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Election 2009: Save for Park Board, a contest in every race
UPDATED July 23, 2009, 8:09am
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By Cristof Traudes
Compared to 2005, when a dozen people wanted the city’s top public office, this was looking like a quiet year for the mayoral race. Just four candidates had announced they were running before filings for office began on July 7.
Then came July 20.
In a single day, the number of candidates doubled. Filings closed a day later, and the final number of candidates seeking R.T. Rybak’s job is 11.
Along with the incumbent, familiar names include community activist Al Flowers and 24-time candidate Dick Franson. The list also includes early candidate John Charles Wilson, a Whittier resident. Papa John Kolstad, a musician and small-business owner on Lake Street, is the Independence Party-endorsed choice for mayor.
Other candidates include Bill McGaughey, an active voice on the online Minneapolis Issues Forum; Tom Fiske, representing the Socialist Workers Party; and Joey Lombard, who listed his political affiliation as “Is Awesome.” Bob Carney Jr., Christopher Clark and James R. Everett also are running.
Here's a look at the other races that affect Southwest:
Board of Estimate and Taxation
This six-member board sets levy limits for the city and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The mayor, two City Council members and a Park Board commissioner sit on the board, as well as two separately elected members who voters will choose in November.
Whoever wins will be in a unique position, given that voters also will decide whether to end the current form of the board.
Running are Carol Becker, the only incumbent and endorsed candidate; Michael Martens, a commercial mortgage broker; James Elliot Swartwood; DeWayne Townsend, who holds a doctorate in biochemistry; David Wheeler, a former Duluth City Council member; and Phil Willkie, currently vice chairman of the Hennepin Conservation District Board of Supervisors.
City Council, Ward 6
Two-term incumbent Robert Lilligren is facing more than twice as many opponents as he did four years ago, although unlike last time, all five are newcomers to City Council races. They are Andy Exley, chairman of the state Green Party; Michael Tupper, a plumber endorsed by the Independence Party; Bruce Lundeen, a self-described “union guy”; Laura Jean, a former preschool teacher and founder of music and science fiction convention AppleCon; and M. Cali.
Ward 6 includes Whittier, Stevens Square and part of the Phillips neighborhood.
City Council, Ward 7
Coming off of a third term that included the completion of her final original goal on the City Council, Lisa Goodman isn’t done quite yet.
She has two opponents. Michael Katch, a commodities trader, is known to attend numerous public meetings and watch broadcasts when he can’t be present. Katch is endorsed by the Independence Party. Also running is Jeffrey Alan Wagner.
Ward 7 includes almost all of Downtown, as well as the Kenwood, Lowry Hill, Bryn Mawr and Cedar-Isles-Dean neighborhoods.
City Council, Ward 8
In 2005, there was no incumbent and 10 brand new candidates. This year, the last election’s winner, Elizabeth Glidden, faces four opponents.
Jeanine Estimé, an education assistant, is the Green Party’s endorsed candidate. Greg McDonald, a small-business owner, is endorsed by the Independence Party.
Others running are David Regan, who filed as a Republican, and Michael Cavlan, a political activist whose top concern is corruption at City Hall.
Ward 8 covers most of Kingfield, plus neighborhoods east of Interstate 35W.
City Council, Ward 10
Like four years ago, the Ward 10 election will feature no incumbent. Yet 2009 is looking quieter than 2005, with just four candidates rather than six seeking to fill the seat last won by Ralph Remington.
Meg Tuthill, owner of Tuthill’s Balloon Emporium, was the first to announce her bid late last year. She received the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s endorsement in May. The other candidates are Dan Alvin, the Independence Party-endorsed candidate; Kim Vlaisavljevich, a finance and accounting consultant; and Matthew Dowgwillo, marketing director for Thrifty Hipster and Local Hipster.
Ward 10 includes Lyndale, Lowry Hill East, East Isles, East Calhoun and CARAG.
City Council, Ward 11
After two terms, Scott Benson is stepping down at the end of the year. Three people are vying for his seat.
John Quincy, an active political volunteer, is endorsed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. He faces Gregg Iverson, who ran in 2005 to provide Benson with someone to run against, and David Alvarado, a Republican.
Ward 11 covers Windom, Tangletown and part of Kingfield, as well as far-Southeast Minneapolis.
City Council, Ward 13
Incumbent Betsy Hodges became a spokeswoman of sorts earlier this year, steering the city’s efforts to educate residents about its fears over expected steep increases in pension fund payouts. One factor that Hodges emphasized could feel a major impact: property taxes.
Those taxes also are on the mind of Kris Broberg, who is endorsed by the Independence Party. The property manager says the city is becoming too expensive to live in and that City Hall needs to return its focus to basic services.
Also running is Joseph Henry, who lives in Armatage.
