I still am not sure how the 1st reading will go tonight on the Parks Districting ordinance, but this letter of support from Minneapolis certainly doesn’t hurt Stehly’s cause;
                                                                                               July 31, 2017
Dear Theresa,
Thank you for reaching out to inquire about the representative structure of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB). We have nine (9) elected officials who represent the city with three (3) of those elected at large and six (6) elected to represent districts within the city.
As President of the MPRB, I believe that this representative make-up of our board allows us to advocate equally and fully for all areas of our diverse city. When covering a specific geographic area, the ability to focus on that area provides the elected official an opportunity to know in depth the issues that are unique to that region of the city. When you live in a community and have a vested interest in the outcome of the overall results, you tend to advocate more strongly for it. That increased advocacy is not a matter of excluding others, but the fact is that it is just easier to advocate for something when it is more familiar.
Parks are a very democratic and equalizing part of our public commonwealth. Remembering back to the Commons in Boston, parks should be places for everyone. They can provide a place for children to play or residents to recreate without regard to socioeconomic status, race, color, creed or any other factor. And to ensure that parks are for everyone, it is essential to hear the voices of all areas. This is the essential reason to have a representative government for our park needs.
As a board, we keep our eye on the “big picture†by including the voices of our threes (3) at-large commissioners whose focus is on the city as a whole. Rather than concentrating on projects that would affect a neighborhood only, such as a local playground, they would tend to be involved in projects that affect the entire city, such as the park projects along the Mississippi River that are enjoyed by the entire city or a city-wide, fully accessible playground.
As an aside, our School Board recently moved from a fully elected at-large board to a board with a mix of district and at-large representation to ensure that the varied city interests are equally represented.
Let me know if you need further information and thank you for your interest.
Anita Tabb
As Ms. Tabb points out,
“Parks are a very democratic and equalizing part of our public commonwealth.”
So why wouldn’t we want EQUAL representation on this board?
The mayor says that the current board is NOT broken, but his resistance proves that it most certainly is.
l3wis 