Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak affirmed his commitment to North Minneapolis at a meeting with the Northside Neighborhood Alliance (NNA) on September 5. The meeting was held at the NorthWay Community Trust offices, who hosted the NNA meetings for the past year.
Residents from all parts of North Minneapolis were in attendance as the Northside Neighborhood Alliance and Mayor Rybak discussed the concept of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that would provide assurances that the issues facing the 13 Northside neighborhoods would be priorities for the City of Minneapolis.
Rybak, in his review of the MOU and the past minutes of the NNA, said that while he felt he could not sign the MOU, he was open to signing work plans that were targeted and detail plans that addressed the issues covered in the MOU, such as Foreclosure Prevention, Economic Development and Capital Projects spending.
Additionally, Rybak sees an opportunity to provide the “North Force” reports, a bi-weekly report that measures the City’s progress in North Minneapolis, to NNA, so that the community could lead on community issues. In his comments, Rybak differentiated the efforts of the Northside Partnership (NSP) as a “government to government” organization, versus the NNA, which he viewed as a community-driven organization.
Due to the Mayor’s prioritization of North Minneapolis’ issues, Rybak is seeking results-based plans that identify emerging needs as well as a rapid response to existing needs. He asked that NNA review and offer community based solutions in three key areas: Foreclosure Prevention, the Northside Inspection Sweep and the five-year Capital Budget Expenditures in North Minneapolis.
The Northside Neighborhood Alliance is a group that has representation from a majority of the North Minneapolis neighborhoods and whose mission is to set regional priorities and goals. NNA has met monthly for the last year and this meeting with the Mayor was a follow-up to one held on July 18 with Council Members Diane Hofstede (3rd Ward), Barbara Johnson (4th Ward) and Don Samuels (5th Ward).
On-going projects for NNA include a Regional Market Study to identify economic development and retail opportunities across the Northside and work to create a strategic vision for North Minneapolis to develop a shared identity and change public perceptions of the Northside. NNA meets at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the NorthWay Community Trust offices, 1501 West Broadway. For info call 612-521-4500.