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Monday, March 23, 2009

OPINION/ Good call, Mr. Mayor

Please click onto the COMMENTS for the story.

posted by Bob at Monday, March 23, 2009

6 Comments:

Blogger Bob said...

Sharon requested this topic.

Pioneer Press

Posted: 03/18/2009 12:01:00 AM CDT

We congratulate St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman for seeing the bright light of open government and deciding not to support a legislative attempt that would have made it less open. Coleman informed the League of Minnesota Cities last week he would not support a bill that would allow cities to keep budget proposals secret until a formal budget presentation to City Council.

Coleman, second vice-president of the League, which lobbies for cities at the Legislature, initially had supported the bill. Currently, initial budget proposals are public, including recommendations from department heads. The bill would have made those proposals private until the mayor presents his budget to the City Council.

We opposed the change on the grounds that the public's business should be transacted in public — including these initial discussions before a final decision is made. Coleman sent a letter to the League last week that reversed his position. "We cannot allow this bill to become law if it comes at the cost of any perception that our residents have nothing less than the transparent, honest government they deserve,'' Coleman wrote.

Hooray for hizzoner! We hope the Legislature follows suit and consigns this bill to the also-ran heap, so citizens and journalists can resume the business of scouring city halls for details on how public money is being spent — and how the decisions to spend it are made.

Maximizing return by
minimizing disclosure?

Another public-records bill strikes us as less obvious. It raises this question: If a private firm the state wants to invest in objects to Minnesota's public disclosure provisions, should the response be to weaken those provisions or to invest in something else?

The University of Minnesota argues for the former. It backs a bill that seeks to make specific data private. The data concern the U's investments in private equity firms, including venture capital businesses, real estate ownership interests and resource investments. The bill is aimed at keeping those investment options open for the university.

Richard Pfutzenreuter, vice president and chief financial officer for the university, said many private equity firms offer high yields but may not accept investments from entities governed by strong public-disclosure laws. He said this information is of interest primarily to the equity firm's competitors. The firms fear a competitor will use Minnesota law to find out rates of return, market values and names of particular investments.

The bill would continue to require disclosure of the name of the firm the U has invested in, how much is invested and the overall performance. Pfutzenreuter said the bill would apply to roughly one-third of the university's investments and added it is similar to a bill passed on behalf of the state Board of Investments several years ago.

We hope the Legislature looks hard at this request. We do not doubt the U's sincerity, and such an exclusion may well help to maximize return. But we hope those who consider it think also of how great a price the U.S. is paying right now for bad investments — and minimal disclosure.

7:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

His flip flopping just around election time is no surprise.
All politicians do it.
While he has no opposition
except for Bill Dahn ),he at one time supported it.
Why did he change his position on this ?
Is it only because people view the Coleman administration as an extension of the old corrupt Nazi Kelly administration ?
Maybe Eric has spoke with the mayor about all the dissent about the mayors office and its departments ?
It's an image thing really.
In other words, Coleman is saying the government they deserve is more of him.
NOT !

12:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OK, I don't support the position either, but...

The point of the legislation was that department heads couldn't figure out how to "brain storm" with the Mayors in some towns about potential cuts without the story getting in the paper. The idea would be that those suggestions would be "private, internal" communications. Once proposed to the council then they would be public.

The department heads will still do the same brain storming with the Mayors, they just won't write it down. If it isn't in writing it doesn't exist.

Anyway, tempest in a tea cup.

JMONTOMEPPOF

Chuck Repke

12:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You persons cannot see the writing on the Wall, Coleman VP League MN Cities,appears to be defunct, check out their web site.

http://www.lmnc.org/

Alice Krengel, still in MN Supreme Court as by Coleman and the League. Lawyers for pecuniary gain, fees on nuisance ordinance,
Budget Proposals, look at al the vacant buildings, 3 thousand tax delinquent, page 53, you bet I'll continue to expose the sicko cityofstpaul

1:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Internal comunications got the city in trouble with the RICO men.

The city must have figured that the game is up and we can't keep anything a secret anymore so we might as well say we support being upfront with the citizens.

There is almost always an ulterior motive when the city is so against something one minute, and the next minute they change their mind.

Expect some loophole in this Coleman plan.

Probably will end up with some data practice law keeping the citizens in the dark.

2:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The RICO Man
St.Paul is hiding illegal immig.
Two faced St.Paul Government.
We are the people, so we are the Government.

4:29 PM  

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