primar-ily to encourage domestic explo-ration and innovation of known and e x p e r i m e nt a l

fuels for future energy needs towards American energy indepen-dence, such as solar energy, hydro electric, hydrogen, wind power, clean coal, delivery systems and new refineries. I will determine, in fact, what is happening regarding global warming, i.e., its cause, who is doing it, and what they are doing to cause it, as well as what effective measures can be taken to improve this problem and reduce global warming. I would support any regu-latory actions that would insure a clean environment without unduly jeopardizing our industries, or econ-omy, and without adding layers of bureaucracy. Actions which insure a clean environment will be rewarded through tax breaks/incentives, and penalties for those not insuring a clean environment.

Q2. No. Determine why health care costs are rising so substantially. Allow individu-als and groups such as AARP, Minnesota Senior Federa-tion and other organizations to advocate for people requiring health care. Hold the providers accountable for the increases in cost and review malpractice lawsuits for fairness.

Q3. A dictator was deposed, Iraq had free elections, and formed their government. The current situa-tion against a treacherous enemy is difficult and complicated. Our long-term strategy must be that of a helpful and welcome guest, consul-tant, and friend, who knows loyalties and when the task is completed.

Q4. By understanding that to be a supporter of terrorism is not a civil liberty in America. The tools to fight terrorism must be discretely reviewed for their necessity, with pri-ority given to our country’s safety and security. You can’t please all the peo-ple all the time and you shouldn’t try. My hope and prediction for the future is that Americans will increasingly understand what the constitution says and means and not reading into it what it does not say, and being gov-erned accordingly. The framers felt the individual was able to determine his/her own destiny, and the constitu-tion advocates limited government. Strict constructionist interpretation promotes less mischief.

miChAEl CAVlAn (Green)info@cavlan.org612.414.9528.www.cavlan.org

Q1. We will fight passion-ately to have our Congress fund research into alternatives to oil. Will also fight to have our transit systems enlarged and made more

convenient, using alternative renew-able energy. Transit systems that will serve more people in order to take cars off the streets. Other things to allay global warming: give tax breaks and grants to homeowners who install solar or wind energy. We will work to mandate that large corporations switch to using renewable and nonpolluting energy. We will also encourage more bike paths to make it safer and easier to use bikes for transportation. Q2. We fully, strongly support a uni-versal single payer health care system. It is literally a program of Medicare for all. By eliminating insurance compa-nies from our health care system, we will be able to fund health care for all those now not insured. The Medi-care Program is one that has been done well by the government (with the exception of the Drug Program). Insurance companies take 25 percent to 30 percent of each dollar paid to administer their programs. Much of that administration consists of telling their insured what they won’t allow. Medical facilities now have to have a large staff who do nothing but forms for the insurance companies. That cost and the confusion caused by the present system would be eliminated and the cost put back in to paying for health care. This can occur because Medicare takes 3 percent to 5 percent of each dollar to administer the pro-gram. We would also work to make it legal for our government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical com-panies for lower costs of drugs. This is not allowed at present. Q3. The only real solution to the war in Iraq is to get our troops and their support contingency out of Iraq and to dismantle the permanent bases the US has built and is building there. Each day the US is in Iraq more lives of innocent civilians are lost and ever more of the survivors become “insur-gents.” We have been able to do noth-ing with our billions of dollars to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, which we bombed to dust at the begin-ning of the war. The Iraqi people are saying it was better under Saddam because then they had electricity, clean water, health care, safety in the streets and usually enough to eat. The U.S. corporations who have contracts to rebuild the country have not been able to provide more than occasional elec-trical service, no clean water, certainly not safety and very little food and/or health care. Our government has decimated the country to gain access to oil and nothing more. The same paragraph can be written regarding Afghanistan. However, in Afghani-stan the drug crops are flourishing. Q4. We totally oppose the Patriot Act. They do little or nothing to protect this country from terrorism. This govern-ment has been doing this by executive

Amy klObUChAR (DFl)amy@amyklobuchar.com651.714.2006www.amyklobuchar.com

Q1: Our coun-try currently has to buy well over half of our oil from foreign countries. This growing depen-dence on foreign oil threatens both our pros-

perity and our national security. I will fight to expand incentives for investment in homegrown, renewable energy sources and technology. Here in Minnesota, we have the ability to produce a wide variety of homegrown energy, including ethanol, biodiesel, wind, solar and biomass. This will be a huge source of jobs in Minne-sota for many years. I will fight to reduce global warming by adopt-ing legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions. By 2010, we need to limit greenhouse gas emissions to the 2000 level. By 2017, those emis-sions should be limited to the 1990 level, and we should allow companies that can’t meet the lower cap to pur-chase credits from other companies that can. Read more at: http://amy klobuchar.com/issues/energy.html

Q2: Health care policy in our country needs an overhaul. I favor increas-ing affordability by lifting the ban on negotiations with the prescrip-tion drug companies, and reducing administrative costs. We should also increase coverage by insuring all kids, and providing incentives to allow people to buy into the same health care plan as members of Congress. We need to work together to find immediate solutions to reduce the cost of health care and provide health services to all Americans. Read more at: http://amyklobuchar.com/issues/health-care.html

Q3: While I support the invasion of Afghanistan, I disagreed with the decision to invade Iraq. After three years, it has become obvious to those who favored the war and to those who opposed it that the Bush-Cheney administration was not truthful about the reasons they gave for invading Iraq, nor were they truthful about having a plan to secure the peace and protect our troops once we invaded. Despite the bravery of our troops, we must change course in Iraq and draw down our forces in a responsible way. We must engage other countries in our efforts so that 2006 is a year of transition in which we bring a sig-nificant number of our troops home. Read more at: http://amyklobuchar.com/issues /national-security-iraq.html

Q4: As a prosecutor, I have always sought to preserve civil liberties while crime fighting in the information age. The war on terror is played out on a new battlefield. We need new tools to fight this war, but we need to balance that against the rights that have made this country great. Read more at: http://amyklobuchar.com/issues/public-safety.html

DARRyl stAntOn (DFl)stanton4people@aol.com952.947.9488www.stanton4people.org

Q1. As Minne-sota’s next U.S. Senator, I’ll pro-vide real and strong leadership by standing up to big oil com-panies and their political pimps, called lobbyists.

Congress has failed to create strong incentives for the development of clean renewable energy sources to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I will author a bill called the “American Energy Independence Act” to move us toward energy independence. To slow global warming we must set CAFE standards to 45 miles per gallon, use current technology to reduce 90% of mercury pollution emitted by burned coal, invest in clean renewable energy sources such as wind turbine and solar technologies, bio fuels, super hybrids, HHO technology, and provide incen-tives to ensure 20% of our energy comes from renewable sources by 2020. I’ll take a simple global warming mes-sage to Congress as your next US Sen-ator: GLOBAL WARMING — WE DO SOMETHING OR WE DIE.

Q2. It is morally wrong for 47 mil-lion Americans and approximately 400,000 Minnesotans to go without health coverage every day while con-gress has the best health coverage our money and hard earned tax dollars can buy. Washington Politicians have even provided the people of Iraq Uni-versal Health Coverage with our hard earned tax dollars. If the United States Congress and the Iraqi people can have Universal Health Coverage purchased with our tax dollars, Minnesotans and America’s middle class and working poor deserve Universal Health Cover-age as well. I will help Minnesotans by fighting for the re-importation of FDA approved medications and elimi-nate the $2,850 gap in Medicare Part D to help our seniors in need. I will stop pharmaceutical companies’ manipu-lation of generic medications market that cost Minnesota and America’s middle class and working poor billions of dollars per year and I will fight for Small Business Health Insurance pur-chasing pools.

Q3. Iraq is another example of failed leadership by Washington politi-cians. Iraq is in the genesis of civil war because of continued fighting between religious and ethnic groups. We must develop and implement a real short and long term plan ASAP that includes bringing our brave men and women of the armed services home. We must fast-track economic and infrastructure development promised the Iraqi People by Congress and the Administration. The Iraq war has made the Middle East region less safe and America less secure because of diverted resources. We must perform an immediate critical infrastructure risks and vulnerabilities assessment that includes terrorist attacks, natural or manmade disasters and pandemics. 9/11 and Katrina made apparent our first responders must have the ability to communicate with each other. That is why I will fight for releasing com-munication spectrum that can save lives now and not wait until 2009 as it

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voteseptember

12th

SEPTEmbER 2006 UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS • �

surveillance of phone records for death and destruction. I totally object to human rights abuses such as the use of torture. If we have to resort to such measures I question what it is we are fighting for. Torture is itself a form of terrorism. The biggest threat to our liberties in the future is not from the war on terror. If we do not deal with the federal budget deficit, the resulting economic catastrophe will make the war on terror seem like a picnic, destroying liberties we have long taken for granted. Politicians are destroying our economic security by pandering to our fears and our greed without regard for the future economic consequences.

bEn pOWERs (Constitution)Powers4Senate@yahoo.com507.438.7759 www.Powers2006.info

Q1. The use and consumption of energy is prop-erly controlled by free enter-prise. Control of energy and resources by the civil government should be limited

to that necessary to assure the common defense of a free society. A Department of Energy is excessive government intervention and should be elimi-nated. — CPMN Plank on Energy and Resources. We hold that property rights are inherent in the right to life and flow from the dignity of human life itself. We hold that property rights supercede environmental consider-ations except when grave harm is done that severely impacts people. Persons are due just compensation where prop-erty is taken or use is restricted. Anti-Christian ideologies that place the dignity of mankind on a level with that of the animals or the earth must not be permitted to undermine our western Christian civilization. — Excerpted from CPMN Plank on Property and Environment.

Q2. We support the principle that pro-viding medical care is clearly not the role or responsibility of government, but is rather the responsibility of indi-viduals and families. We support a free market health care system that would hold costs down, maintain quality care, protect life, prevent rationing, and thus provide more effective accountability. We support the repeal of all compo-nents of “Minnesota Care.” We oppose state or federal access to any medical data or health records of any kind on individuals, without the consent of the individual. Except in case of life-threat-ening emergencies, school officials, employers, and others in authority must obtain the consent of parents or guardians before administering any medical treatment to minors. Parents or guardians of minor children, (up to the age of 18 years), shall have access to any and all medical records of their minor children— CPMN Plank on Medical Care.

Q3. The Constitution Party is unalter-ably opposed to the criminal acts of terrorists, and their organizations, as well as the governments that condone them. Individuals responsible for acts of terrorism must be punished for their crimes, including the infliction of capi-tal punishment where appropriate. In responding to terrorism, however, the United States must avoid acts of retali-ation abroad which destroy innocent human lives, creating enmity toward the United States and its people; and in accord with the views of our Founding Fathers, we must disengage this nation from the international entanglements which generate foreign hatred of the United States, and are used as the excuse for terrorist attacks on America and its people. The “war on terrorism” is not a proper excuse for perpetual U.S. occupation of foreign lands, mili-tary assaults on countries which have not injured us, or perpetual commit-ment of taxpayer dollars to finance foreign governments. — From CP National Platform.

milEs COllins ( ip)952.831.0500

Q1. Stop clean-ing up the atmo-sphere.

Q2. Clear, clean water.

Q3. Get out.

Q4. Support.

RObERt FitZGERAlD (ip)robert@votefitzgerald.org218.731.1379www.votefitzgerald.org

Q1. This cam-paign has taken an indepen-dent, pro-active approach to energy con-sumption needs — we converted the campaign bus to run on

straight vegetable oil. We’re collecting used cooking oil from restaurants, fil-tering it, and running across the state making haste with waste on a 100 per-cent renewable energy resource that can be grown here in Minnesota! It’s not Americans who are addicted to oil, it’s our legislators in Washington, D.C. Americans have limited options for meeting their energy consump-tion needs. Through energy diversity (biofuels, wind, solar, hydro), we can become energy independent. Gaining energy independence is of economic, national security, and environmental importance. We need to encourage the development of renewable energy resources through tax incentives and by funding research. Meeting our nation’s energy needs internally should be an absolute priority for the obvious economic benefits. As senator, I will be pro-active and independent, serving the best interests of all Minnesotans.

Q2. The goal is to balance affordability with universality. I believe all Ameri-cans should have access to affordable health care. Health care should no lon-ger be tied to employment. Insurance should be used for the unexpected and unaffordable. Prescription drug com-panies need to be required to include information labels on their products, which will allow consumers to be more cost-conscious. Streamlining the pro-cess and reducing administration costs will lead to lower premium costs. Our health care system is broken. Health practitioners are treating patients based on payback formulas and not on specific health needs. Both our energy policy and our mangled health care system have been victimized in the marriage between Big Business and Big Government. This unholy mar-riage of Big Business and Big Govern-ment has overspent and underserved the American public for too long.

Q3. Last year at this time I supported an increase in the number of troops in an effort to ensure the safety and secu-rity of the Iraqi people. Only through ensuring the safety and security of Iraqi civilians would we win their hearts and minds. Troop levels were not increased. Since that time, Iraq has fallen into a civil war fueled by sectar-ian violence. In July there were 3,400 civilian deaths in Iraq, over 100 a day. The safety and security of the Iraqi people has not been achieved. Our military is unable to be the policing force necessary to ensure the safety and security of the Iraqi people. Due to cost overruns, no-bid contracts, and emer-gency funding the true cost of this war effort has been masked. Congress has abdicated its responsibility for over-sight. It is time to remove our troops and look to an international peace-enforcing mission to ensure the safety and security of the Iraqi people.

stEphEn WilliAms (ip)stwill@citlink.netwww.PrairieFireUSA.com

Q1: Oil: Our dependence on oil is both a threat to our environment and our economy. In spite of record high prices we are consuming more gasoline than ever. We

must quit looking for someone else to blame and accept our responsibility for this energy crisis. There is only one near term solution; we must reduce our consumption of gasoline, if not voluntarily then by mandated driving restrictions. For the long term we must mandate higher fuel economy standards. We must subsidize the development of alternative fuels and fuel saving technologies. Corn ethanol is not a viable alternative! Other biofuels, like biodiesel, show more potential but are still years away from being a significant energy source. Greenhouse gasses: Again, the only near term solution is to decrease consumption, using a carrot or a stick if necessary. Solar, nuclear, and wind energy should be an increasing percentage of future energy needs.

Q2: Universal health insurance is essential. Health care is causing a financial crisis for families, businesses and every level of government, while the CEO of one health care company is becoming a billionaire. We provide Medicare to one segment of our society while millions of working class families who pay for Medicare cannot afford health insurance themselves. These are great injustices. By nationalizing health insurance we can eliminate expenses that add nothing to the quality of health care. There will be one set of rules, which should include a meaningful co-payment and a mandatory health savings account. The benefits of nationalizing health insurance are huge. Every Minnesotan will have health insurance. The State of Minnesota, local governments, schools, and universities will save billions of dollars each year because they will no longer be paying for their employee’s health care. Funding health insurance with a consumption tax would reduce the budget deficit.

Q3: We should help the people of Iraq establish a legitimate government if the people of Iraq want our help. I believe we must have a referendum in Iraq to determine if the Iraqis want our help. Without their support we have no business in their country. That said the situation in Iraq might soon dictate our actions. If Iraq degenerates into all out civil war our only choice will be to withdraw from that country. There may be nothing that we can do to solve the nightmare of Iraq, but there are lessons that we had better learn. If we cannot accept the fact that our addiction to oil helped to create Saddam and the terrorists, there will be many more night- mares to come. Some individuals have told me they should be able to use as much gas as they can afford. We pay for this ignorance with working class blood.

