Category: Local Issues

Rep. Michael V. Nelson (HD40A) Update: January 14, 2021

Neighbors, 

We’re finishing our first full week of the 2021 Legislative Session, and in keeping with public health guidelines the majority of our official work this session will be done virtually, including taking our oath of office.

Though you’re still unable to observe the legislative process in person, we’ve increased the number of available livestreams on the House of Representatives webpage to ensure the public is able to watch all of our committee hearings and floor sessions, which you can access here. 

The Latest on the COVID-19 Vaccine

Over 153,300 Minnesotans have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, including more than 31,113 Hennepin County residents. As you may have heard or seen in the news, the vaccine is being administered in phases. Health care workers and long term care residents will be the first to receive it, followed by essential workers, those 65 or older, and those with underlying health conditions. If you’d like to stay updated throughout the vaccine distribution process, our state’s new Vaccine Data Dashboard is a great resource.

2021 DFL House Priorities

This week, my DFL colleagues and I in the Minnesota House unveiled our priority legislation for the House DFL Caucus this year, which is largely focused on getting our state through this pandemic and helping Minnesotans bounce back. These are trying times, but we get through them by protecting and investing in the resources that help Minnesotans who have been hurt the most by COVID-19. You can read more about our initial priorities here.

Chris LaTondresse Endorsed by Commissioner Jan Callison

On September 4, retiring Hennepin County District 6 Commissioner Jan Callison released the following statement:

Friends, I’m announcing today my support for Chris LaTondresse as the next District 6 Hennepin County Commissioner. I believe that Chris has the right combination of experience and skills to address our current challenges and to lead District 6 and Hennepin County into the future.

I decided to step down in order to permit new voices to be heard. But it’s not enough just to be new. The voices that we need right now must be skilled at listening. They must welcome different opinions by treating people respectfully and acting inclusively. They must honor the past while envisioning the future.

I have listened carefully to Chris over these past several months and believe that he understands these challenges. As vice-chair of the Hopkins School Board, he has demonstrated his leadership skills and willingness to tackle tough (and divisive) issues. He has gained an understanding of the uniqueness of local government and what it takes to be effective there. And he has affirmed his values, which I share.

For all these reasons, I hope that you will join me in voting for Chris LaTondresse and then extending to him the support that he will need in order for him to represent us well.

Thank you.

Minneapolis police officer fired for decorating racist Fourth Precinct Christmas tree gets job back

The officer was ordered to serve a 320-hour suspension. 

A former Minneapolis police officer who was fired for decorating a Christmas tree with racist items two years ago should get his job back, an arbitrator has ruled.

The arbitrator said that Mark Bohnsack was wrongly terminated for the November 2018 incident that also resulted in the firing of another cop, but that Bohnsack must serve a 320-hour suspension without pay, officials said. The city has a right to appeal the decision.

It comes amid renewed scrutiny of the arbitration process in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, which touched off protests worldwide against systemic racism and policy brutality. Continue reading.

Hennepin County will make Juneteenth a “floating” holiday

The board’s decision will not add a paid holiday for county employees.

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to make Juneteenth an official holiday, but county employees won’t actually get an additional day off.

The board voted 4-3 to make June 19, Juneteenth, a “floating” holiday, meaning county employees can choose to take the day off in lieu of Christmas Eve. County employees can still take off Christmas Eve or use the floating holiday to take off another day of choice. Continue reading.

DFL Party Endorsed Candidates Triumph

DFL logo

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Though some results are still outstanding, it looks as though almost every DFL Party-endorsed candidate won their primary election tonight. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement on the strength of the DFL Party endorsement: 

“Tonight, the grassroots democracy at the heart of the Minnesota DFL Party triumphed. With most results in, it appears that the candidates endorsed by the DFL Party won almost all of their primary elections.

“Our endorsement process is unique among state parties and I’m proud that it allows DFL Party supporters, activists, and concerned citizens to have a voice in the candidates we support and the values we champion. In the past few weeks, the DFL Party has made almost 1 million phone calls on behalf of our endorsed candidates and that organizing work has paid off in a major way tonight. Thanks to our grassroots endorsement process, the DFL Party is and will always remain a party of, by, and for the people of Minnesota.”

Duluth and Minnetonka city councils approve mask mandates

The ordinance, which took effect immediately, requires face coverings to be worn in all public indoor places.

DULUTH – Residents and visitors must wear masks in public indoor places after the City Council became the latest in Minnesota to require face coverings in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

On Monday evening, Duluth council members voted unanimously in favor of the measure, which took effect immediately. The mandate will remain in effect until Gov. Tim Walz ends his local emergency declaration.

“I think it’s always our duty to put public safety and health as our top priority,” Council Member Arik Forsman said. “And that’s what this ordinance is about, quite frankly. But it’s also about protecting our economy.” Continue reading.

Book Review: Senator Steve Cwodzinski’s Beyond the Lesson Plan

ecades ago, on a driving trip, I listened to a recording of Oliver Sacks reading his book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. His voice (both literal and literary) was so distinctive that, for years afterward, anytime I would read anything he wrote, I would, in my head, hear him reading it aloud. I have heard other authors, even listened to some reading their work, but this bit of synesthesia has never repeated itself until a few days ago, when I started Beyond the Lesson Plan by Steven Cwodzinski. The warmth, the openness, the earnestness, the simultaneous erudite sophistication and childlike simplicity – all this could only come from one person. And then there are the corny jokes. A warning: be looking ahead for “But I digress!” If you see these words a few paragraphs on, brace yourself!

The book is organized into 33 chapters, one for each year of Mr Cwodzinski’s teaching/learning career. (He presents teaching as a reciprocal engagement between the nominal teacher and students.) Each chapter title is a question, and the chapter investigates the question. The first chapter reveals an event that changed the life of the author: a car accident during his senior year in high school, followed by months of hospitalization, a renaissance of spirit, and a newfound sense of purpose. Later chapters feature stories of the search for his biological father, his proposal and marriage, his children, his travels, his campaign and his three years (so far!) as a state senator. These are interspersed with many, many stories about the classroom, which, in turn, are interspersed with philosophical ponderings and exhortations to our better angels. And did I mention the corny jokes? Continue reading.

Immigrants: Traits and Contributions

In 2015, President Barack Obama attended a ceremony of naturalization and said, “…we don’t simply welcome new immigrants, we don’t simply welcome new arrivals — we are born of immigrants. That is who we are.…”

So who are the immigrants, why do they leave their homeland, and what do they bring with them to the new homeland? Once we understand the quote, it may become easy to find the answers as it will be less about “them” and more about “us” with the exception that today immigrants do not come only to run from persecution whether social, economic, and political. They leave their homes for higher studies, research, and professional development.

Leaving the homeland is not easy. There is very strong pull and bond with the land. Just like a rocket needs boosters to drive it against the gravitational pull to the new unknown land, immigrants are required to have a drive to break their living norms. Let us review some basic traits that make an immigrant. Continue reading.

Better Government Starts with Us

None of us expected our days to look like this.

As the spouse of a nurse practitioner at Hennepin Healthcare, I didn’t expect to feel like I was sending my wife into a war zone every morning as a frontline health worker in a pandemic.

As a school board member, I didn’t expect my role to shift from public education governance to crisis management, figuring out how to remotely educate and feed 6,000 students.  Continue reading.