A Letter from Betsy
I wish I could make promises about what the City will do in the next four years. I cannot.
When the City adopts the 2010 budget his fall, we will make painful, even brutal, choices. These will include tax increases and service cuts. Because of state budget cuts, cities all across Minnesota have been left with no good options.
In times like these we must hold onto our principles more than ever. The temptation to take "short cuts" must be resisted. Cost shifts and budget gimmicks are not the answer. The state budget, which was already challenged by the economic downturn, is in much worse shape because of years of financial smoke and mirrors.
In Minneapolis the choices we must make would have been far worse if we had not faced our challenges head on. We've paid off debts and aggressively pursued pension reforms. As the City Council's designated advocate at the Capitol, I have personally led the pension reform and fought hard for Minneapolis.
But that same job for the City also gives me hope. I have seen how important it is to not lose sight of the City's greater future.
Here's one example: In 2007, the City approved a plan (years in the making) to completely redesign transportation in downtown Minneapolis and on 35W. Some said we were crazy to develop a plan when we had no money to pay for it. But then we were able to compete for - and win - a $133 million federal transportation grant. As it turns out, it's good to have a vision for where you want to go, even when you don't (yet) know how you're going to get there.
There are many examples of this: Heading Home Hennepin (a plan to end homelessness), the City's Sustainability Plan, and the Youth Violence Prevention Plan. We've done great work to keep building a better City. This work will pay benefits now - and lay the groundwork for the next generation.
We are all facing tough times. But we are a great people from a great City, and we have what it takes to weather this storm well and build for a brighter future.
