Candidates for Minneapolis Mayor
Now Playing: Stadiums and cliches, business as usual
Topic: Minneapolis Mayor
RT Rybak got his present job because its previous holder, Sharon Sayles Belton was pro-stadium and was percieved to be in the pocket of developers who benefited from the city's financing of downtown development projects, gentrification, etc.

But its been business as usual in city hall with Rybak in charge. And that hasn't hurt Rybak's ability to raise money for his re-election campaign.

McLaughlin, with his unflinching support for a Twins stadium must be in the race for Mayor to help Ryback get the DFL nomination. At least RT is withholding his endorsement! (until after the election)

I don't know much about Green Party candidate Farheen Hakeem. No web site yet. http://www.hakeemformayor.org

I caught part of an interview with RT Ryback on cable channel 17 last night (I inadvertantly taped it). Speaking about shootings and other quality of life issues in high-poverty areas on the Northside, one of the solutions offered by hizzoner was "more community involvement," like folks joining block clubs. No real solutions, just cliches.

Ryback is not proposing to take any steps to rapidly eliminate areas of concentrated poverty (without running poor people out of town) such as by enforcing fair employment and housing laws.

HUD, (US Department of Housing and Urban Development) did a housing market survey in 2000, which found that illegal, race based discrimination was common in the Twin Cities. And the 2000 census classified about 98% of residents in Minneapolis ward 13 (SW corner) as "white, non-hispanic." Just a coincidence?

I suspect that many employers who are required to have affirmative action plans have been employing a strategy of minimum compliance when it comes to hiring, retaining, and promoting people of color, especially African Americans.

I have worked at several nursing homes in the Twin Cities, and checked out many others while job hunting. African-Americans often work in the kitchen for minimum wage, and whites predominated in the Nursing Dept, except in nursing homes where wages for the nursing assistants are at the low end. If this situation is fundamentally different from how things are done in most other industries, corrective action would have been taken. (I have attempted to file complaints with agencies like the Minnesota Human Rights Dept, Minneapolis Civil Rights Dept., but didn't have standing to file complaints because I appear to be white, wasn't denied employment, etc.)

The city could reduce illegal race-based discrimination in employment and housing markets by doing surveys like those done in the housing market by HUD, which collects data about racial discrimination by sending out "mixed-race" (eg White-black) teams to apply for apartment leases, ask real estate agents for information about available housing for sale, etc. HUD has rarely used information collected by survey teams to prosecute discriminators. However, information collected by a city-sponsored survey program could be used to prosecute discriminators.

Fair play in the employment and housing market is in the best interests of a majority of Minneapolis residents who have to work for a living. Unfortunately, the people who write the big checks write them for mayoral candidates who support the status quo.

Doug Mann, LPN
King Field (8th ward)
www.educationright.com