And I sentence anyone in Minneapolis who makes this statement, especially if they invoke 50th & France, to read Edina's FAQ detailing how much "free parking" for businesses actually costs and how much of that cost is borne by the people who work in those businesses.

We have a visible human misery problem - homelessness and addiction. It's hurting Uptown and places all over. People and businesses are right to expect their government to fix it. But portraying this as a violent crime wave (it hasn't just been Shaffer) isn't accurate.

Looks like a bunch of people are standing outside the library without engaging in library business. Someone should call the cops.

That's part of what I am worried about. In any case, if they're serious about this, it seems like the Park Board should be leading the charge, and there shouldn't be a sole focus on downtown.

But by all means, everyone should complete that survey and tell them that no, we don't care about parking.

Let's do it! I remain dubious that Frey will be the one to deliver it.

Edinborough, Eagles Nest, Maple Maze, etc., are great, and definitely more affordable than the private alternatives. But I'm sure the latter are cutting into their revenue from families for whom cost is no object, especially for birthday parties and such.

I bring up the Kmart site because it's a blank slate, already owned by the city, and located in a high-density area with lots of families. As for accessibility, it's on the B Line, Orange Line, Route 18 (future K Line), Midtown Greenway, Blaisdell, and 1st — and, for drivers, right off the highway.

I'm all for it. I'm salty because I don't think they're actually going to do it. Frey, a known bullshitter, has a history of trotting out this idea every few months so parents will be like, "He's one of us! He understands us!"

There is an audience for sure. I would love if they'd build one of these. But the economics won't make sense in the high-rent districts. The suburbs are having enough trouble deciding whether to keep these places open when there's so much competition from private chains like Sky Zone.

From Shakopee, even! I bet there's no way she would actually drive in from Shakopee. Edinborough Park is closer and has plenty of free parking.

The suburbs already have these places. Nobody from the suburbs will go into the city for an indoor playground. If they were serious about building one for the actual kids of Minneapolis, they'd be talking about it for the Kmart site.

These changes also removed one of the dumbest slip lanes in town. I approve.

Random but sincere thought of the day: downtown Minneapolis fucking rocks

"In contrast, nearly three-quarters expected a better spring in 2021." Umm, well, yes.

True!

Alas, I did not get a picture of Josh deterring the crowd from violence when I identified myself as a member of the Charter Commission.

Yeah; there was definitely no discussion of going from 400 back to 800, so I hope that isn't the effect of the written amendment that was submitted, because that would mean we didn't know what we were voting on. Also personally I don't think the party should have to rent an arena.

I'm wondering whether that stayed in or whether it was reversed as part of the amendment that was passed.

Agreed! I just thought it was ridiculous that multiple people were making this about the current mayor and council.

Agreed! Also, walking subcaucuses can be fast (at the precinct level, anyway) if they're well managed and people can refrain from nominating a dozen redundant subcaucuses just so they can mention their pet issue or whatever.

It's also a way to meet people in your neighborhood who agree with you on some important things!

I would support some version of electing city delegates at the ward conventions, but I don't think it should be structured so as to eliminate subcaucuses on caucus night. Subcaucuses are how the people who show up that night, who can't make it to any day-long conventions, can get their voices heard.

I like it, and since this is one that will affect 2028, I think it is worth trying to make the change today. (Whereas there's some stuff I'd like to see fixed before 2029, but we can do that in 2028.)

It's weird to me that anyone comes into the city and complains that it's not like the suburbs.

I grew up in a suburb, and when my family would go into the city — for an event or a museum or shopping or whatever — and I encountered features of the urban environment that weren't familiar to me, I'd be like, oh; I guess that's how it is in the city.

Better yet: "Todd Doesn't Make Mistakes."

Thankfully, if the political process fails, we have a strong state Voting Rights Act now, and there's no real way to do this without impacting protected classes.

And with seven wards, it wouldn't be particularly difficult to pack as many working-class neighborhoods as possible into a single Southside ward and crack the rest into wards with their higher-turnout affluent neighbors. That's the fantasy, I'm sure.

If conservatives succeed at reducing the size of the council, their next move will be to gerrymander every ward to be like 4 and 7. That's what I take from the screenshots people took of Michael Baskins's manifesto before it was pulled down, anyway.

That's my take on 4, not necessarily 5.