Other Ward 13 neighborhoods include Linden Hills, Fulton, Kenny, Lynnhurst, West Calhoun and part of East Harriet.
Park Board At Large
The nine-member Park Board has three at-large seats, which makes this year’s slate of four incumbents, one former commissioner and a newcomer a likely tussle. All three current citywide commissioners — Mary Merrill Anderson, Tom Nordyke and Annie Young — are running again, while Bob Fine, currently the District 6 commissioner, has decided to seek an at-large seat he held during his first term. Also running is John Erwin, a former commissioner often described as a middleman, who is seeking a return after one term away. Merill Anderson, Nordyke, Young and Erwin each have been endorsed by their respective parties.
New to the race are David Wahlstedt, an engineer and the owner of a bed and breakfast in Excelsior; John Butler; and Nancy Bernard.
Park Board District 4
With Tracy Nordstrom stepping down at the end of the year, Anita Tabb looks poised to fill her seat. The Park Board watchdog will be the only District 4 candidate on the November ballot.
The district covers Southwest north of Lake Street, plus the East Calhoun neighborhood.
Park Board District 6
For the first time in eight years, incumbent Commissioner Bob Fine isn’t running for this seat. His decision blows the race wide open, with three newcomers and a veteran of past Park Board campaigns all in the mix.
Meg Forney has perhaps the most familiar name. In 2005, the Realtor ran for an at-large Park Board seat. This year, she’ll face a fellow Realtor, Steve Jecha. Rounding out the list are Brad Bourn, who works at a nonprofit with youth and is the DFL-endorsed candidate, and Geneva Hanvik.
District 6 covers all of Southwest not in District 4.
Reach Cristof Traudes at 436-5088, ctraudes@mnpubs.com or twitter.com/sctraudes.
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Newest development proposal: A courtyard with pool and movie screen in the heart of the Uptown nightlife scene
UPDATED August 31, 2010, 11:04am
By Nick Halter
A new development proposal in Uptown calls for the construction of a three-level restaurant with a rooftop patio, plus a private, ground-level courtyard with a pool and movie screen in the heart of the Uptown nightlife scene. The courtyard would go between Cowboy Slim’s and the new restaurant, which would be built directly across from the Lagoon Cinema on Lagoon Avenue, according to a plan submitted to the city of Minneapolis. The owner of the site is Uptown Gassen LLC, which is owned by Clark Gassen. Gassen is proposing a 3,000 square-foot, single-level retail building that would go along Girard Avenue between Lake Street and Lagoon. Underneath the proposed development would be a 125-car parking ramp. The restaurant’s three
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Harriet concession contract nears approval
UPDATED August 30, 2010, 1:00pm
By Jake Weyer
1 Comment
The board will decide this month whether to approve local restaurateur Kim Bartmann’s concept, Bread & Pickle.
After more than a year of community review and a selection process that narrowed a field of nearly a dozen applicants, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is scheduled to vote this month on a new Lake Harriet concession contract.
Staff recommended local restaurateur Kim Bartmann’s concept, Bread & Pickle, based on the suggestion of a community group that reviewed and interviewed the applicants. That group was made up of former members of a Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) the Park Board assembled last year after public outcry over a proposed concession change that would have required a new building. The CAC examined concession opportunities and drafted recommendations used to review applicants.
“The CAC was really a lengthy, drawn-out, long process,” said Park Board General Manager Don Siggelkow. “But it yielded the information and the understanding that I think brought this conclusion the way it needed to happen.”