Q4: 3000 people lost all of their civil liberties on 9-11. Likewise tens of thousands have died in Iraq. With increased oversight and severe penalties for misuse of information, I would gladly exchange wiretapping and the

abrogated these powers and needs to take them back. Example: the Patriot Act, while well intended, is subject to abuse, misuse, misfeasance and even malfeasance given the “hand” that manipulates the Act to its own end. The president (or his minions) cannot be the “decider” of what is needed to maintain our national security. The three branches of government, work-ing together, and under constitutional mandates are the “deciders” and while the system may be difficult under pres-sures of time, this is the way it must be. Given the present state of affairs, it is only safe to assume, pressures to abrogate these safeguards will contin-ue — we must stand together however, to assure this generation and those to come — we will not allow one branch of government to be the “decider” of civil liberties.

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currently stands.

Q4. I do not support restrictions on our civil liberties granted us under the US Constitution. I believe the Adminis-tration and Congress must provide the utmost security for all Americans and must do so without violating/restrict-ing Americans’ civil liberties. As your US Senator, I’ll do what’s in the best interest of the people of Minnesota and America and not what is best for a par-ticular political party or for political gain. Congress must exercise its sworn duty of checks and balances and not be a rubber stamp for any administration, because not doing so under our US Constitution is called TREASON. I hope the most recent ruling by US Dis-trict Courts regarding the administra-tion’s unwarranted wiretaps that went too far and violated American citizens’ civil liberties is an indication that the courts will not tolerate infringement of our civil liberties. Remember Vote Darryl Stanton September 12: I will fight for you!

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order, eliminating the need for a Con-gress and a Supreme Court. If this is allowed to go on we will no longer be the land of the free. We are dedicated to reestablishing the civil rights that we have lost in the past several years. In that way we will find the will of the people whom, we believe, have values of peace, honesty and sharing for a bet-ter and sustainable world in the future.

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Q4. America is engaged in an unde-clared war with an ill-defined enemy (terrorism), a war which threatens to be never ending, and which is being used to vastly expand government power, par-ticularly that of the executive branch, at the expense of the individual liberties of the American people. The “war on ter-rorism” is serving as an excuse for the government to spend beyond its income, expand the Federal bureaucracy, and socialize the nation through taxpayer bailouts of the airlines, subsidies to the giant insurance corporations, and other Federal programs. We deplore and vig-orously oppose legislation and executive action that deprive the people of their rights secured under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments under the guise of “combating terrorism” or “protect-ing national security.” Examples of such legislation are the National Secu-rity Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, and the proposed Domestic Securities Enhancement Act (colloquially known as “Patriot II”). — From CP National Platform.

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Q4. We lose security, not becoming safer, when we give up our freedoms. America’s beacon of freedom and civil rights is one of the things that most distinguishes us in the world commu-nity. It is false to claim that these laws can no longer be followed without compromising our safety. It is a sena-tor’s most important job to defend our Constitution, including its checks and balances and its guarantees of individ-ual freedoms. You combat terrorism at home through fixing and securing our borders, our immigration and customs points, and our visa compliance not via an administration’s endless power grab that encroaches on our civil liberties. Where is the oversight from our con-gressional representatives? We shame-fully have a Congress specializing in double-dealing, self-serving, do-noth-ing legislation but line the pockets of the one percent at the expense of the rest of us and all the while nobody is watching the watchers.

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mARk kEnnEDy (R)info@markkennedy06.com651.644.2506www.markkennedy06.com

CHOSE NOT TO PARTICIPATE

Each state has two senators who serve for six years. One-third of the seats are filled every two years. The United States Constitution sets forth the powers of Congress. The most important are the pow-ers to levy and collect taxes, bor-row money, regulate commerce

with foreign nations and among the states, coin money, establish post offices and post roads, issue patents and copyrights, fix stan-dards of weights and measures, establish courts inferior to the Supreme Court, raise and main-tain the armed forces, declare

war, and “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the fore-going powers.”

The Senate’s advice and consent is required to confirm presidential nominations to high-level execu-

tive and judicial positions, and for the ratification of treaties.

The Senate works with the House of Representatives to pass legislation. However, the Sen-ate can propose amendments to spending bills, try impeached

officials, and choose the Vice President in an Electoral College deadlock. The Senate and its members generally serve longer terms in a smaller body and (in most cases) represent larger con-stituencies than Representatives.

What Does a senator Do?

10 • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

U.s. Representative District 5Q.

JAy pOnD (Gp)Jay@jaypond.org612.874.0675www.jaypond.org

Q1: I support commitments to smart renewable energy produc-tion technolo-gies, meaningful changes in our transportat ion infrastructure, and conserva-

tion. A broad portfolio of renewable technologies seems to be the consensus of scientists. One example of “port-folio” is ethanol production fueled by locally produced wind energy — inter-play between renewable energy pro-duction processes. The technologies are here to move forward with energy independence, the political will is just now transpiring. Minnesota, North and South Dakota together have the wind resources to provide 70 percent of this nation’s energy needs. By building a new energy grid from the wind into the Twin Cities urban area, we create jobs, a source of needed revenue for local governments and school districts. Urban and rural will have the oppor-tunity to function as a community while creating opportunity through community-based economics.

Q2: As a nation blessed with abun-dance, we certainly have the resources to provide each and every American health care. The most efficient and just way to do this is by establish-ing a single-payer universal national health-insurance program. By elimi-nating the health insurance industry we save money by no longer subsidiz-ing an industry that adds no value to health care. In our current system, access to health care is arbitrarily tied to employment, trapping people in their jobs, and saddling business with skyrocketing costs. Despite the huge amount of money in our health care system, the U.S. ranks 34th in infant mortality and 29th in life expectancy. Other industrialized nations provide healthcare to all at about half the cost, with better results. With single-payer universal health care, the medical care delivery system would remain unchanged. What would change is the medical care financing system. Rather than numerous for-profit insurance companies with high administrative costs, a single, non-profit system with equal access for all Americans would be implemented. Health care would be less expensive and more readily avail-able.

Q3: As residents of the 5th district of Minnesota, we are and have always been opponents of the war in Iraq. It is important to the integrity of Con-gress that this district’s anti-war view-point be represented in the U.S. House of Representatives. To move forward and get us out of the quagmire we need to reduce the number of U.S. troops and end offensive operations; declare that the U.S. will not maintain a permanent military presence in Iraq; hand over the restoration of services to Iraqis; and make reparations to finance the restoration of infrastructure. Con-gress needs to affirm its commitment to a responsible withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. A congressional resolution clarifying that the U.S. has no plan to control Iraq’s oil, to estab-lish permanent military bases in Iraq,

tAmmy lEE (ip)getactive@tammyleeforcongress.com612.767.3047www.tammyleeforcongress.com

Q1: I drive a hybrid vehicle so protecting the environment and reducing our dependence on foreign oil is not just a politi-cal issue for me, it’s a personal

issue. First, I would redirect the $6 billion in tax breaks that Congress gives to Big Oil into alternative and renewable energy research and devel-opment (particularly wind power, which I purchase for my home from Xcel Energy). This would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, it’s good for the environment and it’s good for the economy — because it creates new jobs and new technologies here in America. To reduce global warming, we should raise the CAFÉ (corporate average fuel economy) standards to encourage more efficient automobiles and reduce emis-sions that contribute to global warm-ing. I would recommit to funding and enforcing the Clean Water Act (which the Republican Congress gutted) and repeal Bush’s bill for corporate pol-luters — misnamed the “Clear Skies” Act. Q2: I believe every Minnesotan has the right to quality, affordable healthcare, but I would achieve the goal of uni-versal healthcare by creating more fair and expanded competition in the mar-ketplace. I would start by giving small and medium sized businesses a more affordable means of insuring their workers through Association Health Plans (AHPs). This would allow them to purchase healthcare benefits for their employees through associations — and access the same quality cover-age that larger Minnesota companies like Best Buy, 3M and Cargill can provide for their employees. I would also streamline the reporting system and require standardized forms for all new healthcare mandates. We can save up to 25 percent of all healthcare administrative and marketing costs by requiring common or standardized insurance forms for all healthcare pro-viders. This simple fix would result in enormous cost-savings and get us much closer to achieving universal healthcare access for every American.

Q3: The Iraq situation is a foreign poli-cy disaster that has been badly mishan-dled by the Bush administration. But we cannot afford to completely cut and run from our obligations there because safety at home in America depends on stability in the Middle East. In Iraq, I would honor our commitment to combating terrorists and work toward re-stabilization as a means toward creating a lasting peace in the Middle East. I would begin the process of U.S. troop withdrawal but maintain one division of U.S. troops (about 20,000 soldiers) in Iraq for reconstruction and establishing democracy. This is also vitally important to guard against ter-ror threats from Jihad extremists and to protect against nuclear threats from bordering Iran. I would also advocate using intelligent and strategic military force to stop rogue leaders and terror cells. I would incentivize Middle East states to reject terrorist activities with-in their borders.

AlAn FinE (R)alan@fineforcongress.org612.598.2349 www.fineforcongress.org

Q1: I have always been an advocate for the environ-ment and I am extremely concerned about the negative impacts human activity is having on this planet.

We rely on clean air, water and land for sustenance, the aesthetic beauty of nature for enjoyment and contempla-tion, and species variety for eco-bal-ance. In Washington, I will be a strong advocate for the environment, support-ing legislation that would: a. Support research to develop viable alternative energies, conversion to commercial applications, and consumer adoption; b. Set aggressive goals towards vehicles emission reduction; c. Support eco-friendly mass transportation alterna-tives; d. Support tax incentives for consumers that conserve and recycle; e. Engage a Federal “Good Housekeep-ing” seal of approval program that would enable consumers to be more informed of the practices of the busi-nesses from which they buy; g. Pre-serve our national parks.

Q2: We need to explore multiple healthcare options and carefully assess their impacts on cost, quality of care, and delivery. No Minnesotan should fear the lack of medical care and I will support legislation towards that end. To reduce the cost of healthcare, we should consider: a. Assessing whether or not critical medical technologies that are delivered by a single source constitutes a monopoly; b. Whether or not the HMO is in itself a monopoly in that people cannot readily switch from one to another and it controls hospitals, clinics and can exclude doc-tors; c. Enabling consumers’ access to online healthcare price comparisons; d. Capping the markup patients can be charged above delivery costs; e. Cap-ping HMO executive salaries; f. Pro-hibiting states from taxing health.

Q3: Iraq appears immersed in a civil war. My interest is in the withdrawal of troops from Iraq as soon as pos-sible. The only viable solution, in my opinion, is to offer a three-state solu-tion between the Kurds, Shi’ites and Sunni Muslims and turn the country into three independent and yet, united, states. These states should be demili-tarized and should include an interna-tional coalition presence to protect the borders of these sovereign states from each other and other countries. In this process, the U.S. should endeavor to build strong, trusting, allegiances with our allies and encourage the United Nations and all of its member nations to assist us both militarily and with funding, exercise diplomacy for peace, and aggressively challenge those countries who would undermine this effort.

Q4: I will strongly defend our personal liberties including our right to privacy and due process. In the future, I hope that the threat of terrorism will dimin-ish and we will not have to take stronger measures to preserve our way of life. But, being protected is a civil liberty that is bestowed upon us by our founding fathers. One of the primary responsi-

pAUl OstROW (DFl)paul@Ostrow2006.com612.379.0687www.Ostrow2006.com

Q1. In Con-gress, I will seek an assignment on the Energy Committee and will make a sus-tainable energy policy based on renewable energy, the great

national cause of the 21st century. I would eliminate over 11 billion dol-lars in tax giveaways to oil and nuclear interests and provide incentives for renewable energy sources — wind, solar, geothermal, hydrogen and other renewables. We must increase CAFÉ standards to 40 miles per gallon over the next decade, convert coal plants to natural gas and increase funding for mass transit. I would push for ratifica-tion and implementation of the Kyoto Treaty and insist that the United States be an international leader on this grave threat to our future. I have been a lead-er in Minneapolis on water quality, environmental and energy standards for public buildings, creation of an urban forest policy, conversion of the Riverside Coal plant to natural gas and the city’ sustainability plan.

Q2. I support universal coverage but do not consider single payer to be the only option to achieve it. We should provide universal access to Medicare while pre-serving a private option. Every citizen in the U.S. should have the same access to medical coverage as members of Con-gress. Health care is a national issue that requires national leadership and a national solution. We have a public health crisis in this country. I would champion an agenda of preventive care and promotion of healthy lifestyles. We must fund community clinics, support Women Infants and Children (WIC), expand research efforts by the National Institute of Health and support the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act. We must lower costs of prescription drugs by allowing the federal government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical compa-nies. We also must reduce administra-tive costs and use smart card technology to ease access to medical providers while safeguarding privacy. Q3. President Bush’s war of choice has tragically led to the death of thousands, has nearly bankrupted the American treasury and has done lasting damage to our international relationships. It is time to begin withdrawing our troops from Iraq and for the U.S. to send a clear signal to Iraq and the rest of the world of our intent to withdraw in the most responsible and safest way possible. “Staying the course” in Iraq is utter folly. We need a clear exit strategy, which must include working with the international community and others who have a stake in stability in the region. The long-term solution must require the Iraqis to take control of their own future. Congress must never again give a “blank check” to the president and must assert its constitu-tional authority in matters of national defense. Also, I would author legisla-tion to prohibit bypassing the budget process for spending on this war.

Q4. On the City Council, I have led efforts to oppose the actions of this

EmbER REiChGOtt JUnGE (DFl)ember@emberforcongress.com612.455.6104www.emberforcongress.com

Q1: We need to invest now in renewable energies and energy efficiency to reduce A m e r i c a ’ s d e p e n d e n c e on foreign oil. In Congress

I will lead efforts to invest in green energy sources, including wind, solar, biomass electric and hydroelectric alternatives. I’ll push for higher energy efficiency standards for vehicles…how embarrassing that our standards lag behind China’s! I’ll propose additional tax credits for consumers and fleet owners to buy fuel efficient and clean fuel cars. I’ll push for more transit and light rail options here in the Fifth District. Regarding global warming, we must hold President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress accountable for exempting thousands of coal-burning power plants from pollution controls, delaying standards to reduce mercury in our air and water, and failing to enforce regulations that protect our environment. We must hold polluters accountable, and restore funding to protect our environment. We can clean up the environment and create jobs!

Q2: Health Care is a Basic Right. That’s why the first bill I introduce in Congress will be the National Universal Health Care Act. Its minimum coverage includes prescription drugs, home health care and mental health care. It ensures through federal timelines and incentives that all children in every state will have universal health care by 2010, and all adults by 2015. States may respond with a system of private or public insurance, or a single payer system. If a state does not respond in timely fashion, there will be consequences. I also support legislation that would enable Medicare officials to negotiate drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies. Current law explicitly bans direct drug price negotiation by Medicare, and places barriers to drug re-importation from Canada. We must amend the prescription drug benefit to eliminate the “black hole” that limits drug benefits to about 50 percent of costs for most seniors.

Q3: I will advocate congressional action to phase out our military presence in Iraq within a year and substitute an international or regional peacekeeping force to maintain stability in the region. But that is not enough. Congress must live up to its constitutional responsibilities. That’s why I have proposed that Congress hold the president accountable by creating a Select Committee on American Operations in Iraq. Its mission is to curb abuses of executive power, scrutinize war appropriations, track the drain on homeland security and National Guard resources, and insure troops get needed health care when they come home. Q4: We must not undermine our basic civil liberties while seeking to preserve them. We must realize that secrecy and paranoia are threats to democracy. Surveillance of and action

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1. What will you do to make our country less dependent on oil? What else will you do about global warming?

2. Do you believe in univer-sal health care and a single payer system? What is your plan to insure more people and to address rising health care costs?

3. since the U.s. invasion of iraq, the society has broken apart, and terrorism and inter-nal strife are increasing. What is your solution to the problems of iraq and the U.s. presence there?

