Park Board

I figured I should shift gears a little and move to another 2009 race. Being a new comer to Minneapolis, a park board is a new concept to me but one that I find very interesting. I think the park board serves a great purpose in this city, and I for one hope it's around for many years to come.

With Liz Wielinski receiving 72% of the vote for the nomination at the DFL convention it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to focus too heavily on this 'race.' Michael Rainville stated that he would abide by the endorsement, and Steve Brandt has backed this up. I think that the latest fundraiser letter that was sent out for a Garden Party at Joyce Vincent's, with Diane Hofstede as a co-host, solidifies that fact that Rainville is out. CM Hofstede has worked for many years with Rainville in STAWNO, and the fact that she is now backing Wielinski makes this pretty much a done deal.

I do have to give Wielinski a lot of credit though for still going through the process of being a candidate. Just because she received an overwhelming majority at the City Convention, and will most likely have no opponent, she is still getting out there, and doing what a good candidate should...CAMPAIGNING! Wielinski had a huge presence at the Windom Park Carnival, she even went so far as to have a table staffed with volunteers...what a novel idea. It's obvious Wielinski is taking her Park Board candidacy seriously.

Whoever the next Park Board member is to represent Ward 1, they will have a big challenge. The idea of eliminating the board is far from gone. I think we'll start to see a battle between the Park Board supporters, and their detractors over the next year +. We'll all be bombarded with mail telling us the cost savings we can experience if we eliminate the board, and the Park Board supporters will counter with the benefits of having an independent body to govern the parks. I look forward to the fight but truly hope that all the fighting leaves us in the same spot we're in right now.

I plan on posting a little more on this subject since I still find it interesting that a Rainville could lose an endorsement that badly. I think there is a lot more on this story. Maybe a changing of the guard in NE?