From NJL to MLK
I’m a geek of the variety that loves to see politics on its feet, and I’m a big believer that even city council meetings can be compelling as hell. So, with that in mind, I want to start posting blogs on anything of interest in the full Minneapolis City Council meetings. The council meets every other Friday, and I’ll post accordingly, every other following Monday.
And it will be interesting. Trust me.
There was some action Friday, for instance, on the city’s wage-freeze front. The mood was awkward as city council members told many city staffers that they would have to limit wage increases for all city employees over the next five years. Some council-members were red-faced and apologetic while delivering the news; many watching in the council chambers were people on whom council members depend for just about all of their day-to-day business. (To be fair, the council members will agree to a similar “increase cap” and Mayor Rybak has pledged to do so as well.)
But I want to save the heart of this dispute, and the banter in and out of the council chambers, for something in the next few days. Instead, I want to note that Natalie Johnson Lee (Fifth Ward) has increasingly earned my respect on some issues lately—not the least of which are minority issues. As the council’s only black member, Johnson Lee is seemingly the only city leader not entirely tone deaf to concerns of minority communities. (Okay, maybe one of two or three, but still ...)
Interestingly, Johnson Lee was the was the only council member to vote against the council’s “position on future wage increases for City employees” resolution Friday, and she also offered up a resolution of her own. (It was unanimously adopted by her colleagues.)
Here is the “Council Resolution Recognizing the Significant Contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” as introduced by Johnson Lee:
- Dr. King, clergyman and Nobel Prize Winner, was one of the principal leaders of the American civil rights movement and an advocate of nonviolent protest.
- King’s challenges to segregation and racial discrimination in the 1950s and 1960s inspired people all across the country to fight for racial equality.
- Martin Luther King gave his life for what he believed.
- Even in death, Dr. King inspires folks to dream that America can be a country where no one will “be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.’
Now Therefore Be It Resolved as Follows by the City Council:
- The City Of Minneapolis celebrates Dr. King’s lasting legacy, and acknowledges his contribution to the protection of civil rights for all people.
12:52:13 PM 
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