4. the current administration has restricted civil liberties in the name of protecting us from ter-rorism. Do you support or oppose such restrictions, and what do you predict for the civil liberties of Americans in the future?

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or to suppress Muslims, would deprive insurgents of their central organizing message.

Q4: I oppose any restrictions of our rights as individuals. I envision a rever-sal of the trend of the past couple of decades as more Americans demand respect of their rights to their own bodies. I predict that the Patriot Act will be repealed, that Roe v. Wade will hold, and that soon all people, regard-less of sexuality, will have the right to marriage. I predict that people are awakening to the need for individuals to assert their rights over those of the corporations. I envision less advertising into public and private space, the pro-tection of our right to privacy on the Internet, and a protection and security of our personal financial and health data.

kEith EllisOn (DFl)612.522.4416www.keithellison.org

Q1. Climate change is the world’s greatest threat. We must develop compre-hensive solutions that incorporate both economic and environmen-tal needs, such as

the Apollo energy project. We must stop tax giveaways to big oil and begin reinvesting that money in sustainable, bio-enhanced fuel resources. We must shift our dependence on energy from oil and coal to renewable sources like corn and wind. These efforts will not only contribute to higher environmen-tal health, but will help reinvigorate rural economies. In the short term we can curb global warming by increasing CAFE standards, strengthening the Clean Air Act, and providing tax cred-its for low and middle-income families to scrap their gas guzzling older cars for newer, more efficient ones. This is a problem that demands immediate attention.

Q2. I believe universal health care is the civil rights issue of our time. This is why I am a strong believer in single payer heath care, and support H.R. 676 put forward by Reps. Conyers and Kucinich. It is the only system guar-anteed to provide universal access and cut costs. Today we are already paying for universal health care, we just aren’t getting it. Health care costs in this country currently consume more than 15 percent of our nation’s GDP, and are estimated to reach 20 percent by the year 2015. At a time when health insurance profits are skyrocketing, the number of uninsured continues to rise while everyday Americans are expe-riencing exploding premiums. I have co-authored bills in the state House on single payer health care as well as on making health insurance a civil right. Our system is approaching critical mass, and while we do nothing, our people’s health suffers.

Q3. The invasion of Iraq is, along with Vietnam, one of the largest strategic blunders since World War II, and I have been an out-spoken critic of this war since before it began. The arro-gant unilateralism, lack of preparation, and ideological blindness of the cur-rent administration have done more to destabilize the region than any other in recent memory, dealing a blow to U.S. credibility worldwide. The fore-most task for the next Congress is restoring international trust in our leadership. For this reason I call for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops, including cessation of the construction of permanent military bases. The mere presence of the U.S. military serves to inflame tensions, and is preventing other diplomatic solutions to the prob-lem. Until our military withdraws, it will be impossible to properly inter-nationalize the effort to stabilize the country and create a safe society for the Iraqi people.

Q4. After 9/11 the administration began a series of civil rights curtail-ments beginning with the PATRIOT Act and continuing through the NSA wiretapping scandal. This assault on our rights is another instance of the

mikE ERlAnDsOn (DFl)campaign@erlandson.org612-860-6453www.mikeerlandson.org

Q1. Energy i ndep endenc e is critical to the continued eco-nomic success of our nation. The rising cost of energy and our dependence on energy sources

that pollute our world are two of the biggest problems America faces today. I have been a leader on the environ-ment, and I am the only candidate in this race who has committed to cam-paign on environmental issues. I am also the only candidate in the race with a comprehensive energy plan and to make the fight against global warming a priority. My plan calls for power companies across the nation to obtain at least 20 percent of our elec-tricity from renewable sources within 10 years, make gasoline contain 20 percent ethanol nationwide by 2015, and to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to reduce global warming pollution. We must also increase tax incentives for the purchase of alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles and increase CAFÉ standards.

Q2. I believe health care should be a right, not a privilege. With costs esca-lating faster than inflation and fami-lies losing coverage, we need a sensible solution to the health care crisis now. I am committed to making quality health care affordable and available to everyone. Solving the health care problem is the biggest long-term issue facing our nation. I believe it is time for a radical change in how we pro-vide health care in this country. Our current system of employment-based health insurance harms individuals and businesses, and so if elected, I will work to decouple health care from employment. I believe the late Sena-tor Wellstone’s legislation, the Health Security for All Americans Act, meets the important test of achiev-ing universal coverage and charging based on ability to pay — with the lowest income people paying less than one percent of their income, and the wealthiest paying seven percent.

Q3. President Bush has made many mistakes, but none worse than invad-ing Iraq. I opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and was sickened when the first shots were fired. However, fin-ger-pointing won’t fix this situation or bring our American troops home. Our best hope of success is in shift-ing from a military mission to a dip-lomatic one — focused on urging the Shi’as, Sunnis and Kurds to negotiate an end to the bloodshed. We must engage other nations and the U.N. to help disarm the militias, stabilize the democracy and rebuild the country. Under this framework we could begin withdrawing American troops within six months. I will work tirelessly to bring people together, as I have for 19 years with Congressman Sabo, to set our nation on a responsible foreign policy course that promotes human rights, restores good relations with our allies and gets us out of Iraq.

Q4. The current administration has attempted to curtail Americans’ civil liberties to a disturbing degree. I

pAtRiCk J. WilEs (DFl)lmnop@centralpets.com(612) 284-5678

nO phOtO pROViDED Q1: We need to become less depen-dent on FOREIGN oil. The US should reduce regulations on domes-tic producers and allow production of oil consistently to help eliminate the immediate problem of high oil prices. We should promote innovation, and allow innovators to do what they can to produce new forms of fuel that are friendlier to the environment. Resourc-es and investment on renewable energy should be supported. I would encour-age the exploration of a way to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Q2: There should be accountability in health care, so that there is quality in care. We need to monitor waste and price gouging. Preventive health care should be encouraged. Small busi-nesses and companies should be sup-ported as they offer health insurance to their employees. Health insurance companies should be accountable to the people they insure. Q3: Iraq is a big problem, but our pres-ence there only puts our soldiers in danger. We should systematically bring our soldiers home. Our soldiers should be protecting the United States, and its embassies. There are other ways to influence foreign countries than by military force. The U.S. does not have to be the world police. We should not have our soldiers in every country on earth. It does not matter how long our soldiers are in Iraq; it will fall into civil war as soon as America leaves. Iraq should divide themselves into their own separate factions and countries. Q4: President Bush has violated the Constitutional restrictions of the Fed-eral Government. Civil liberties are in danger with this administration. If we start restricting our own civil liberties, then the terrorists win. I am always hopeful of the future. When our civil liberties are challenged, we the people should stand up and take them back.

GREGG iVERsOn (DFl)greggiverson@gmail.com724.7567

nO phOtO pROViDED

Q1. Will work to develop all forms of fuel other than oil. Will work to develop cars that can run on other than oil fuels. Q2. I will work for single payer health care. I believe in single payer health.

Q3. Bring troops home safely. With-draw to borders of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Contain Iran with warning “Hands off Iraq.”

Q4. Obey the Constitution. Stop spy-ing on Americans. Make Bush lamest of lame ducks for next two years.

AnDREW V. FAVORitE (DFl)

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Q4: I oppose the Bush administration’s practice of trampling on our civil lib-erties. This is unconstitutional and is a blatant abuse of executive power. I would focus our efforts on suspected terrorists and not waste time spying on law-abiding Americans. The president must be required to follow the consti-tutional process and get court approval for wiretaps. The president shouldn’t use a war that he misled the country about in order to bypass our civil liber-ties and constitutional protections. The other three branches of government must be held accountable, too, and we must strictly uphold the separa-tion of powers. For all laws: Congress legislates, the President administers and the Supreme Court enforces them. Activist judges, overreaching politicians and a President who grants himself unlimited war powers (after unilaterally declaring war) are all con-stitutional threats. All three branches must serve the people’s interests, not partisan interests, and be held to the highest standard of the law.

bilities that I would have as your repre-sentative is to defend this country from aggression. Therefore, should there be an escalation in terrorist incidents in this country, to protect our citizens, we may have to establish systems that enable us to better track terrorists.

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president in restricting the civil lib-erties of our citizens. As Council President, I was a leader in opposing legislation requiring local law enforce-ment to enforce immigration laws. In addition, I have supported resolutions opposing the violations of our civil liberties contained in the Patriot Act. In Congress, I will work for adequate funding for first responders to address the real security threats to our cities. This president has slashed funding for local law enforcement and first responders critical to emergency pre-paredness. As a leader of our council, I am proud of our efforts to prepare our city for an emergency, including a pos-sible terroristic threat. I am proud of my record of leadership on civil liber-ties and in Congress will fight for our civil liberties while addressing the real, not the imagined, threats to our safety.

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against potential terrorists must be conducted through congressionally approved programs, subject to court approval and review, and scrutinized in vigorous congressional oversight. We must be mindful that the threat of terrorism is real and serious and we must take strong action to combat it. These efforts will be required for years to come. Security measures at airports, sea ports, and other locations must be improved but must be impartial and avoid racial and national profiling. Congress must investigate the administration’s policies and practices and enact new legislation to preserve America’s civil liberties in the fight against terrorism.

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executive branch’s attempt to expand its power, and represents a grave threat to the foundations of our country. The best defense against this is vigorous leg-islative and judicial oversight. The sep-aration of powers clause laid out by the constitution expected each branch to jealously guard its own power, and the current Congress has failed to properly hold the administration responsible for its trespasses. As a civil rights law-yer with a long record of fighting for civil liberties, I would demand that the Bush administration is held to account for all its actions. My House resolution to impeach Bush, while only symbolic, was done to spur a conversation about the expansion of executive authority and the lax oversight of Congress.

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firmly oppose the attempts of the executive branch, Congress or the courts to impose heightened limita-tions on the rights of American citi-zens. I believe that Congress must fight to protect our civil liberties. The U.S. government and military should never use torture as a means of interrogation, and I support Senator John McCain’s legislation to ensure our military never uses inhumane practices of any type. I also applaud the recent Federal District Court rul-ing overturning the use of warrentless wiretapping of phone calls made by American citizens. We must contin-ue to be vigilant in our protection of Americans’ right to privacy.

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vOtePrimary:

september12

General election: November 7

Each state is represented in the House proportionally to its population. Minnesota has eight representatives. Each serves a two-year term and may be re-elected an unlimited number of times. The United States Con-stitution sets forth the powers of

Congress. The most important are the powers to levy and col-lect taxes, borrow money, regu-late commerce with foreign nations and among the states, coin money, establish post offic-es and post roads, issue patents and copyrights, fix standards of

weights and measures, establish courts inferior to the Supreme Court, raise and maintain the armed forces, declare war, and “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carry-ing into execution the forego-ing powers.”

The House works with the Senate to pass legislation. The House is generally considered a more partisan chamber than the Senate. It has exclusive powers: to initiate revenue bills, impeach officials, and elect the President in Electoral College

deadlocks. The Senate, howev-er, can propose amendments to spending bills, try impeached officials, and choose the Vice President in an Electoral Col-lege deadlock.

What Does a U.s. Representative Do?

1� • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

tOm FitZhEnRywww.fitz4sheriff.comfitzhenry@mn.rr.com

Q1: Working 28 years as a police I have learned certain things. Cooperation of all police agen-cies and citizens is needed to make our county safe. It must be a

combined effort. Getting together with other police agencies in the county and forming alliances that would bring better safer neighborhoods in the county. Minne-apolis has seen a huge jump in homi-cides this year, which is unacceptable. The sheriff can help greatly to curtail this violence. Duplication of effort by various police agencies wastes time and resources; by working together we can maximize our efforts. Depu-ties are currently assisting Minneapolis in patrol downtown. This should be expanded to other areas of the city. I know how important the residents of the city are in preventing crime. I would inform citizens of what is going on in their area, and training them to better assist the police agencies in reporting crime.

Q2: We all know a majority of the vio-lent criminal problems are related to drugs. Going after users and dealers should be a priority. Check how many of the murders are drug related. We need to focus on catching them and keeping them off the streets. If you talk to anyone who works narcotics they will tell you we need to change how drug court handles their cases. Officers are so frustrated that many of the offenders are still out committing crimes because the drug court is work-ing on getting them rehabilitated. I am being told by officers that they would rather give a dealer a citation for a driving offense because it has more impact on them. They need to be held accountable for every crime they com-mit and not be able to blow it off on their drug problem.

Q3: This has been a hot topic for many years. I only know of two instances in Minnesota where a person who had a permit to carry was involved in a crime. The law is very specific on who can and how they can carry, which makes it easier for police to enforce. As a police officer the majority of problem I see is with people who do not take the time to secure their weapons properly. There are many children hurt because firearms are not locked properly. Many are stolen out of homes and vehicles because they were not secured and then used in crimes and assaults. I am just as concerned with knives as I am with guns. I have seen more serious injuries with people carrying illegal knives and other weapons. I would like to see guns locked properly and knives kept out of the drinking establishments.

Q4: Get the people in the community to know each other and the children in their block. Most kids will not be bad if they think someone will tell their parents. Get parents and kids involved in making their neighborhood better. Teach them respect for property and people. Most cities have started Safety Camps for Children. It is a two day event that teaches survival skills for

hennepin County sheriff1. What are your priorities as sheriff?

2. What will you do to decrease drug sales and use in our city?

3. What are your views on handgun permits to conceal and carry? What, if any, effect has this had on crime and inju-ries from gunshots? What will you do to reduce gun violence?

4. What is the best way to engage the community in crime prevention and safety, particularly for our children and youth?

Q.

JUAn lOpEZ (DFl)stpaultex@yahoo.com952.220.5262www.lopez4sheriff.com

Q1: The safety and security of our citizens is my number one pri-ority. I feel that law enforcement has lost touch with the citizens we serve. I want to be that recon-

nection between law enforcement and our communities. As the DFL and Labor endorsed candidate, my goal is to enhance the relationship between the sheriff’s office and other civic and community agencies. Additionally, the talent and dedication of HCSO’s employees must get recognition for the difficult and dangerous jobs they perform everyday. I’m a seasoned vet-eran of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) for nearly 10 years. I am committed to protect our citizens and support HCSO’s 800-plus employ-ees. Law enforcement requires a com-munity approach of ideas, leadership and vision. My experience, abilities and knowledge of law enforcement within diverse and at-risk populations will best serve our county’s changing needs.

Q2: I want to enhance community relations between the sheriff’s office and community organizations. I will encourage HCSO staff to forge alli-ances with organizations that address issues of chemical dependency, mental health, rehabilitation and legal aid.The HCSO is mandated to operate the county jail. Demand for and the sup-ply of drugs is a two edged sword. The inmate population is replete with both. Drug addicts/ inmates would benefit from these rehab services. The road to recovery can and often does begin in jail. The HCSO is also mandated to maintain the waterways. Sheriff depu-ties are continually vigilant in keeping citizens under the influence off the water as well as watching for suspi-cious activities.

Q3: I oppose the “conceal and carry” gun issue. I believe we do not need more guns, especially in the urban core. I currently work at Hennepin County in the Juvenile Probation Divi-sion where I coordinate the anti-gun program. This program is for juvenile offenders who have been charged with possession of weapons. It’s a 16-week, intensive, educational program that forces young offenders to look at the trauma of violence on families, victims and communities. It’s a hands-on, first-hand experience of workhouse visits of what it’s like to be incarcer-ated. Presentations by former gang members, public defenders, anger management courses, and conflict res-olution techniques all work to provide juvenile offenders the consequences of their choices and better alternatives to guns and violence.

