Dear Neighborhood Leaders,
Following up with the directives of the April 19th citywide meeting, an Elections Task Force met and established additional details to complete the selection of the neighborhood representatives to the Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission (NCEC). During this process, we strived to remain true to the timeline approved at the April 19th all neighborhood meeting. An elections process has been determined. This email notifies you and your organization of the details of that process and of actions that you should take.
The four primary actions your organizations should take are as follows:- Each neighborhood needs to select an elector and an alternate for the elections. Neighborhoods need to register the elector(s) and alternate(s) to the Neighborhood and Community Relations (NCR) department by Monday, June 1. For organizations with more than one neighborhood, you may either select an elector for each neighborhood or give one elector all the votes (one vote per neighborhood). It’s up to each neighborhood to decide who and how to make their elector/alternate decision;
- Notify your organization membership about the NCEC openings. Applications for the NCEC neighborhood representatives opens tomorrow, May 12 and are due by 4:00 pm, May 26th (in accordance with the timeline);
- Plan to attend the June 3rd Citywide Forum to meet the candidates; and
- Have your elector cast their vote by 4:00 pm, June 16th.
Recognizing that this is a shorter timeframe than is ideal, we know that this election process is not perfect, but we have maintained the importance of being open, transparent and inclusive. In addition to being invited to the Elections Task Force, its recommendations were sent out to all neighborhoods, encouraging feedback and comments. We have heard from a number of neighborhood organizations which, in addition to the Elections Task Force, shaped this process. Thanks to all of you who have participated in the discussion.
From what we have heard, there are two basic schools of thought coming from neighborhoods. The first is to have a citywide meeting where all votes are cast the same night. The second process is to have each district hold their own caucus and elections. The process we have outlined below is an effort to address both schools of thought and still meet the timeline that you all approved at the April 19th meeting. We will hold a citywide meeting on June 3rd to meet the candidates. Per the timeline, voting will remain open until June 16, thus allowing each district to caucus and discuss the candidates amongst themselves, if they so chose. The candidate application and guidelines are borrowed from the NRP Policy Board elections process. As applications are received, they will be posted on line on our website. A hard copy Voter Guide will also be mailed to neighborhoods by June 1.
The driver of all this work is to be sure neighborhoods have access to Phase III funds beginning in 2011. An important step in getting there is hiring the Director for the Neighborhood and Community Relations (NCR) Department. At the June 23rd meeting of the NCEC a 5-person sub-committee will be formed to work with the City Coordinator on hiring the Director of the NCR. This will commence the discussions concerning NRP Phase III guidelines and program development, and begin the development the guidelines for transition funds.
At this time, it is very important that we seek the best candidates for the Commission. We will be sending out another email with the application and corresponding details. You can also find this and other information about this process on our website at: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ncr
Additional election details and information about the citywide meeting are listed below.
Approved TimelineMay 12: Applications for NCEC opens
May 26: Applications for NCEC closes
June 1: Voter Guide on-line and mailed to Neighborhoods, voting opens
June 3: Citywide Forum (details below)
June 16: Voting Closes
June 19: Announce/Notify Winners
June 23: Neighborhood Representatives at the NCEC MeetingAdditions to the original timeline are indicated in
bold/italics.
NEXT STEPS:
- Call for applicants sent to:
- Neighborhood organizations
- People that submitted applications for City appointments
- Cultural/Ethnic/Community organizations
- NRP and City email lists
- NRP reps to the NCEC elections process
- Focus Group attendees
- Applications accepted up until 4:30 pm, May 26
- Neighborhoods select electors/alternates and notify the NCR Department with name, address, email and phone number by June 1 (so that hard copies of voting guides can be mailed). Ballots will be mailed to electors/alternates when they register.
- Voting guides will be available on-line and mailed to neighborhood organizations, electors, and alternates on June 1.
- Citywide forum to meet the candidates, June 3rd.
- ORIGINAL signed ballots must be received in the NCR office via mail or hand delivery by 4:00 pm, June 16.
David Rubedor
City Hall
350 S. 5th Street M floor-Rm M301
Minneapolis, MN 55415
CITYWIDE FORUM DETAILS:
Date: June 3, 2009
Time: 6:00pm
Location: Van Cleve Park (in the Como neighborhood of SE Minneapolis)
address: 901 15th Ave SE (corner of 15th Ave SE and Como), Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: (612) 370-4926
(Click here for a MAP and to get driving directions)
Additional details that carry forward the work of the elections task force and the larger group of reps from the April 19th meeting.
- All candidates must live in the district they intend to represent.
- Neighborhood staff can run for NCEC (still waiting for final word on this from the City Attorney, but the prevailing thought is a good conflict of interest policy may address this).
- NCR Department will collect applications for the NCEC, post candidate profiles online and send out a hard copy to each neighborhood organization after the filing period has closed.
- The point of contact for communicating this process shall be the neighborhood reps elected for the process, the staff and the board chairs.
- We will use paper ballots that must be signed by the elector so all election results can be documented, recorded and verified.
A number of neighborhoods have expressed an interest in holding a district caucus for the elections. Based on the approved timeline, neighborhoods will still have that opportunity. Voting opens on June 1 and closes on June 16. The citywide forum will be an opportunity to present the election process and meet the candidates. Electors can cast their vote at the citywide meeting, take the information back to their neighborhoods for discussion, or wait and caucus with other district electors.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
David M. Rubedor
Neighborhood and Community Relations
City of Minneapolis
350 S 5th Street, Rm 301M
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415
612-673-3129 Office
612-807-5781 Cell
www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ncr
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