[Mpls] ACT II - Waiting for Jedd-o

[Christine Viken]

THE CAST:  Minneapolis Park Board Staff and Commissioners and citizens of
the City of Minneapolis

THE PLOT: A citizen (that's me) is on a Quest to discover the proper
procedure to challenge the composition of the Citizen's Advisory Committee
(CAC).

ACT I: Park Staffer Jedd Rietkerk (the Jedd-o in the title) received my
request on Tuesday asking for information on how a citizen (me or any other)
proceeds to challenge a decision that set out a really skewed (or
incomplete, if you want more impartial language) CAC.

Do I tilt at windmills, a la La Mancha? Do I hire an attorney, a la lots of
plots? Do I camp on Walt Dziedzic's boulevard in an act of guerrilla
theater? 

Despite great skepticism on the part of many in the audience, ACT I ended
with a Rietkerk reply. He briefly said any quibbles should be taken to the
board.

The curtain on ACT  II went up with a request on Tuesday for guidance on
just how this should be done.

Okay, so it's not Shakespeare or even the last of the Die Hard trilogy. But
these issues are important to those concerned with a fair citizens' process.

This drama doesn't just involve Island residents and De LaSalle and jocks
hoping to get side-by-side classes and cheering section.

Runners, joggers, walkers, tennis players and people who value history, the
environment and tranquility also have a stake. They "auditioned" at public
forums to tell the Board about their interest, but they didn't get the part.

Instead two Special Interest Group roles were specified and filled by the
twins: "Youth sports/Athletics" and "Youth sports/Athletics", making it
sound like a George Forman decision.

This seems to be as blatant a case of favoritism as ever resulted from some
infamous casting couch.

But this isn't just some bad play. It's an act by a public body which
citizens (that again includes me) have a right to challenge.

But how? Aye, there's the rub.

So for now, I'm patiently and optimistically "Waiting for Jedd-o."

Christine Viken
Stevens Square/Loring Heights