Q4: As part of my work with juve-nile offenders, I actively recruit and coordinate a mentorship program for high-risk youth. In these violent times, I know and respect the challenges parents face in seeking to keep their young out of harm’s way. National Night Out and Neighborhood Crime Watch are great opportunities to encourage neighbors to get to know

bRUCE AnDERsOnbanderson@fop.net612.554.2152

Q1. As the chief law enforcement officer in the county, I would work to pro-vide cost effec-tive, quality law enforcement to all county resi-dents. Work to

reduce overtime in the jail, by hiring and retaining staff. Increase participa-tion in Minneapolis and metro drug task forces, as well as Gang, fugitive, and financial crimes task forces. Put as many uniformed deputies on the street as possible, in all areas of the county, including assisting Minneapo-lis in high crime areas. Increase patrol levels on the Minneapolis lakes with the water patrol division. All of these priorities must work within the budget set by the county commissioners.

Q2. Work within the budget to increase staffing in the narcotics divi-sion, and participation in the numerous drug task forces. Improve communica-tions between the various task forces to reduce duplication of investigations. Drug dealers do not limit their busi-ness to a single neighborhood. The various drug task forces can be work-ing the same dealer without each other knowing. To reduce drug usage, the supply must be reduced. Work with citizen groups to improve information gathering on drug houses, to better focus investigative efforts to appre-hend, and stop the flow of drugs.

Q3. As a career law enforcement pro-fessional, I do not believe the average citizen needs to be armed. Carrying a weapon is a big responsibility. It would require legislative change to alter the current process for issuing permits. I personally know a young adult who has a conceal carry permit, for no jus-tifiable reason. This young person was told he could not bring the weapon into the home of a friend. In the process of unloading the weapon in a moving vehicle, the weapon discharged and he is now missing a finger on his left hand. I am not aware of any statistics to show a change in crime with the current sys-tem for issuing permits. To reduce the availability of guns, citizens need to be educated on how to secure and store in safe locations in their homes.

Q4. Law enforcement is only as suc-cessful as the community that it part-ners with. Community awareness and participation are a must to reduce crime and promote community safety. The sheriff’s office would be in a sup-port role in your community, assisting the Minneapolis Police Department as requested. Uniform presence in the neighborhoods is a key element. The residents of your area may only see a deputy when they are serving civil process, or looking for a suspect with a warrant for arrest. This is still a uniformed officer on the street ready to take enforcement action as needed. Prevention and safety related to youth, boils down to the core family unit. Without a strong family unit, paren-tal support, mentoring, and education, this problem cannot be solved without intervention from social service agen-cies or the courts. Personal respon-sibility is the key element to crime prevention, and community safety.

DAniEl RUsChdaniel.rusch@mchsi.com952.474.1756

Q1. As Sheriff of Hennepin Coun-ty, I will carry out the duties of the office and provide special-ized support services to the c o m m u n i t i e s and police agen-

cies in the county. The Sheriff’s office will maintain constant vigilance and readiness against any who would ter-rorize or threaten the residents of the county. Worldwide events make this a high priority and the Sheriff’s office should take the lead so as to allow municipal agencies to concentrate on the duties required to police their com-munities. The Sheriff’s office will also strive to be at the cutting edge of new techniques in law enforcement and criminal apprehension techniques. The phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” isn’t necessarily true this day in age. I prefer the phrase “if it’s obsolete, upgrade!”

Q2. The Sheriff’s office will maintain a narcotics unit that will stand ready to assist municipal agencies in the detec-tion and apprehension of illegal drug dealers. Narcotics agents will seek out drug cases throughout the county and take appropriate action to arrest those that supply illegal drugs. We will also make our apprehension efforts a coop-erative venture among federal, state and municipal agencies. I support drug court and treatment for users, and prison for suppliers. The demand has to dry up in order to put the sup-pliers out of business.

Q3. I support the Minnesota Personal Protection Act. To my knowledge, there have been few, if any, injuries associated with conceal and carry per-mits. Has it reduced crime? I don’t know. It does give pause to those who intend to use firearms or deadly force against innocent citizens. Law abid-ing citizens have the right to defend themselves. Law enforcement offi-cers can’t be everywhere and there are times when citizens have to take action to protect themselves. Obvi-ously, I believe firearms are to be used only as a last resort.

Q4. Neighborhood watch and Nation-al Night Out type activities. Neigh-bors need to watch out for each other, know each other, care for each other, and maintain vigilance in their com-munities. This is, after all, the foun-dation of a Sheriff’s office. During my 23-year career as a police officer, I have taught a program called Counter-Act to area elementary students which teaches children to resist pressures to use alcohol, drugs, and violence. I have taught high school students the dan-gers of drinking and driving, and was a charter board member for a group at Minnetonka High School called C.A.R.E. (Chemicals Aren’t Right for Extracurriculars). If students believe the adults in their lives, such as par-ents, teachers, police officers, and men-tors, will be disappointed with them if they make poor choices, then they are less apt to make poor choices. Clearly, I believe students should view police officers and deputies as role models and mentors.

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RiCh stAnEk651.343.9725www.stanekforsheriff.com

Q1: My priori-ties as Hennepin County sher-iff will include being responsi-ble for balancing the interests of public safety and individual rights on a daily basis.

Escalating violence in our county is the direct result of the lethal combi-nation of drugs, guns, gangs and kids. As sheriff, I intend to improve coor-dination between city, county, state and federal agencies; promote strong public-private partnerships with busi-nesses; and empower residents to par-ticipate in crime-prevention efforts. Repeat offenders will be held account-able; low-level nuisance crimes will be targeted. I will bring an even higher level of leadership and professional-ism to the office and work tirelessly, using all my collective experience, to serve and protect the residents of the county.

Q2: As sheriff, I will reprioritize the services we provide to focus on the pre-vention, intervention and enforcement of crimes, particularly drug crimes. Under my leadership, the sheriff ’s office will provide strong leadership within the criminal justice system to better coordinate resources to affected neighborhoods. When I served as Commissioner of Public Safety for the state of Minnesota, I restructured the gang and narcotics task forces metro wide — the sheriff ’s office will con-tinue to be actively involved in these and leverage all available resources to get the job done.

Q3: I am currently the Commander of Criminal Investigations for the Minneapolis Police Department — I see the tragic results of illegal gun use every day. Murders, shootings and robberies are too commonplace. Gun violence and those that carry those guns illegally need to be held accountable for their actions and dealt with swiftly by the criminal justice system. I support our second amend-ment rights.

Q4: I said this earlier and will say it again, you can’t have enforcement without prevention and intervention efforts. I work with youth everyday — mentoring them and providing a positive role model. I serve on the Boys and Girls Club Board of Direc-tors and founded the Minneapolis Police Athletic League — both of these programs have proven track records of working with youth and giving them positive options to mis-chief.

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SEPTEmbER 2006 UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS • 1�

linDA lAChnER763.550.0404

nO phOtO pROViDED

Q1. My priorities are safety for the public, respectful behavior for every-one and accountability for actions taken and not taken.

Q2. I will decrease drug sales and use in Minneapolis and Hennepin County by strictly enforcing the law and working jointly with the Minneapolis Police Department, D.E.A. and Metro Transit Police.

Q3. I view handgun permits as a legitimate constitutional right to bear arms. I have trained with rifles, shotguns and handguns. I know the dangers that can occur. I was awarded an Army medal for sharp shooting. I received a 100 percent score at the Minneapolis Police firing range with my street weapon the last time that I was there. I am proud of the safety practices that I have learned. I believe that people who have been trained and can pass the stringent application process should be allowed to protect themselves and their fami-lies. I don’t believe handgun permits have had any effect on crimes being committed. I don’t believe injuries have increased due to hand-gun permits. The law abid-ing citizen with a handgun permit is not to blame for random shootings, teen and criminal violence. I will reduce gun violence by con-tinuing efforts to recover stolen and unregistered guns by law enforcement and keeping kids safe by distributing free child safe gunlocks for homes.

Q4. The best way to engage chil-dren in crime prevention and safety is with public education in our schools. I am a supporter of the D.A.R.E. and McGruff Programs. I fondly remember Officer Sivanich of the Minneapolis Police Department and his school visits to teach safety prac-tices to kids.

What Does the sheriff Do?The Sheriff is the top law enforcement officer for a county. Responsible for police protection within cities; manages the jail. In addition, the sheriff serves summons, and subpenas as directed by courts. Sheriff’s offices maintain 911 communications, crime and accident reports.

each other and become more involved. Law enforcement cannot counter gang violence and other criminal activity without the help of citizens. Collabo-ration in crime prevention is key, and that requires trust. With trust comes increased safety, security and jus-tice for everyone. I also hope to raise awareness of the duties of the sheriff’s office, and provide more education about the jail.

children. It makes them aware of dan-gers and empowers them to be able to avoid them. It does this without plac-ing fear in them. I would assist anyone who wanted to start such a program in their neighborhood. I would also encourage school and summer pro-grams like DARE, GREAT to con-tinue for more then just one grade. I would suggest to any department that the sheriff’s office would assist them if they need help in administering any of these programs.

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DEbAtE: FiFth COnGREssiOnAl DistRiCtThursday, September 7, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.Field Community School4645 4th Avenue South, MplsSponsored by the Field School PTA. Moderated by The League of Women Voters. The focus is education but the debate will not be limited to education as we recognize that the well-being of our children and schools is related to all other children’s issues, i.e., homelessness, poverty, racism, classism, war, etc.

lEGislAtiVE DistRiCts GlObAl pOsitiOninGThere is a new tool available from the Geographic Information System that allows users to view the state legislative districts via Google Earth. Users must have Google Earth installed.To access it: ftp://ftp.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/pub/gis/kml/MNHouse2006.kmlTo download Google Earth: http://earth.google.com

AbsEntEE bAllOts AVAilAblEIf you cannot vote on Election Day, you can get an absentee ballot and vote up until 5 p.m. on September 11. Get a ballot at city offices or the Hennepin County website www.hennepin.us. Absentee ballots for the general election will be available October 6. For more voting information, call your local city clerk or the Hennepin County Elections Division: 612.348.5151.

REtURninG FROm ACtiVE militARy DUty? You may need to re-register to vote if you’ve returned from active military duty recently and you are registered to vote where you were deployed. You can get an application to register at city offices and libraries or you can download the form from the Hennepin County website www.hennepin.us.

political tidbits

need to find your voting location? Use the voting information website found at www.ci.minneaplis.mn.us/elections and click on “Voting Precinct Finder,” then type in your address to see a picture of your polling place, a map to the polling place location, and to view a sample ballot for your precinct.

Use above website and click on “Election Maps” to download maps for City Council Ward District and Park District boundaries, as well as other maps.

ECCO and CARAG are in Ward 10

Precinct 3 (ECCO) St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, 3450 Irving Ave. S.

Precinct 4 (CARAG) Bryant Square Park, 3101 Bryant Ave. S.

Precinct 6 (CARAG) First Universalist Church, 3400 Dupont Ave. S.

Precinct 7 (CARAG) Painter Park, 620 34th St. W.

need information on same day registration and voting?Use above website and click on “Election Day Registration” to view a list of IDs required to register at the polling place and vote on Election Day.

Any other questions call minneapolis Election information at (612) 673-2070.

how to vote

their lives around and remain law-abiding citizens after leaving prison.

Q3: There are a variety of creative and innovative approaches the county attorney’s office can take to reduce and prevent crime in Hennepin County. Our current county attorney, Amy Klobuchar has been a leader on truan-cy issues and community prosecutions – both of which I plan to continue when elected Hennepin County Attor-ney. In addition, I think it is important to focus on job and after school pro-grams for at-risk youth to divert them from a life of crime. Finally, a focused, coordinated re-entry program will help lower our crime rate by providing opportunities for those leaving prison.

Q4: Gangs are a form of organized crime. The most effective way to dismantle and prosecute organized crime is by tackling the organiza-tion as a whole. I will work closely with law enforcement to investigate gangs as organizations and prosecute their management, enforcers, funding sources and launderers. The county attorney’s office already has a group of dedicated prosecutors working on gang-related cases. In addition to their good work, I have proposed that Hen-nepin County create a local witness protection program to help dismantle the gangs infiltrating our community. A county witness protection program will give prosecutors the ability to con-vince gang members to become gov-ernment witnesses, to testify against their organization, thereby helping to dismantle the gang. Several communi-ties around the country are building pilot witness protection programs to combat gang problems. Bringing this unique law enforcement tool to Hen-nepin County is essential to tackle the growing gang problem.

future criminal conduct. Therefore, we must work with schools, parents, and law enforcement to enforce stricter truancy laws. We must hold parents accountable when their elementary student is not going to school, and we must enforce tougher sanctions on older students as well. We must also renew our commitment to juvenile crime prevention by investing in the Minneapolis Juvenile Crime Unit, which was inexplicably disbanded by Police Chief William McManus. Act-ing Police Chief Tim Dolan has wisely brought back the Juvenile Crime Unit. By focusing resources and energy toward juvenile crime prevention we have the opportunity to re-route the paths of young people away from a life of crime in the most critical time in their lives.

Q4: Gangs today are far different than gangs of past decades. Less like orga-nized crime families, today’s gangs are an array of small, instant-gratifi-cation cults, composed primarily of young people who do not see a future for themselves. Significantly disman-tling and prosecuting these gangs requires a combination of innovative solutions and broad implementation. Many of these gangs are connected to specific neighborhoods and communi-ties. Therefore, I have proposed that prosecutors hold regular office hours in the neighborhoods which they serve in order to better connect them to the community. This will allow prosecu-tors to work with communities as well as help them prioritize gang-related cases. Second, we need to broadly investigate and prosecute criminals who commit gang-related crimes. The price for gang related crimes must be increasingly strict, especially if com-mitted by repeat offenders.

Hennepin County attorney Responses (Continued)

FREEmAn continued from page 5

lUGER continued from page 5

How to vote in a Primary electionThe primary is for each party to select one candidate to move forward to the general election. You must vote for only candidates of one political party when you mark your ballot. Do not mark votes in more than one political column, or your vote will not be counted.

VOTE

next month we will print the answers to our questions from candidates for:

mn goveRnoRmn seCRetaRy oF state

mn aUDitoRmn HoUse oF RePResentatives

mn senateminneaPoLis sCHooL BoaRD

Hennepin County sheriff Responses (Continued)

1� • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

monthly meeting minutesAugust 15

Subject to Approval at the Sep-tember 2006 CARAG Meeting

board members Attending: Jill Bode, Rick Bojko, Cindy Christian, Thatcher Imboden, Ellan Meyer, Bill Morton, Kay Nygaard-Graham, Aaron Rubenstein and Howard Ver-son. (Absent: none)

Welcome: The CARAG Board is made up of volunteers who also volunteer time on other

neighborhood committees and organizations. Scott Engel, the CARAG community coor-dinator, can be reached at 612.823.2520. CARAG is a democratic organization; mem-bership and voting privileges are open to residents, property owners, and business owners in the neighborhood.

Approve Agenda & minutes: Motions were passed to approve the agenda and the July meet-ing minutes.

treasurer’s Report: (Cindy Christian) CARAG has $12,105.01 in the operations account, $7,089.14 in asset accounts. CD#957935 is com-ing due; by unanimous vote, this money will be reinvested in another CD. A 2006 Bud-get Report, a proposed 2007 Budget, and a CARAG NRP Administrative Contract Bud-get Plan were presented for

discussion. These will be voted on at the September CARAG meeting.

The UNN bank account has a balance of $5,374.25 as of July 31, 2006. The July issue net profit was $292.52.

Five neighborhood organiza-tions applied for grants from the CARAG annual charity distribution. Each group gave a short presentation, and then each neighborhood member weighed-in on their choice for the distribution by “sticker-dot” voting. The organizations receiving funds will be: Joyce Uptown Food Shelf, Midtown Greenway Coalition, Twin Cit-ies Underground Teen Center, VOA-Southwest Seniors Cen-ter, and Eco-Minds.

