May 4- Randolph-Hamline Walk/Bike to School Day
For the first time ever the four schools in the Ran-Ham neighborhood are teaming up with the district councils for a collaborative walk/bike to school day. Expo, Holy Spirit, Randolph Heights and Cretin-Derham Hall will be encouraging students to move their bodies to get to school. Each elementary school will also identify a remote drop-off location for buses or parent vehicles so those who cannot feasibly get to school just walking or biking can still participate. Highland District Council and Macalester Groveland District Council are helping recruit volunteers to ensure this is a fun, supportive and safe event for the whole neighborhood. Join me and volunteer to help out, show up to cheer on students, or take the pledge to walk or bike on May 4th.
Boards and Commissions
As part of my City Council role, I represent the city on many different boards and commissions. These boards often help the city or provide services to our city. Starting this month, I will use this newsletter to highlight one of the boards I serve on each newsletter, so that you can get a better idea of the day-to-day things I do as your Councilmember. This month I will highlight the League of Minnesota Cities board. To see a complete list of the boards I serve on click here.
The League of Minnesota Cities:
I have served on the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) Board since 2012. The board is comprised of mayors, city councilmembers and city administrators from across the state. This brings a wide range of viewpoints and allows us to focus on issues that affect cities across the state.
The LMC offers many benefits to cities across the state. But, in my opinion, the most important benefit it offers Saint Paul is its lobbying efforts on important city issues. Two issues I have advocated for and successfully made priorities of the LMC are dedicated transportation funding for cities, and funding to help prevent the spread of invasive species. The dedicated transportation funding is important as we need to replace our aging transportation infrastructure, as do many cities across the state. Getting the state to help prevent the spread of invasive species in our tree population is also very important to the state. Here in Saint Paul we have seen how devastating Ash Borer and Dutch Elm can be to our neighborhoods.
In addition to serving on the LMC Board, I currently serve on two of their policy committees: the Improving Local Economies Committee and the Improving Service Deliveries Committee. These committees recommend legislative policies. Also, I serve as a member of the LMC Municipal Amicus program which writes amicus curiae ("friend of the court") briefs. This committee is comprised of city attorney's and city council members who are attorneys and examines pending cases that are before State and Federal appellate courts that involve city issues and decide which cases to write amicus briefs for on behalf of the LMC.
The League of Minnesota Cities is a well-respected organization that has served cities, both big and small, for over 100 years. It is a privilege to represent Saint Paul on the board.
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