[Mpls] Sierra Club Endorsement of R.T. Rybak

[Jill Boogren]

Sierra Club enthusiastically endorses R.T. Rybak for Mayor because he will 
be the strongest advocate for clean air and water, greener government, 
vibrant neighborhoods and world-class parks.

It is clear that for Mayor Rybak the environment is not a side- nor a 
stand-alone issue; he incorporates green initiatives into city planning 
across all departments.  Mayor Rybak negotiates hard while at the same time 
building coalitions, as he has done with suburban representatives along 35W 
to secure a bus rapid transitway instead of a cars-only freeway expansion, 
with legislators to develop a statewide aviation strategy, and with a broad 
range of stakeholders to secure the conversion of the Riverside coal plant 
to cleaner natural gas.

Mayor Rybak has also taken simple steps to green up City Hall, like 
immediately replacing the Mayor's Lincoln Town Car with a hybrid car, 
setting computer monitors to sleep mode to conserve energy, using energy 
efficient lighting, and increasing to 95% the amount of paper being used 
that has at least 30% recycled content.

The Mayor also raised money to plant 5,000 trees throughout Minneapolis, 
even though that is technically the Park Board's responsibility, and he is 
putting much needed funding into expanding our bikeways throughout the city.

Rooted in activism, Mayor Rybak understands the importance of engaging 
community groups in issues facing our city.  Further, the Mayor does not 
accept campaign contributions from people who do business with the city.

We endorsed Mayor Rybak in 2001.  During his first term, despite tight 
fiscal constraints, the Mayor has moved green initiatives forward and taken 
positive steps to green up City Hall.  Mayor Rybak sticks to his principles, 
he builds exciting coalitions, and he puts the environment first.  For these 
reasons and more the Sierra Club endorsed him for a second term and look 
forward to working with him to continue the great work he has started.

Sierra Club endorsements follow a two-committee process.  The Minneapolis 
Political Committee is comprised of member volunteers who were invited to 
participate last January through our newsletter and online activist network 
and by other volunteers.  This committee prioritizes races, screens 
candidates and makes recommendations to our Chapter Executive Committee, the 
elected governing body for the Minnesota Sierra Club which has final 
authority over our endorsement decisions.  Each committee requires a 
two-thirds vote for an endorsement to proceed.

The Sierra Club is a non-partisan organization with 20,000 members in 
Minnesota, including 4,400 in Minneapolis.

Jill Boogren
Sierra Club Minneapolis Political Committee
Standish-Ericsson Neighborhood