City Council member Reming-ton’s Report: (Ralph Reming-ton) Not present.

Zoning: (Aaron Rubenstein) AfterBar Restaurant, at 913 West Lake Street, applied for a full liquor license allow-ing service until 2 a.m. daily. After the city’s public hearing on this application on August 2, the CARAG Zoning Com-mittee drafted a resolution recommending the city deny the liquor license as requested, but recommending approval if serving of alcoholic bever-ages ceases at 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 12 mid-night Friday and Saturday, and

adequate off-street parking can be provided without impact on surrounding residences. The resolution passed 28 to10 with 2 abstentions.

In development projects adja-cent to CARAG, the GRECO project at Lyn/Lake is under-going a significant re-design to scale back the project after tax increment financing was not obtained for the parking ramp. The proposed Hotel Uptown in the 3000 block of Holmes was the topic of a large ECCO meeting at which the developer presented some early configu-ration options. No news from Calhoun Square.

nRp Updates: (Cindy Chris-tian, David Omer) The Liv-ability Committee proposed spending $24,775 of CARAG NRP funds allocated toward park improvements to replace and add picnic tables, park seating, and bike racks at Bry-ant Square Park. Approved 22-0 with 8 abstaining (Board vote: 7-0-2).

As presented at prior meet-ings, a NRP Plan Modification was proposed to move about $89,000 (program principal, plus some associated adminis-trative costs) from Strategy 1.3 “Historic Housing Preserva-tion Program” to Strategy 2.1 “Rental Property Improvement Program.” This modifica-tion would also make a minor language change to allow con-

dominium associations and rental units to participate as well. Approved by unanimous vote.

The Rain Garden Work-shop date has been changed to Thursday, September 28, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Bryant Square Park.

The NRP Advisory Committee is creating a survey to gather feedback about NRP Phase 1. Surveys will be sent to all CARAG households in early September. The board will approve the final survey before it is sent out.

Unn budget for Fy2007: Copies of the budget were avail-able but the budget was not for-mally presented; there were no questions or comments.

CARAG Annual Meeting — potluck Dinner & Elections: Nominations are now open for next year’s CARAG board, to be elected at the Septem-ber CARAG meeting. Cur-rent nominees are: Jill Bode, Rick Bojko, Anna Matthes, Ellen Meyer, Bill Morton, Kay Nygaard Graham, Dan Qualy, Aaron Rubenstein, Howard Verson, and Bob Winthrop. Nominations are accepted until the election at the September meeting. The meeting will be preceded by a potluck dinner.

Adjourn: Motion to adjourn passed unanimously.

Calhoun Area Residents Action GroupCARAG reportThe CARAG Board meets the third Tuesday of each month, 7 PM at Bryant Park

Community Center, 31st and Bryant. All CARAG residents are welcome and urged to attend.

LAKE CALHOU

N

Lake St.

36th St.

Hennepin

Ave

.

Lyndale

Ave.

Calhoun Area Residents Action Group711 West Lake St., Suite #303

Minneapolis, MN 55408(612)-823-2520www.carag.org

Email: carag@carag.org

Nominated for 2007CARAG Board of Directors

Jill BodeRick Bojko

Anna MatthesEllen MeyerBill Morton

Kay Nygaard GrahamDan Qualy

Aaron RubensteinHoward VersonBob Winthrop

On the Agenda...- Board of Directors Elections

- Political Candidates

- NRP & Development Updates

- Potluck (Bring a dish to share)

CaRag organizes Free Rain garden workshopThe CARAG Livability Committee is coordinating with the Master Gardeners of Hennepin County to sponsor a Rain Garden Workshop for Thursday, September 28, 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Bryant Square Park (31st and Bryant).

A rain garden captures storm water runoff from roofs and other hard surfaces preventing it from draining into the storm sewers. Learn how to design a rain garden and the types of plants to make it work.

Contact CARAG at 823.2520 or carag@carag.org for more information and to RSVP.

Bryant avenue Bikeway Kick off event oct. 7The CARAG Transportation Committee is organizing a kickoff event for the Bryant Avenue Bikeway on Saturday, October 7, 1:00 pm at Bryant Square Park (31st and Bryant). The event will celebrate the opening of the Bryant Avenue Bikeway and promote its “share the road” concept. Activi-ties include a CCP/Safe sponsored bike clinic promoting bicycle safety, Bryant Avenue Bikeway promotional gifts and an Art Bike parade down Bryant Avenue.

Share the road refers to a “chevron” pavement marking that communicates to motorists and bicyclists that they must share the same driving lane. Because Bryant Avenue is too narrow for a dedicated bicycle lane, cars and bikes will share the same space. The Bikeway also includes bike route and way-finding signs and parking lane striping encouraging motorists to park their cars close to the curb providing more space for bicycling.

The Bikeway will extend from the River-Lake Trail (aka: 40th Street Greenway) to the Midtown Greenway and finally to the Loring Bike Bridge north of Franklin at Bryant Ave-nue. For more information about this event or the Bryant Avenue Bikeway contact CARAG at 823.2520.

SEPTEmbER 2006 UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS • 1�

By Bill Boudreau

Reverend Bill Morton believes in community. He helped build one in Hong Kong for the Ecumenical Institute. He represents another, his Wiscon-sin hometown, while cheering the Packers and the Badgers.

Here in Uptown, for the past six years, he has “retired” to an intricate web of relation-ships binding parishioners, renters, homeowners, business people and government agen-cies to Joyce United Methodist Church, where he is the pas-tor.

Rev. Morton admits to being optimistic: “The NRP has been a real boost to neighbor-hoods.” Even as construction begins on the “new” Calhoun Square across the street from his office, Bill sees improve-ment: “Change is going to come to this community in the form of increased devel-opment. If that growth can be guided in a rational pro-cess, we’ll all gain.” For Joyce Church, even a slight change in the ratio of permanent resi-dents could lead to increased stability, and community.

For Bill, “community” exists on several levels so he hosts a weekly theological discus-sion that links scripture and modern thought. The group is currently grappling with the notion of limiting the sov-ereignty of God. “Bad things do happen to good people, but that is not God’s doing. We have to deal with the nature of man’s freedom to do wrong to one another.” An example, he said, was our involvement in Iraq: “We stumbled in, we could do good work there still, but only if we accept a differ-ent “community.”

Photo by dave PetersonFun and a fundraiser -- CARAG received proceeds from pop sales at the Uptown Art Fair in return for manning the booth. pictured from left are residents kay nygaard Graham, naomi Oshiro, scott scheifelbein, and Rebecca miller.

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CaRag Board Profile CARAG neighbors at Art Fair

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16 • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

ECCO bOARD mEEtinG minUtEsAugust, 2006

Board Members Present: Bruce Grimm, President, Carrie Menard, Tim Prinsen, Bruce Sabatke, Matt Carter, Debbie Jans, Ruth Cain, Ted Ringsred, Lara Norkus Crampton, Don MacPherson, Keith Ruddick

Others Present: Gael Ellis, NRP Coordinator, Ralph Remington, Councilperson, Sharon Eiden Cornejo, Joanne and Darrell Savage, Jeffery Farnam, Ralph Colby, Steve Buckley, Ellan Meyer, Deborah Burke, Phyllis Roden, Tom Parsens, Caroline Vaaler, Monica Smith, Dyanne Westerlund, Darlene Kenyor, Mary Tanfield, Drew Leonard, Kate Talberg, Morris Tahl-berg, N.E. Briesmeister, Gary Farland, Ron Ricketts, Bar-bara Ruddick, Ginny Jacobson, Mary E. Foster, Ruth Brooker,

Howard Verson, Anna Mat-thes, Eva Ushio, Mary Johnston, Katheryn Dean, Sue Evans, Darrell and Joanne Savage, Bill Morton, Liz Steeley, Mar-tin Peterson, Sara Wahl, Bob Miller, Stephen Eisenmenger, Virginia Kuhn, Mike Schlect, Sarah Klein, Nancy Anderson, Amy Dutzan, Chris May, Marci Winga, Andre Lemerd, Mindy Levine, Jake Weyer, Southwest Journal

Welcome: Bruce Grimm, Pres-ident, called the meeting to order, welcomed board mem-bers and others, and initiated introductions.

Open Forum:1. The 20th Anniversary of People for Parks 5K will be September 10 at 8:00 a.m. sharp. It is $22, $26 after the 31st of August or $30 the day of the event, if there any places open. Information can be found at www.active.com or www.race-berryjam.com.

2. A core group of residents got together to open a member-owned Garden Store Co-op located at the Greenstone Nurs-ery at 36th and Bryant. There were two visionary meetings on August 10 and 12. Information

can be found at www.garden-storecoop.org.

3. Gary Farland, a board mem-ber to Citizens for a Safer Min-nesota invited everyone to an event for Protect Minnesota, a joint campaign to the Million Mom March and Citizens for a Safer Minnesota. It was held on August 21 at the Fine Line Café. For information visit their website at www.protect-mn.org.

Approval of June minutes and August AgendaMinutes and agenda were approved.

City Councilman ReportCouncilman Ralph Remington reported. Congratulations to Lara Norkus-Crampton on being appointed to the Planning Committee, starting August 4. Lisa Miller, Ralph’s aide will be leaving to run campaigns. Was pleased to see the turnout.

Uptown hotel proposal pre-sentation – Curt Gunsbury (50 minutes)The plan is to build a hotel at 3017-3029 Holmes Avenue South. The hotel will be inde-pendently owned an operated

by members of the community. They envision it to have arti-san-crafted furniture, wall art by local artists, lobby space will double as a breakfast area, guest lounge and guest meeting space. There will be no public bar, restaurant or condomini-ums. They anticipate a unique marketing strategy whereby visiting local artists can bar-ter for a room for a night by performing in the lobby. They view the product hav-ing an international flair with a Minnesota accent. They are proposing two options for con-struction: 100 rooms plus up to 95 parking stalls. Six stories, 63 feet tall. U-shaped massing plan. 95 valet or 64 self-parking stalls. Conditional use permit for height, multiple variances. They believe this is the better choice. Option two: 60 rooms plus up to 25 parking stalls. Four stories, 56 feet tall Room for 25 valet or 20 self-parking stalls. Allowed use on the site according to zone regulations.

The investor/owners were introduced: Curt and Catherine Gunsbury. Curt grew up in the resort business, the Quarter-deck on Gull Lake in Nisswa, MN. Currently he owns and manages six apartment build-

ings in Uptown and is a partner of Five restaurant. Catherine works for General Mills. She is co-founder of The Community Capital Alliance and currently serves on the board of project for Pride in Living They live in SW Minneapolis with their family. Tom Braun has lived in Linden Hills for 32 years. He is owner of the Wild Rumpus Bookstore and actively helped start the Linden Hills Co-op. Tom is former President of the Linden Hills Business Associa-tion. Currently he volunteers for the Will Steger Foundation and is a supporter and con-tributor to the Barbara Snyder Foundation. Eric Osmund-son has owned and operated Uptown area apartment build-ings. Mariana Quiroga was born in Argentina and raised in Brazil. She is Senior Market-ing Manager at General Mills. Mariana is co-chair of the local chapter of Taste of the Nation, a hunger relief program. Her passion for Minneapolis has brought her to this project.

partners: U+B Architecture and Design, headed by principals Paul Udris and Mark Burgess.

East Calhoun Community OrganizationECCO reportECCO meets the first Thurs- day of each month, 7 PM at St. Mary’s Greek Ortho-dox Church, 34th & Irving.

All ECCO residents are welcome and urged to attend.

LAKE CALHOUN

Lake St.

36th St.

Hennepin Ave.

Lyndale

Ave

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f 4:15-4:45 Dinner provided. Bringsalads and desserts to share.

f 4:45-6:00 BINGO and prizes!

Sponsored by the East Calhoun Community Organization (ECCO)

Labor Day Parade!Come and

EnjoyThe

Annual East Calhoun Neighborhood

Monday, September 4th From 2:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Starts at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church on Irving at 35th Street.Parade goes east on 35th Street, north on Holmes Avenue,

West on 32nd Street, and south on Irving Avenue back to the church.

f 2:45 Decorate your pet, stroller, bike or trike

f 3:00 March in the parade with theSouthwest High School Marching Band

f 3:30-4:15 PLAY: animal balloons, cake walk,face painting

The next ECCO Board and Neighborhood Meeting will be Thursday, September 7, 7:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church.

SEPTEmbER 2006 UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS • 1�

ADMISSION IS FREE Sept 9, 2006 3PM-10PM Uptown Row – 1221 West Lake Street,

i n f o T R A C K 2 9 L O F T S . C O M 6 1 2 - 8 2 4 - 7 0 0 0 # 2 9Food and drinks for sale from Tum Rup Thai and Pizza Nea.

P R E S E N T E D B Y

FREE OUTDOOR JAZZ FESTSATURDAY SEPT 92 BLOCKS EAST OF HENNEPIN — 1221 W. LAKE STREET

RAIN OR SHINEat UPTOWN ROW

Parisota Hot Club

Twin Cities Hot Club

Connie Evingson & The Hot Club of Sweden

Clearwater Hot Club

Sept 9 2006 3-10pm

Live on the Midtown Greenway.

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Sales Center Open Daily • M-Th 12-5 / F-Sun 1-5

*The Parade of Homes Fall ShowcaseSM service mark and Logo are service marks of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities and are used with permission.

261 TWO LEVEL LOFTS FROM $290’S K with private entry

— FALL OCCUPANCY —

260 ONE LEVEL LOFTS FROM $150’SK— RESERVING NOW —

“Best of show” winners From the Uptown art Fair

A.M. Mortenson Construction, a 50-plus year old national con-tractor with local headquarters.

Lucia Watson, owner of Lucia’s Restaurant and Wine Bar.

Morrissey Hospitality, Presi-dent Bill Morrissey is the oper-ator of the St. Paul Hotel, The St. Paul Grill, Pazzaluna and numerous other hotel proper-ties. They will serve as a consul-tant to Hotel Uptown through development and start up.

Questions and answers: They see construction starting in April and completed in 11 months. There would be a fit-ness level and two penthouse setbacks. It is currently the only active hotel proposal.

They swear that whichever proposal goes through they will not try to make it larger. This is why the are coming forward so early in the process, so there are no surprises. Traffic and park-ing was a huge issue for resi-dents. One third of the guests will have no vehicles. The parking lot will be under the building. There will be a drop-off spot for taxis.

The next meeting will discuss building materials.

nRp phase ii Update NRP Coordinator Gael Ellis reviewed that there is $26,000 in the budget to move forward for income level housing and vision for the neighborhood.

Wine tasting Event Update ECCO sold 112 tickets, 20 from the UNN ad. That makes a profit of $2800, not including the amount from the total sales.

labor Day Event The annual Labor Day Parade and event will be held Labor Day at St. Mary’s Church. Car-rie Menard volunteered to help the event coordinator.

ecco.info Since the resignation of Al Anderson to the ECCO Board and as secretary no one has kept up the ecco.info page. Interim secretary Carrie Menard will contact Al as to the procedures.

the next board meeting will be thursday september 7th.

Photo by Kay nygaard Grahamminneapolis printmaker steve nowatzki earned his best of show using innova-tive, eco-friendly techniques to challenge the viewer to reflect on how lifestyle choices affect and corrupt the planetary environment. Wife, sue poses in front of husband steve’s booth holding the enigmatic Dodo bird.

Photo by Kay nygaard Grahamtom Wargin, a Wisconsin native, captured everyone’s imagination including a best of show for his whimsical and enigmatic pieces.

voteTues. Sept. 12

1� • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

News From Ralph Remington

Destroying tribalism and Creating Community

government & politics

Thank you for the opportunity to have this space in which to write. I wouldn’t be a Council Member if it weren’t for you and I am humbled and proud to serve this community.

