[Mpls] Rybak and Riverside

[Justin E.]

As someone who worked on the Clean Energy Now coalition I'd just like to 
present my viewpoint on the credit issue.

I submitted an opinion piece to the SW Journal last October when it became 
apparent that the conversion was being touted as a major accomplishment by 
the City (including Rybak). I thought the credit was misplaced. I wrote that 
the credit belongs to the citizens and volunteers who put time in to comment 
who took the time stand up for what they thought was right regarding the 
energy future of the City.

It is true that if there was a ribbon to cut or a camera in the room R.T. 
was there, but that should not be confused with "hard work".  The credit 
goes to people who worked on the issue for four years now, not just to the 
mayor who showed up to a meeting here and there, but the people who showed 
up to all the meetings which include people involved in the Clean Energy 
Now! coalition.

I'd like to see Mark Snyder get the credit that he deserves.  I'd like to 
see Bill Kahn get the credit he deserves.  Both of you devoted time to the 
cause not because there was a photo op or a ribbon to cut, but because you 
believed in it and the outcome and in making the City great.  If we're 
looking to cast votes based on that work alone I'd vote for either of you 
rather than the current candidates.

I don't think the mayor deserves any special credit on this issue, in fact 
most mayors would have done the same if they cared about their political 
future.  R.T. was a good ally and great cheerleader for the cause, but I 
feel he let us down on committments he pledged to fulfill. Even Governor 
Pawlenty hailed MERP and the conversions as a great victory--so is he an 
Environmental Governor?  Standing on the right side of an issue that is 
politically beneficial just makes sense.

All this is largely in the past, so instead of letting mayoral candidates 
latch on to what citizens are already doing and calling it their own, we 
need to ask what types of new thinking do they have for the City's energy 
future.

Question:  Do the mayoral candidates support a target of 50% renewable 
energy for municipal operations, and city-wide goal of 10% above any state 
or federal mandates by 2014?  (Proposed by Citizens Environmental Advisory 
Committee, Sept 2005).

Question:  Do the mayoral candidates support investment in hybrid fleet 
vehicles for routine city operations such as inspections?

Question:  What should the City do to attract green industry and become a 
leader in renewable energy use and/or production?

The City needs leadership on these topics now more than ever before.  The 
citizens are running out of time to get answers before the election, but we 
can't get answers if we don't ask the questions.

Justin Eibenholzl
Armatage