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Urban fashion store and art gallery opens on Hennepin
UPDATED August 26, 2010, 10:14am
By Nick Halter
With rare Michael Jordan sneakers dating back to 1985, local art work, a DJ table and pinewood floors, Moh Habib on Aug. 21 unveiled Studiiyo 23, an urban fashion store and art gallery at 2319 Hennepin Ave. Everything about Studiiyo 23, from the name to the design to the merchandise, is a reflection of Habib, a 34-year-old world traveler who spent his high school and college years in Minnesota. “In those travels — I’ve been to 30 countries and 169 cities so far — I picked up the best of what I like from all those spots, and what I did was try to merge everything I love in life into one space,” he said. Habib has spent the last eight years working in Japan and Switzerland, first for Northwest Airlines and later as a
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Bryant Lake Bowl operator plans to buy Casey’s Bar and Grill
UPDATED August 25, 2010, 2:12pm
By Nick Halter
Kim Bartmann, who runs popular Lake Street establishments Bryant Lake Bowl and Barbette, said she has a purchase agreement for Casey’s Bar and Grill, 3510 Nicollet Ave. Bartmann wouldn’t offer specifics on what she will do with the space. She is asking to present to the Kingfield and Lyndale neighborhood groups soon to show them her plans. She said the renovation will last a couple weeks and said work will be done on the kitchen and dining area. Casey’s has a very limited food menu. “We’re a very food-focused company, so I think that will be a major change,” she said. Bartmann said Casey’s current owner has taken good care of the place and kept it clean. “It has a lot of potential,&rdq
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Neighborhood notebook
By Dylan Thomas, Nick Halter and Sarah McKenzie
THE WEDGELHENA hires new newspaper editorLowry Hill East Neighborhood Association hired a new editor for its monthly newspaper, The Wedge. Wedge resident Quentin Skinner took over with the July issues of The Wedge. Best known as the theater critic for City Pages, Skinner also has written two novels set in the Wedge, where he has lived for 15 years, according to an announcement posted Aug. 2 on thewedge.org. ——— WHITTIER Rex Hardware demolishedWrecking crews in early August demolished the former Rex Hardware building at 2601 Lyndale Ave. S. The demolition came 11 weeks after the Minneapolis City Council overturned a Heritage
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Parks update // Lake Harriet health
By jake weyer
Park Board applies for grant to study Lake Harriet healthThe Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has decided it’s time for Lake Harriet to get a checkup. The board frequently receives complaints about the lake’s smells and surface algae and is hoping to perform a diagnostic study — funded by a $55,000 matching grant from the state — to see just how healthy the popular body of water is. “These grants are specifically being put out to prevent lakes from being designated as impaired lakes,” said the board’s Environmental and Field Services Director Debra Lynn Pilger. Pilger presented the details of the “clean water partnership grant” to the board at its Aug. 4 meeting. A
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Green digest // More mini markets
By Dylan Thomas
Farmers market season is at its late-summer peak, and more neighborhoods this year have easy access to fresh tomatoes and sweet corn thanks to an expansion of mini farmers markets sites. The number of mini farmers markets located mainly in low-income neighborhoods has tripled between 2008 and 2010, reported the Whittier-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), which established the market program in collaboration with the city. The Walker Place Farmers Market in the East Harriet neighborhood near a senior housing facility was one of the mini farmers markets to debut this summer. The Stevens Square Farmers Market, Southwest’s only other mini farmers market site, opened in 2008. The mini farmers markets are limited to five or fewer
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Wine may flow, after all
By Dylan Thomas
Uptown wine tasting was in question this springStart working on your swirl, sniff and slurp technique: The annual wine tasting sponsored by Hennepin Lake Liquors may go on this year, after all. This spring it appeared the wine tasting, an important fundraiser for Uptown-area neighborhoods, might not return for its 28th year. In mid-August, though, event organizer Pat Fleetham said he was nearly ready to announce a fall wine tasting. Fleetham said he was “tentatively proposing” a date in October for the tasting but still needed to finalize agreements with event sponsors before he could announce a time and location. The event in recent years had been held in early June. In March, though, Fleetham wrote in an email to
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Biz buzz // New improv theater
By Nick Halter
New Lyn-Lake improv theater will focus on long-formA new improv theater is coming to Lyn-Lake this fall, leasing the space formerly held by Lava Lounge clothing store at 3037 Lyndale Ave. Huge Improve Theater, the nonprofit company that is leasing the space, plans to have a roughly 100-seat theater open in late October and is pursuing a beer and wine license from the city. While Minneapolis already has improv theaters like Comedy Sportz and Brave New Workshop, HUGE Executive Director Butch Roy said the Lyn-Lake theater will be dedicated to a unique form of improv — long-form. No theater in the Twin Cities is devoted to the form. Most know improv in its short form through the “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” TV
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Schools notebook // Southwest steady on AYP
By Dylan Thomas
Six Minneapolis Public Schools in Southwest met goals for student proficiency in reading and math this year, down from eight schools in 2009. The district as a whole saw slightly fewer schools making AYP, or Adequate Yearly Progress, toward student achievement goals. About 14 percent of district schools met benchmarks on state standardized tests, down from nearly 19 percent in 2009. The slide means more district schools will face escalating sanctions under the federal No Child Left Behind law, although many in education say the law sets an unachievable goal. Approved by Congress in 2001, No Child Left Behind set a goal of 100 percent proficiency on math and reading assessments by 2014. But the ever-rising benchmarks mean more schools every year are
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Park Board organizing LRT advisory group
By jake weyer
Adding another facet to the ongoing Southwest light rail discussion, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board voted last month to organize a citizens advisory committee (CAC) to mitigate the impact of the route on parkland. Park Board commissioners, City Council members, neighborhood associations, Mayor R.T. Rybak and County Commissioner Gail Dorfman will appoint the 17-member CAC. The group will consider historical, cultural, visual, social, and safety issues associated with the 14-mile Southwest Light Rail Transit line (LRT). The route will start Downtown, travel along the Kenilworth trail between Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles, then stretch through St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka, ending in Eden Prairie. Along the way, it will intersect or run
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