I told you, when I was running for office that I would bring your voice into the room. I also told you that I would always tell you the truth, even though it may or may not be the easi-est thing to hear.

When I spoke of bringing your voice into the room, I received several different reactions. And nearly every reaction cen-tered upon one community or interest group claiming owner-ship not only of that statement but ownership of my person. Labor claimed ownership, anti-development activists claimed ownership, people of color claimed ownership, smart growth proponents claimed ownership, twentysomethings claimed ownership, senior citi-zens claimed ownership, the

affluent claimed ownership, the poor and disadvantaged claimed ownership, single moms claimed o w n e r s h i p , the GLBT c o m m u n i t y claimed own-ership, whites claimed own-ership, two parent families claimed own-ership and upon winning even people who voted for my opponent claimed ownership. And guess what? All of them would be correct. There are some who would say: “Well, what does that mean? I voted for you because of MY par-ticular issues not THEIR issues. I don’t give a rip about THEM!!”

And that’s the problem. We live in a world of intolerant tribalism. In order for me to be

right, THEY have to be wrong. It’s a zero sum game. We didn’t arrive at this place o v e r n i g h t .

This climate was nurtured slowly over a long period of time. I would argue that this current incarnation of tribal-ism started in the Reagan era. It has certainly been exacer-bated by intolerant fascistic Republican policies from the Right. Then we, on the Left, generated our own brand of intolerant policies and called it “political correctness,” thus shutting down all possibility of dialogue in the name of self-righteous indignation.

And since that time, we’ve been in the political dark ages, led by a quasi-fascistic Repub-lican regime that starts at the Fed level and filters through our state legislatures. The Neo-Con tribe has the power. They seem to rule all public dialogue.

So what does the Left do in response? We split into vari-ous factions, all deciding that the collective “WE” are cor-rect, whoever WE is and “WE” charge off into the night with torches blazing to slay the monster who fuels our indig-nation. All of us are convinced that WE are right and THEY are wrong.

Thus the Left has in many ways become just as intoler-ant, just as unbending, just as unyielding, just as fascistic as the Right.

And who loses? Community loses. Some would say: “What are you talking about? We are the community Ralph.”

All of the various tribes have formed “communities” plu-ral. But in this intolerant age, we’ve sacrificed “community” in the singular.

Within our various commu-nities we socialize together, drink wine and coffee together and strengthen our indignation together. All in the name of finding, creating and nurtur-ing a sense of place, a sense of purpose. It feels good to know that I belong to something. But at the expense of what?

We live in treacherous times on the Left. We lose more elections than we win and

when we win, we cannibalize our young if THEY disagree with US on any given issue. Because after all WE put them in office. In the meantime the real enemy on the Right keeps getting away with murder lit-erally.

So the Right wins on two scores. They win by virtue of their own antagonistic energy with repressive and oppressive policies and they win because we’ve become them. “I saw the enemy and it is us.”

The time has come to rebuild community, so that the whole is greater than the sum of our parts. So that we foster and encourage symbiotic relation-ships of interdependency and not tribal relationships of inde-pendence and isolationism.

We have to understand and embrace the fact that when one of us performs poorly, we all perform poorly. When one of us shines, we all shine. If one of us lives in poverty, we all live in poverty. If one of us feels unsafe, we all feel unsafe.

Change is scary for many people. I realize that. But you don’t have to navigate the murky waters alone. We won’t get there as individual tribes, we’ll get there as a commu-nity. As one voice with many different values but the one thing that we hold in common is the fact that we are Minne-sotan and Minnesotans care about one another. So if you’re in pain, we’ll heal that pain. If you can’t afford a place to live, we’ll create affordable housing. If you can’t find a job, we’ll spur economic activity and cre-ate a broader jobs base. If you feel unsafe in your community, we’ll hire more police officers and select a Police Chief with innovative expertise who is sensitive to your needs.

This is the value of together-ness. This is the value of com-munity. This is what we can do when we abandon tribalism. I know that we can get there. We live in Ward 10. The best ward in the City of Minne-apolis. Let’s continue to move forward towards a brighter tomorrow.

Ralph Remington, 10th ward council member, lives in

CARAG.

18th Minneapolis Greek FestivalA Taste of Greece 2006

St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church

612-825-9595

September 8,9, & 10FRI & SAT, NOON - 10:00 PM

Sun, NOON - 7:00PM

$2.00 Value2 FREE Tickets with

Purchase of 10 at Greek Festival 2006(Not valid with any other offer)

BE GREEK FOR A DAY!

UNN

Ward 10 City Council member Ralph Remington

We live in Ward 10. The best ward in the City of Minneapolis.

SEPTEmbER 2006 UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS • 1�

sentenCe in ZeBUHR mURDeR Lasonya D. Miles, 18, who was involved in the murder of Michael Zebuhr in March, was sentenced this month to one year in the workhouse and five years of probation. She plead-ed guilty to one felony count of accomplice after the fact to the murder. She lied under oath to the grand jury. Anoth-er accomplice suspect in the murder, Derrick L. Johnson, 32, is scheduled to go on trial November 13. Two other sus-pects, alleged robber Donte L. Jacobs, 17, and alleged shooter Billy Ray Johnson, 17, have no trial date set.

CommUnity imPaCt statementsYou can impact the court case of people arrested in the Fifth Precinct by filling out Com-munity Impact Statements. When a crime (with an arrest) has impacted your neighbor-hood or yourself, fill out this form. These will be submit-ted to the court so they become

part of the court record. These can impact prosecution and sentencing. Go to the Fifth Precinct web site for the Hen-nepin County Attorney office: w w w. h e n n e p i n a t t o r n e y.org/MplsNeighborhoodMap.asp?Precinct=51&Precinct N a m e = M p l s % 2 0 5 t h % 2 0 Precinct. Click on the neighbor-hood, and see what names/cases they currently have active. You can then submit impact state-ments electronically on those pending cases from this page. You can also click on the link to submit an electronic statement on cases not listed. The cases of the suspects in the Michael Zebuhr murder are currently listed at this site.

CReDit CaRD tHeFt aLeRtRecently one of the most com-mon methods of credit card fraud has been at gas stations and convenience stores. We’ve had a number of victims of Robbery and Theft from Motor Vehicle whose credit cards have been taken. The best deterrent to this is to leave the

credit cards at home, unless you absolutely need them, and always take them out of your car. The suspects have been taking the stolen credit cards to gas stations/convenience stores and offering to fill people’s gas tanks up if they pay them a smaller sum, like $20. If you see this type of activity going on at a gas station, please call 911 immediately and notify the store employees. Please do not contribute to someone else’s victimization by empowering these people to continue this activity.

Hit anD RUn Minneapolis Police are seek-ing help in locating a vehicle involved in a hit and run acci-dent at about 2 a.m., August 8, at the intersection of 35th Street West and Blaisdell Avenue South. The hit and run vehicle was traveling southbound on Blaisdell when it ran a red light and struck a motorcycle travel-ing westbound on 35th Street. MPD Traffic Accident Investi-gators have determined the hit and run vehicle is a 1988 to1991

GMC and the model is either a Suburban, full size Blazer, or a one-ton pick-up. The vehicle’s color is unknown, but described as dark, and the vehicle should have front-end damage. Any-one who may have information about this accident or may have seen this vehicle is encouraged to call Traffic Accident Investi-gations, Sgt. Brad Simonson at 612.673.3442.

CitiZen’s aCaDemy ReoPensBecause of an overwhelm-ing response to the Citizen’s Academy, a second program has been added on Thursdays this fall. It will begin on Octo-ber 6 and run for ten weeks until December 15th. Appli-cations are due September 8. Obtain an application at the web site: www.ci.minneapolis.m n . u s / p o l i c e / n e w s /20060607CitizensAcademy.asp

Crime news from 5th precinctECCO and CARAG crime statistics from July 2006

crime & safetyCrime map glossaryThis is not all encompassing, but a gen-eral guide to interpreting what some of the crime map symbols mean.

lARCEnyLarceny is basically Theft. This could be shoplifting, theft of a bicycle, theft of personal property where force against you is not used.

bURGlARyBurglary is entering a dwell-ing/residence /garage /busi-ness, etc. This has to be entry to a private location without permission. It does not mat-ter whether it’s entry through an unlocked door/window or breaking the door down to gain entry.

RObbERyRobbery is basically a per-son-on-person confrontation with force/weapon or threat of force/weapon used. This could be things like someone demanding money with a gun/weapon/etc, someone hit-ting/kicking you to get money, or a purse being ripped off someone’s shoulder.

Crime and safety news from tom thompson

Symbols on map and numbers in ECCO and CARAG may not match, as statistics overlap at neighborhood borders.

stroll patrol

LYNDALE

LAKE STREET

31st STREET

32nd STREET

33rd STREET

34th STREET

CONAR’S WAY

35th STREET

36th STREET

HENNEPIN

HOLMES

HUMBOLDT

IRVING

JAMES

KNOX

ALDRICH

BRYANT

COLFAX

DUPONT

EMERSON

FREMONT

GIRARD

CALHOUNPKWY

E.

July1-31, 2006

Crimes ECCO CARAG

Homicide 0 0

Rape 0 0

Robbery 5 3

Agg Assault 1 2

Burglary 3 11

Larceny 32 44

Auto Theft 4 8

Arson 0 0

TOTAL: 45 74

September 2006 Schedule

Everyone is welcome!Join the Patrol!

Thursday, sepT 7, 8 p.m.Meet at Bryant Square Park

monday, sepT 11, 7:45 p.m.Meet at Urban Bean (33rd & Bryant)* CARAG Crime & Safety Committee meets at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, sepT 19, 9 p.m.Meet at Bryant Square Park * CARAG Neighborhood Annual Meeting at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, sepT 27, 7 p.m.Meet at Bryant Square Park

LYNDALE

God doesn’t reject people.Neither do we.

No matter who you are, or where you are on your journey you’re welcome here.

810 West 31st Street, Minneapolis612-825-3019www.lyndaleucc.org

Never place a period where God has placed a comma.

Sunday Christian Education for all ages 9:15 a.m.Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.

tom thompsonCrime Prevention SpecialistMinneapolis Police Department, 5th Precinct3101 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55408

612.673.2823thomas.thompson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

�0 • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

10-story Lagoon/MoZaic proj-ect (originally approved for 13 stories) and the Calhoun Square expansion. The height of new buildings in commer-cially zoned areas of Uptown is limited to four stories or 56 feet, whichever is less, unless the city’s Planning Commission approves a conditional use per-mit for additional height.

Remington said at the August 17 meeting that the moratori-um: would not apply to projects already approved or proposed (including the Hotel Uptown), would last for six months with a possible six-month extension, would become effective imme-diately upon introduction, and would apply to the area covered by the Uptown Small Area Plan (Bryant Avenue on the east; East Calhoun Parkway. on the west; 31st Street on the south except 32nd Street between Fremont and Holmes; and, on the north, The Mall west of Humboldt and 28th Street east of Humboldt). He added that he “wants to show everyone there’s…some teeth behind this (planning) process” and that additional details of the mora-torium have to be worked out.

It is not yet known if the mora-torium will apply to the north and south Hennepin spines of the planning area—a half-block on either side of Hennepin

from 28th Street to Franklin and from 32nd to 36th streets.

During the rest of the Steer-ing Committee meeting, city planners Amanda Arnold and Paul Mogush provided back-ground information, relating to the Uptown Small Area Plan, about the city’s comprehensive plan, zoning code and process, and other planning processes underway (Midtown Green-way Land Use and Develop-ment Plan, Southwest Transit Corridor, and citywide trans-portation plan). Arnold said the request for proposals for a plan-ning consultant for the Uptown plan would go out by the end of August and the Steering Committee would review the proposals in October. She also announced that there will be two visioning sessions — to gather community input — in early November.

For more information about the Uptown Small Area plan, visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/planning/uptown-plan.asp.

Aaron Rubenstein is a CARAG rep-resentative to the Small Area Plan

By Aaron Rubenstein The CARAG and LHENA neighborhood associations voted in August to recommend that the City deny approval of a full liquor license requested by AfterBar restaurant for 913 West Lake Street (just west of Bryant, in the space formerly occupied by Third Stone). After-Bar, currently under construction, plans to serve alcohol until 2 a.m.. and food until 4 a.m. daily. The neighborhood groups oppose those late-night hours due to the site’s proximity to residential areas.

CARAG’s resolution oppos-ing the AfterBar liquor license, which passed on a 28-10-2 vote August 15, contains five find-ings, summarized as follows: the proposed use and hours are likely to have a significant adverse impact on the livabil-ity of the nearby, surrounding residential area; the proposed location is not appropriate for a restaurant that serves liquor until 2 a.m. and food until 4 a.m. due to the close proximity of many residential units; the cumulative effect of the num-ber of liquor licenses in the Uptown area is detrimental to neighborhood livability; grant-ing the requested liquor license (and a conditional use permit for extended hours) would set an important precedent for this stretch of Lake Street: and the proposed parking — in the lot behind DreamHaven Books on the opposite side of Lake Street — would have a detrimental impact on adjacent residential

properties.

CARAG’s resolution goes on to say that “CARAG would rec-ommend approval of a liquor license for the proposed estab-lishment only if serving of alco-holic beverages ceases at 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and

12 midnight on Fridays and Sat-urdays and if adequate off-street parking is provided in a location that would not have significant detrimental impacts on sur-rounding residential proper-ties.”

LHENA (Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Assn.—repre-senting the area north of Lake St.) voted unanimously on August 16 to support CARAG’s resolution.

CARAG has worked hard in recent years to limit the hours of restaurants with liquor licenses, and located on Lake Street between the Hennepin-Lake and Lyn-Lake commer-cial nodes, to 11 p.m. during the week and 12 midnight on weekends. These are the closing times for Pizza Nea and Tum Rup Thai in Uptown Row.

AfterBar co-owner Robert Serr said he has no comment on CARAG’s position on his planned establishment. He has said at three public meet-ings that his will be a fine din-ing restaurant. He also plans to

have a lounge area and a game area with Atari, pool, foosball, and video games.

The City held a public hear-ing on the requested liquor license August 2 at the Uptown YWCA. Some people at the hearing spoke in strong sup-

port for AfterBar and some spoke in strong opposition. It seemed apparent that many of those who spoke in sup-port were friends

of the owners. Forty-seven people signed the sign-in sheet and 41 provided addresses. Of those 41, 17 lived in CARAG, 5 in Lowry Hill East, 3 in other parts of Uptown, 3 in other parts of the general area, 2 in down-town, and 10 lived elsewhere, including St. Paul, Plymouth, and Farmington.

City staffer Linda Roberts, who conducted the hearing, asked for a show of hands at the end of the hearing. Thirteen people said they live in the Uptown area and don’t find the pro-posed liquor license favorable to livability, 14 said they live in Uptown and find the license favorable to livability, and 20 said they don’t live in the area and do support the liquor license. Roberts noted that the City’s public hearing are meant primarily to get input from resi-dents and property owners from the surrounding neighborhood, so those sentiments would bear more weight.

The CARAG Zoning Com-mittee met immediately follow-ing the City’s public hearing to further discuss the matter and develop a recommendation and draft resolution for CARAG. One person who lives close to the proposed restaurant noted that parking is prohibited on Lake Street from 1 to 6 a.m. daily. People at both meetings expressed displeasure with late-night disturbances from patrons of existing liquor-serving estab-lishments in the larger area.

