Reflections on the Minneapolis election cycle in 2009

Lest there be any sleepy time between elections, note that the candidates intending to run in Minneapolis in 2009 are already stirring.

This is a watershed election – aren’t they all? But this time out, the shortfalls in public income are really going to pinch. The feds won’t be ready for prime time until and unless the big agencies are refocused once the GWB appointees are shown the door. The State of Minnesota is looking at a $3 Billion shortfall in the bonding session and the bond market isn’t exactly prospering. Pension obligations don’t decline when stocks go south and tax receipts of all sorts are going to shrink big time in the recession years.

I don’t mean to shill for Bob Miller exclusively. He’s my pick of the litter, granted, but we do have a weak mayor system. Who can say what will emerge if IRV is in place? How meaningful will endorsements be if there’s no primary election to narrow the field?

Remember the 20-odd candidates that ran for mayor in 2001? One of those worthies is alleged to have behaved badly in a West Bank precinct on election day, November 4, 2008.

What will be newsworthy in the precinct caucus and convention process in this largely one-party town? How transparent will these events be and will our local media report on these events? There’s tough financial sledding ahead no matter what anyone does or doesn’t do.