North by Northside

How I almost got elected chair (and what I would do to keep that from happening again)

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

A funny thing happened to me at the Ward 5 DFL convention: I was almost elected chair. Ok, so "almost" is too strong a word, as the vote wasn't all that close. But I was nominated, and in spite of not having run a campaign for the position, or even having thought about doing so until Saturday, I did get a surprising number of people who voted for me.

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North by Northside

The downside of Ranked Choice Voting

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

I am not a fan of ranked choice voting, and Saturday's Ward Five convention did nothing to endear me to this new process.

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North by Northside

How does the local DFL select committees?

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

Although I've been an active caucus-goer for about as long as I can remember, it was only last year that I decided to take the plunge and get involved in a sub-committee. I picked the resolutions committee, because I was working on a resolution against Northern Metals at the time. I gained a deeper respect for the grinding work it takes to slog through such political minutiae, and decided that I'd put in my time for the next decade or so.

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North by Northside

Preservation is affordable housing

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

There are times when I'm asked how it is that I seem to have a different reason for keeping a house from demolition each time the prospect comes up. Well, it's because there are so many more reasons to save a house than there are reasons to tear it down. A case in point is 3019 Knox Avenue North, pictured above.

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North by Northside

No resolutions at precinct caucuses shuts out North Minneapolis voice

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

The DFL held its precinct caucuses this last week, and for the first time in recent memory Minneapolis did not entertain resolutions as part of the process. Although in a previous post I poked fun at resolutions as a confusing part of an evening that has its share of eccentricities, resolutions are an important piece of how political values are set. The reason we were given for the lack of resolutions was that since this is an odd-numbered year with no senate district or statewide conventions, resolutions have "nowhere to go." But I keep on subtracting four years from 2013, and as far back as I can go, the years always seem to come as odd numbers. And we've done these in previous city elections, so what gives?

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North by Northside

A comprehensive guide to sort of understanding the precinct caucus

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

On Tuesday, April 16, most Minnesota political parties will be holding their precinct caucuses. For the political neophytes, which is most of us, the precinct confusing and counter-intuitive. Well, I'm here to help. By the end of this blog post, you will realize that, far from being confusing and counter-intuitive, the precinct caucus system is actually quite tedious and nonsensical. But at least you'll know how to slog through one and why they're important.

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North by Northside

Sale of 1522 Hillside a "no-brainer," new avenues for rehabbing historic homes in Minneapolis to be rolled out

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

Last week the sale of 1522 Hillside Avenue North cleared one of the final hurdles before Nicole Curtis can begin restoration of this historic property. Council member Goodman called the sale a "no-brainer," and initiated a 20-minute discussion about how to preserve more houses and engage the private market in a better way. The motion for 1522 carried unanimously, but the preceding discussion marked what could be a sea change in city disposition of boarded and vacant properties.

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North by Northside

2013 election issues: Housing preservation, development, and the Vikings stadium

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

In past elections, this blog has been used as a platform to endorse specific candidates. This year, or at the very least this early on in the campaign season, I'm trying a different approach. Because ranked-choice voting and a lack of an incumbent running for either mayor or the fifth ward, a large number of candidates are expected to stay in the running for those seats for much of the election. Instead of openly endorsing anyone here, I plan to lay out issues that are important to me and hopefully pertinent to north Minneapolis as well. In that way, more candidates will craft their strategies around these issues.

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North by Northside

New North Minneapolis apartment construction in need of better design

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

Last week at the Jordan housing committee meeting, CommonBond Communities presented their design proposal for the apartment building to be constructed at the West Broadway curve. There was a lot to like, and a few changes that they will hopefully make. The project was presented as "West Broadway Crescent," which is a rather good name. It sure beats plastering the name a non-profit everywhere, especially if you're going for something that looks like it would be market-rate housing. Which this is not, it's workforce housing subsidized by tax credits.

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North by Northside

The demolition problem

By Jeff Skrenes, North by Northside

Last summer I was asked, as a Jordan resident, what I thought about a house at 2637 Emerson Avenue North. It was a vacant property on the MLS for a song, and the City of Minneapolis was contemplating acquisition for demolition. I maintained that the built form of the house was intact, that the interior wasn't beyond repair, and that the block already had four vacant lots and would not be improved with a fifth. My position as a resident was that this house should be purchased to keep it out of the hands of a slumlord, but that it should not be demolished.

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North by Northside