CaRag and LHena vote against Late night Liquor

Joyce United Methodist Church31st and Fremont • (612) 823-0537

www.JoyceChurch.org

Open Hearts Open Minds Open Doors

Worship at 10:30 a.m.Bible Study of Romans, Sundays at 12:00 p.m.

beginning September 17

Everyone welcome regardless of age, race, nationality, creed, sexual orientation, income or ability

The Joyce Food ShelfThe Joyce PreschoolWorship Handicapped Accessible

Divine LiturgySunday 9:30 amFr. Harry Pappas

(612) 825-9595www.stmarysgoc.org

Greek Orthodox ChurchST. MARY'S

3450 Irving Ave. South (overlooking Lake Calhoun)

smAll AREA plAn continued from page 1

lake street Design Approved by City CouncilBy Gay Noble

At the July 20th Minneapolis City Council meeting the proposed street design for the Lake Street Reconstruction was passed by a majority vote.

Lake Street will remain a four lane street with bump-outs being added at several intersections between Dupont and Blaisdell Avenues. The Dupont and Lake intersection will be redesigned to align the pedestrian crossing to go in a straight line over the island on Lake Street, add some landscaping and increase the size of the island. Lyndale Avenue will be widened, at the Lyn-Lake intersection, to allow for a fifth turning lane.

Some level of streetscape will occur along the entire project. Currently, property owners are looking at different options and costs to determine the level of streetscape they are willing to be assessed for.

AfterBar, currently under construction, plans to serve alcohol until 2 a.m.

and food until 4 a.m. daily.

SEPTEmbER 2006 UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS • �1

Dave Veeser lives in Min-neapolis and is the resident advice colum-nist at www.personaladvice.net. Requests for advice

can be sent to deardaveadvice@yahoo.com or USPS in care of this publication.

Fat Fractures Friendship

Dear Dave: I’m really ashamed to admit this, but I let the fact that I haven’t shed my extra holiday pounds pre-vent me from doing something I love. Every year I love going to the Pride festivities, espe-cially wandering around Lor-ing Park. I didn’t go this year because I feel fat and ugly, and don’t want to run into friends or former boyfriends I haven’t seen when I am 10 pounds heavier. So, I just sat home all weekend feeling fat, and yes, eating because of it! — Help!

hey help: Well, I can relate! I used to be 100 pounds overweight (oh yeah…) and I felt terrible: I had no energy, high blood pressure, couldn’t breathe properly, and felt so uncomfortable in my own skin. So, while I do understand, it concerns me that you are let-ting only 10 pounds cripple your social life.

My Mom’s old quote (I’m sure it’s in every Mother’s hand-book): “If they don’t like you because of how you look, they are not worth knowing” stands as true today as ever. Do you really want shallow, superficial people as friends or dates? If you don’t understand the truth of that now, hopefully with time you will.

Ok, that said, here are a few tried and true tips to help you shed those extra pounds, for if nothing else, health reasons. First of all, before you start this, or any weight loss program, see your doctor, just to be on the safe side.

Second, avoid any ‘Diets’ and quick-fix programs that may have you lose 10 pounds quick-ly, but temporarily, once you go back to your old ways of eat-ing (hence starting the yo-yo diet phenomenon). It’s usually just water weight anyhow. Any permanent weight loss will only come from making life-style changes you can live with long-term.

Bottom line, you have to burn more calories than you take in, eat healthier and exercise more.

Burning more calories can sim-ply be a matter of changing your routine. Are there places you can walk or bike to instead of drive? I’m out every day on my old ’61 Schwinn burn-ing calories as I run errands

or zoom around the Lakes (be sure to wave if you see me!). Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It will burn calo-ries, and boost your metabo-lism; giving you more energy and making you feel great!

As far as your food intake, reduce the fat and calories, and bulk up on veggies, sans tons of butter! They fill you up, and take the place of higher calorie foods. Some little things that may make a big difference (and worked for me!): Use a small plate when you dish up, and restrict yourself to one serving. I like to take my initial serving, and then put the remainder away in the fridge immediately so I’m not tempted to go back for seconds. Be sure to drink several glasses of water before your meal, it helps to fill you up, and aids in digestion. Try putting your most heinous fat picture on the fridge — that always stopped me dead in my late night snacking tracks.

Also, don’t shop for groceries hungry, and don’t keep forbid-den foods in the house; if it’s not there, you can’t eat it.

It’s really an effort at first. But once you get used to the new lifestyle, eating smarter and exercising, it will just become part of your routine, and in no time the pounds will melt off. And that will be something you can be proud of next Pride!

dear daveBy Aaron Rubenstein

More than 110 community residents attended the August 3 ECCO board meeting to see and discuss concept plans for the Hotel Uptown. The “bou-tique” hotel is proposed for the site currently occupied by Nob Hill Decorative Hardware at 3027 Holmes Avenue.

The developer, Curt Gun-sbury, and architects from U + B Architecture & Design pre-sented two concepts: one for a 100-room, six-story, 65- foot building with more under-ground parking (64 self-park/95 valet spaces), the other for a 60-room, four-story, 59-foot build-ing with less underground parking (20 self-park/25 valet spaces). The site’s zoning allows a four-story or 56-foot building (plus a 3-foot parapet, or wall above the roofline) without a conditional use permit (CUP) for additional height. The taller building would require a CUP to allow 6 ‘10” inch additional height but no other special zon-ing approvals. It is significantly shorter than the two options Gunsbury presented at a May ECCO meeting.

Gunsbury asked for a show of hands to indicate which of the two options the community members present preferred. Forty-five people preferred the six-story building with more parking, 19 people preferred the four-story building with less parking, and approximate-ly 45 people did not participate.

Following that show of hands, Council Member Ralph Rem-ington asked for a similar show of hands by East Calhoun resi-dents only. Approximately 75 percent preferred the taller building, according to Gun-sbury’s count.

Area residents expressed a range of concerns, particular-ly about parking and traffic. There was loud applause when someone asked, “where will all the traffic go?”

Several weeks after the ECCO meeting, Gunsbury said he plans to proceed with the six-story option. He said he will probably have several more

meetings with the community and submit plans to the city in late November or early Decem-ber.

Gunsbury added that, at the conclusion of the August 3 meeting, numerous people told him they prefer the taller build-ing because it would provide additional off-street parking. The four-story option would provide parking for hotel guests only and would meet the city’s parking requirement for hotels. The six-story option would provide considerably more parking that would be available to the general public.

At the ECCO meeting, Gun-sbury said that the 15 to 20 mil-lion dollar project had “changed a lot since its original concep-tion” and that they “tried to make it fit in.” Architect Mark Burgess said they “worked hard to get the height down.” Gun-sbury noted that he is also look-ing at the GRECO Lyn-Lake project but the Holmes location is his preferred site.

Gunsbury’s presentation focused almost exclusively on the six-story option and hard-ly mentioned the four-story option. Those in the audi-ence without the developer’s one-page summary of the two options (there weren’t suf-ficient copies for everyone) barely realized the choice until the show of hands. East Cal-houn resident Gary Farland suggested that the issue hadn’t been fully and fairly discussed and a show of hands should not be taken. Indeed it did seem that the two options and their implications and values were not discussed. ECCO President Bruce Grimm allowed the show of hands, explaining that it was not a formal ECCO vote or position. By the end of the meeting, the informal feedback and the developer’s direction seemed clear.

hotel Uptown Gets Community nod

CaLenDaR eDitoRwanted: someone to spend a few hours monthly assem-bling the Community Calen-dar. Call or write: 259.1372 or uptownews@yahoo.com.

�� • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

By Dan Frankowski

January 2006, Tom Owad downloaded thousands of wish lists from online retailer Ama-zon.com. He searched for wish lists with “dangerous” books like “Critical Thinking,” “On Liberty,” and “1984.” He took the name, city and state associat-ed with a few wish lists, plugged them into Yahoo People Search, and found their home address-es. He then put them on a map with Google maps. (See apple-fritter.com.)

I find this creepy. People have always been judged by the books they read, or wish to read. How-ever, technology allows us to identify people more easily and precisely than ever before. Aha! you say, don’t put your wish list in public with your name, city, and state on it. But what if it were possible to identify people just by the books on the wish list?

This was the subject of a paper I delivered August 11 at SIGIR (the Special Interest Group on Information Retrieval) con-ference of computer science researchers called “You Are What You Say: Privacy Risks of Public Mentions.” In it, we look at using the mentions of mov-ies in an online public forum to re-identify users in a different and private dataset of movie rat-ings. We are often (though not always) able to re-identify them because people tend to mention at least a few little-known mov-ies, which narrows down the set of possible people rapidly. This is helped by the fact that most movies are little known, while relatively few are well known.

But who cares about movies? Well, in 1987, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork had his video rental history leaked to

the press. While there was noth-ing scandalous in it, the next year Congress passed the Video Privacy Protection act, which makes it illegal to disclose rental history without written consent. In 1991, U.S. Supreme Court nominee (now judge) Clar-ence Thomas was asked if he referred to an actor in a porno-graphic video to harass his col-league Anita Hill. If someone had shown concrete evidence he watched pornography, this may have derailed his nomination. American laws and customs are that preference information should remain private.

In our research paper, we argue that there are a lot of things like movies (a few well-known, many little-known): books, beers, research papers, songs purchased on iTunes, groceries bought at Rainbow, and so on. This means it might be possible to re-identify people a lot more than we think. Someone at Google is writing fiction using that as a plot device, something such as the FBI finding a fugi-tive based on the groceries he purchased.

Finally, we try some ways to make it harder to identify people (hiding parts of the data, having users make up fake data), and while it helps, it’s still sometimes possible to re-identify people under such circumstances.

The above observations are peer-reviewed research and sup-porting stories. Now permit me to wax editorial. An audi-ence member at one of my talks asked me, essentially, “This looks pretty grim. How do we get people to stop giving away their privacy for a Snickers bar (i.e. for nothing)?” My answer was, I have no idea. People want privacy in general, but do not

do much to keep it, especially in America. Geeks tend to want more privacy protection, perhaps because they see first-hand how computers can be used without regard to privacy.

To tie this to Minnesota poli-tics, Mike Hatch deserves geek props (respect) for proposing for years to strengthen different data privacy laws (for example, concerning driver’s license data or telephone company data), although this topic does not much stir the ardor of the gen-eral electorate. I do not know if Hatch would be a good governor in other ways, but he is the only public official I know who has repeatedly mentioned this issue.

Note also that the European Union’s directive on the protec-tion of personal data declares data privacy to be a funda-mental human right, while the United States has no universal statement of the importance of data privacy. I would not be sur-prised if this were because many corporations in America don’t want strong data privacy laws—it would be bad for business if they couldn’t sell your data willy-nilly. On the contrary, our own National Security Agency (NSA) has been secretly taking reams of phone call records for years now. That should make us yet again think about campaign finance reform and participat-ing in the political process, or at least voting (which is all I do)!

As always, send reactions, praise, criticism, but especially COL-UMN IDEAS to dfrankow@gmail.com.

Dan Frankowski extracts money from working with computers,

and also creates music and sells it … online, of course.

tidbits

Clean and well maintained, professional on-site manager,

off street parking avail, telephone entry system, laundry, utilities paid,

excellent bus transportation, easy freeway access, convenient location

within walking distance to city lakes, shopping, entertainment and more!

• 3030 Irving Avenue S.• 612-821-0565• 2 bd from $760• 3 bd from $1025

a geek’s worldPrivacy in the Computer world

By Mary Ann Knox

A group of local residents is establishing a gardening coop-erative at 36th and Bryant. The as-yet-unnamed flower and gar-den store will open in the space currently occupied by Green-stone Floral. The cooperative will open October 1.

Current owners Dan and Julie Ziegler are helping with the tran-sition from the privately-owned store to the community-owned cooperative. Several commu-nity visioning and fundraising meetings were held in August to solicit opinions from potential members. Two meetings gen-erated about 25 new members, about 40 new volunteers, and

hundreds of ideas about what the co-op will be.

The groups discussed the prod-ucts (cut flowers and arrange-ments, vegetable and flower plants, garden-related merchan-dise) and the services (flower delivery, workshops, demonstra-tions) that the co-op may provide to its members and to the general public. Committees are prepar-ing for the store opening, raising money, soliciting new members, and establishing the legal and business structure.

The existing cut flower delivery business will continue uninter-rupted by the ownership change. The co-op will add other prod-ucts, but will concentrate on the

cut flower sales in the early days. Plans are underway for a Grand Opening celebration sometime in mid-October.

Neighbors are invited to join the effort — become a Found-ing Member ($150 for a lifetime membership), volunteer time or expertise, and spread the word to others who may be interested.

To learn more, go to www.gar-denstorecoop.org, or call Stephen at 823.3955.Every Tuesday morn-ing from 8 to 9 a.m., the co-op is holding a “Co-op Coffee Talk “ at Gigi’s Cafe (36th and Bryant). Stop by to get information and join the fun!

Flower store/garden Co-op set to open october 1

EARthCAm.COm, a real-time web cam, has been set up at the intersection of Hennepin and Lake. Go to web site: www.earthcam.com/usa/minnesota/minneapolis to watch 24 hours of Uptown activity.

ZRs FOssils (Calhoun Square) will have a booth at the State Fair in the Grandstand Building (#102/103). Stop in to visit kelly and John and pick up special State Fair coupon for the store

thE GRAnD CAFE (3804 Grand Ave. S), formerly Bak-ery on Grand, is open under new ownership. mary and Dan hunter, with chef Justin Freder-ick, are serving lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. 612.822.8260. www.grandcafempls.com.

bEnnEtt lUmbER AnD hARDWARE (2828 Emerson) has become Fullerton Build-ing Center, doing business as Remodeller’s Choice.

plUG-in hybRiD VEhi-ClE. senator scott Dibble, Representative Frank horn-stein, and the neighborhood Energy Connection (NEC) unveiled the first plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV) to hit Minnesota streets. After displaying at the State Fair, it will be added to NEC’s car-sharing fleet, HOURCAR. A PHEV is made by transform-ing a regular hybrid car into an almost entirely electric car (a Toyota Prius) via a battery that can be recharged at any regular outlet. The car burns very little gasoline and produces almost no pollutants. Hornstein and Dibble passed a bill this year, endorsed unanimously by both houses and signed by the Gov-ernor, that instructs the state to buy plug-in hybrids for the state fleet, encourages local research, and creates a task force to devise strategies on how to manufac-ture the vehicles in Minnesota.

minneapolis Park Board Plans for Future The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) invites you to attend one of six town meetings in September. The meetings kick off efforts to gather information from the community for a long-term comprehensive plan for the park system. The MPRB wants to know what the community val-ues about the park system, what it sees as the park system’s strengths, and how the MPRB can best serve the public’s park and recreation needs. The information gathered at the town meetings, along with information gathered from question-naires, focus groups, a phone survey and community leader workshops, will guide the development of the comprehensive plan.

The southside town meetings are:

• 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., thursday, september 21. Powderhorn Park Community Center., 3400 15th Avenue South

• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., saturday, september 23. Lynnhurst Park Community Center., 1345 West Minnehaha Parkway

• 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., tuesday, september 26. Whittier Park Community Center, 425 West 26th Street

• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., saturday, september 30. Nokomis Park Community Center, 2401 East Minnehaha Parkway

To learn more about the comprehensive plan, go to the MPRB website at www.minneapolisparks.org.

SEPTEmbER 2006 UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS • ��

(Editor’s Note: We will run commu-nity event listings every month on this page. Contact uptownnews@yahoo.com to submit your event informa-tion by the 17th of each month to be included in the next issue.)

visual artsFlAnDERs GAllERy3102 Lyndale Ave. S. 344.1700www.flanders-art.comSept 16 to Oct 21 — Photographs by misha Gordin. Paintings by bill monson.

hiGhpOint CEntER FOR pRintmAkinG2638 Lyndale Ave. S. • 871.1326 www.highpointprintmaking.orgSat, Sept 9 to Oct 6. Opening reception Sept 9, 6:30 to 9 pm —Carolyn swiszcz. sOO VisUAl ARts CEntER2640 Lyndale Ave S. • 871.2263 www.soovac.org Hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 12–6, Sat and Sun 12-4. Sept 8 to Oct 14. Opening recep-tion Friday Sept. 8, 7 to 10 pm — Culture Cop. Works by Andrea Carlson.

book clubsWAlkER libRARy bOOk ClUbWalker Library • 2880 Hennepin Av. S. • 630.6650www.mpls.lib.mn.usMon, Sept 11, 6:30 to 8 pm — The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. The story of the tragic decline of an Indian family whose mem-bers suffer the consequences of for-bidden love.

OnCE UpOn A CRimE mystERy bOOk ClUbs 604 W. 26th St. • 870.3785www.onceuponacrimebooks.comTues, Sept 5, 7 pm — Twin Cities Sisters In Crime meeting. Book for the evening is Bone Flour by susan Funk. • Wed, Sept 13, 6:30 pm — Mystery Readers’ Book Club. Book for the night is Dana stabenow’s A Cold Day For Murder, first in her Kate Shugak series.

bOOks & bARs Bryant Lake Bowl • 810 W. Lake St. • 825.8949www.bryantlakebowl.comTues, Sept 12. 6:30 pm — Goodbye Lemon by Adam Davies. Returning home after many years to visit his ailing estranged father, Jack Ten-nant must make a choice between becoming involved once again with the crazy, problem-laden family he once fled or abandoning them to solve their own problems without his assistance.

author events mAGERs AnD QUinn bOOksEllERslynDAlE UnitED ChURCh OF ChRist810 West 31st St 822.4611 www.magersandquinn.comThurs, Sept 14, 7pm — barbara Ehrenreich, Bait and Switch

mAGERs AnD QUinn bOOksEllERs3038 Hennepin Av. S. • 822.4611 www.magersandquinn.comFri, Sept15, 7:30 pm — Alison

mcGhee celebrates two books: Snap and All Rivers Flow to the Sea. • Mon, Sept 18, 7 pm — kip sullivan talks about his book The Health Care Mess.

DREAmhAVEn bOOks912 W. Lake St. • 823.6070www.dreamhavenbooks.comTues, Sept. 26, 6:30 — Eric m. heideman 20th anniversary read-ing from Tales of the Unanticipated, a pioneer speculative fiction maga-zine brought to you by its founder and editor.

OnCE UpOn A CRimE mys-tERy bOOkstORE 604 W. 26th St. • 870.3785www.onceuponacrimebooks.comWed, Sept 6, 7 pm — William kent krueger Copper River Publi-cation event; • Sat, Sept 9, 1 to 3 pm — laura Childs Motif For Murder #4 in Scrapbook Series • Thurs, Sept 14, 7 pm — max Allan Col-lins & barbara Collins The Last Quarry and Antiques Road Kill • Sat, Sept 16, 1 to 3 pm — Anne Frasier Pale Immortal • Tues, Sept 26, 7 pm — Clea simon Cattery Row.

ARisE bOOks2441 Lyndale Ave. S. • 871.7110www.arisebookstore.orgSat, Sept 2, 7pm — Indie Book Extravaganza. Minneapolis’ crazi-est bookstore celebrates the release of Todd Dill’s much-anticipated first novel with a reading and release party featuring todd Dills, Al burian (Burn Collector), and Jonathan messinger. The event is free. This trio of indie writers will read from their work, and will be joined by several local (yet to be announced) writers.

theater

OlD ARiZOnA CEntER FOR pERFORminG ARts2821 Nicollet Ave. S. • 871.0050www.oldarizona.comSept. 7 to 16 — Bad Attidude Pro-ductions present Sincerety Forever • Sept. 21 to 30 , 7:30 pm — Soulis-tic Playhouse presents Waking Up Ghetto. Explores the magic and madness of a young woman as she emerges out of the dark corners of abuse, alcoholism and lack of self-love to find the power in her voice. FiRst UnitARiAn sOCiEty OF mpls900 Mount Curve Ave • 377.6608www.firstunitariansociety.orgSat, Sept 9, 7:30 pm — EXONER-ATED, by Frank theater. A dra-matic retelling of the true stories of six people who spent years on Death Row for crimes they did not commit. Pre-show reception at 6:30 and post-show refreshments at 9:30. The evening will conclude at 10:30. A suggested donation of $200 at the community hero level, $50 at the activist level, $25 for a

supporter and $20 for a student is requested. CONTACT: Carol Koepp at 952.893.2383.

JUnGlE thEAtRE2951 Lyndale Ave. S. • 822.7063www.jungletheater.comThrough Oct 1 — The Last of the Boys, by mark Dietz. Directed by bain boehlke.

musicFiRst UnitARiAn sOCiEty OF mpls900 Mount Curve Ave • 377.6608www.firstunitariansociety.orgSun, Sept 10 , 7 to 10 pm — Gentle Thunder in concert.

st. lUkE’s EpisCOpAl ChURCh4557 Colfax Ave. S. • 824.2697www.st-lukes.netFri, Sept 15, 7:30 pm — northern lights string Quartet. Cham-ber music. Experience the beauty of the unspoken word through sound. Sit still and hear the poet-ry of human existence expressed in music. Music to be performed includes the Cypresses by Antonin Dvorak, String Quartet Opus 13 by Felix Mendelssohn and the Ameri-can Quartet by Dvorak.

lAkE hARRiEt bAnDshEllNorth side of Lake Harriet. Free concerts. Daytime concerts 2 pm and 5:30 pm. Evening concerts, 7:30 pm Sept 1 — Divine Diva Dames, vocals with a twist • Sept 2 — Charlie maguire with ballet min-nesota • Sept. 3, 5:30pm — spruce top Review, eclectic urban folk • Sept. 4, 5:30 pm — the Abdomen. original rock • Sept 11 — a 9/11 tribute Concert • Sept. 17, 2 pm — minnesota Orchestra.

tWin City UnDERGROUnD405 W. Lake St • 824.2612www.tcunderground.com.Fri., Sept. 8, 7 pm —the Cretins $5 • Fri, Sept 15, 7 pm —halfway to nothing, rock/punk/alt.

international peace daythursday, september �1FiRst UnitARiAn sOCiEty OF mpls900 Mount Curve Ave • 377.6608www.firstunitariansociety.org7 to 10 pm — Approaches to a Cul-ture of Peace , an evening forum, consisting of a panel with audi-ence participation in discussion, sponsored by Citizens for Global Solutions, The United Nations Association of Minnesota, The Minnesota Alliance of Peacemak-ers & hosted by The First Unitar-ian Society of Minneapolis.

generalFiRst UnitARiAn sOCiEty OF mpls900 Mount Curve Ave • 377.6608www.firstunitariansociety.orgSun, Sept 24, 6:30 to 9 pm — The Humanist Center of Minnesota. Contact: Matt Stark, 612.377.2211.

hEADWAtERs FOUnDAtiOn WAlk FOR

JUstiCEBoom Island Parkwww.walk forjustice.orgSat, Sept 17, 11:30 am to 3:30 pm — The Walk for Justice is an inclusive fundraising and publicity event in support of community-based non-profit organizations in Minnesota that work on a variety of issues, including social, racial, economic, and environmental injustice. Doz-ens of community groups will meet at Boom Island park this year to walk together along a three mile circular course, displaying ban-ners and signs, celebrating together the important work being done in our communities. Participating organizations recruit walkers who then solicit sponsors to contribute dollars to their group. Walkers are invited to a community picnic fol-lowing the Walk.

sECOnD AnnUAl RACE AGAinst RACism28th St. and 21st Ave. S.www.ywcampls.org/healthfitness/events/RAR2006.aspSun, Sept 17, 9 am (check-in 8 am) — 2K, 5K, and 8K run/walk, all traveling along the Midtown Gre-enway trail. Sponsored by The Midtown Greenway Coalition, YWCA, and Uptown Running Room. All proceeds benefit pro-grams of the Midtown Greenway Coalition and the YWCA’s Racial Justice program.

bRyAnt sQUARE pARk 3101 Bryant Ave. S. • 370-4907www.minneapolisparks.orgFall activities and classes for chil-dren ages 6 to 12 • Mon, Tues, Wed., Thurs. 2 to 3 pm — home-work help • Mon, Wed, 5:30 to 6:30 pm — tae kwon Do (mental, physical discipline thru self-defense techniques) $30 • Mon, Wed, 5 to 6 pm — Fundamental soccer $20 • Mon, 3:30 to 4:30 pm — Crafty Kidz (A unique new project every day) • Tues, 5 to 6 pm — begin-ning Capoeira (African/Brazil-ian art form mixing martial arts, dance, gymnastics, performance, song and dance) • Wed, 3:30 to 4:30 pm — Art super stars..

lynDAlE FARmstEAD pARk3900 Bryant Ave. S. • 370-4948 www.minneapolisparks.org Most Tues and Wed, 2 to 4 pm — Ages 8 to 12. Lyndale Farmstead Social Club. Come to the park after school to play games, meet friends and do your homework. We will continue into the winter if there is interest, after taking a break for Halloween and elections, which will be held at the park this year.

thE bAkkEn mUsEUm3527 Zenith Ave. S. • 926-3878www.thebakken.orgOpens Sat, Sept 30, 10 am to 5 pm — The Electric Heart.

classestEmplE isRAEl2534 Henn. Ave. S. • 377.8680www.templeisrael.comSat, Sept 16, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. — Highlights in Jewish History. Instructor: Dr. Joseph Goldman‘Hamas’: The Arab and Hebrew Definitions for a Troubled Middle East, or how Language is Politics!Free and open to all. Join Dr. Joseph Goldman for lively discus-sions of some of the most impor-tant events in Jewish history.

get involvedpRimARy ElECtiOnTues, Sept 12. VOtE. Precinct information on page 13. CARAG stROll pAtROlSee schedule on page 19.

community meetingsWAlkER libRARy Walker Library • 2880 Hennepin Av. S. • 630.6650www.mpls.lib.mn.usWed, Sept 20, 6 to 8:00 p.m. — Hennepin County Child Care Providers Together. Membership Meeting.

WAlkER libRARy Walker Library • 2880 Hennepin Av. S. • 630.6650www.mpls.lib.mn.usWed, Sept 27, 6:30 to 8 pm — Intro-duction to Brown Night. Brown University invites the area’s pro-spective students and their parents to an hour-long informative talk led by Admission Officer Jennifer Bauer.

WAlkER libRARy Walker Library • 2880 Hennepin Av. S. • 630.6650www.mpls.lib.mn.usThurs, Sept 14, 6 to 10 pm — Com-munity Meeting on Library Budget. Public invited.

pAintER pARk 620 W. 34th St. • 370-4911www.minneapolisparks.orgThird Monday every month, 7 to 9 pm — Advisory Council meeting.

uptowncommunityeventscommunity events calendar

Photo by david Petersonthe 4th Annual pizza luce bock party on August 12 was a big success. A big crowd enjoyed the great weather and the bands.

Photo provided by Old Arizona soulistic playhouse presents Waking Up Ghetto.

�� • UPTOWn nEiGhbORhOOd nEWS SEPTEmbER 2006

hAnDypROProfessional Handyman Service. Home repairs and improvement – skilled carpentry, restoration, wood and wall repair, doors and windows, to-do lists and more. Licensed, bonded, insured. Call Carl at HandyPro (www.handypro.com) to schedule a free estimate: 612.823.8128.

ECCEntRiC REmODElinG JObsKustom room additions, patio decks, kustom garages, siding, aluminum trim, soffits, gutters and interior painting. Marty 612.724.8819.

mAsOnRy REpAiRsSteps, brick, stucco, tuckpointing, foundations, basements. 27 years experience. 612.377.3822.

CARpEntERsExperienced. Windows and doors replaced, sills repaired. We build fences and decks, and apply all siding. Finish carpentry. Sheetrock, plaster repair, and texture. Local references, free estimates. Tom 612.824.1554.

RUbbish hAUlinG/ tREE sERViCESmall trees cut down or trimmed. Licensed and insured. 612.869.8697.

WAntED Motivated and teachable people of integrity with a heart for oth-ers. $800/month. 612.987.2344.

thE EliZbEth ERiCksOn piAnO stUDiO is EXpAnDinGPrivate lessons offered for beginning through advanced levels. Convenient Linden Hills location with on-street parking. The studio also offers Music Discovery classes for children ages 12 months – Kindergarten. Over 30 years of teaching experience. Call for additional information 612-926-0343.

classifieds

ClAssiFiED AD sAlEs 40¢ per word, 10-word minimum. Classifieds must be paid in advance. Please send a check and the ad copy to: Uptown Neighbor-hood News, C/O CARAG, 711 W. Lake St., Suite 303, Mpls. MN 55408. Ad and payment are due the 17th of the month.

By Jacqueline Varriano

In 1994 the city presented a plan to revitalize Lyndale Avenue, the only road that runs the entire length of the city. The meeting sparked a debate, with a little over 400 residents and busi-ness owners opposing the plan and almost the same amount in favor. From the meeting a vol-unteer committee comprised of citizens from the surrounding neighborhoods, referred to as the Lyndale Avenue Task Force (LATF) was formed to come up with a workable solution to the proposed plan.

The LATF’s mission was to “Revitalize South Lyndale as a strong, safe, city neighbor-hood avenue that encourages long-term livability, strengthens neighborhood identity, renews community connections and serves as a model for a 21st century urban transportation system.” The task force met monthly from 1994 to 1997 and finalized a plan entitled “Lyn-dale Avenue: A Vision.” The plan detailed five construction projects running from Franklin to Highway 62.

In July, the Minneapolis City Council finalized and approved the first portion of the Lyndale

project, between 29th and 31st streets, concentrating on the Lake Street intersection. This was done in conjunction with the newly completed Lake Street reconstruction plan. Reconstruction of Lyndale Ave-nue will begin in 2007.

According to the Lake Street web site, “The reconstruction of Lake Street and Lyndale Ave-nue includes the replacement of the street, curb and gutter, and sidewalks within the corridor, as well as replacement of traffic signals, lighting and crosswalks.”

Actual details for the project are quite different from the original plan set forth by the LATF in 1997. Currently, Lyndale Ave-nue has a right-of-way of 100 feet (curb to curb distance is 60 feet) and the road is classified as high-density arterial. Sidewalks at the intersection, which are some of the largest in the area, are roughly 20 feet, allowing for outdoor seating at restau-rants like The Herkimer and La Bodega. The road offers two lanes of traffic with no turn-ing lanes, a main concern of the LATF, city and county.

The plan will widen Lyn-dale Avenue into four traf-fic lanes with a center turning

lane added at the intersection of Lake Street, both north and southbound. The sidewalks will shrink to about 17 to18 feet, but will still accommodate out-door seating. Another addition will be sidewalk bump-outs. A bump-out is an addition to the sidewalk that extends roughly six feet, eliminating parking at intersections, but not imping-ing on the actual roadway. This gives the visual appearance of a narrowing of the road, which slows the speed of drivers and improves safety for pedestrians.

Residents seem to have mixed reviews regarding the plan. According to Howard Verson, CARAG’s representative on the LATF, many residents are still writing resolutions opposing the city’s plan for reconstruction. CARAG resident Katie Ander-son has a different view, “I think turning lanes are a desperately needed addition to that intersec-tion. I also like the idea of slow-ing traffic with extended curbs. Basically anything that keeps me safe as a pedestrian, and has the potential to get me home faster after work, I support.”

ECCO resident Jacqueline Varriano hails from a city with

two seasons; winter and road construction.

spring of 2007 to Bring easier traffic Flow on Lyndale avenue