Minneapolis Park History

Everyone concerned with government efficiency, property taxes, and quality of life — which should include just about everybody — should read “A message to the city of Minneapolis” by Tom Olsen, Kedar Deshpande and Al Bangoura in MinnPost yesterday. Olsen and Deshpande, the president and vice president of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), both elected park commissioners, and Bangoura, the superintendent of parks, make a strong case for MPRB’s requested property tax increase for the coming year. They also make a powerful case for maintaining the autonomy of the park board in the face of yet another suggestion from other branches of city government that they take over some or all of the park board’s functions. It’s an idea that is floated every decade or so and it has never made more sense than the last time it was dismissed as dumb idea by everyone who loves our parks and the independent park board that created, maintains and protects those public spaces.

Regular readers of these pages know that I don’t always agree with the proposals or decisions of park commissioners, but I would without question prefer those decisions to be made by commissioners elected specifically to manage our magnificent public spaces, both natural and built environments. I would also strongly prefer that all decisions affecting those spaces, whether in human resources, finance, maintenance or policing, be made by managers and staff who understand and are dedicated to the unique needs and demands of an integrated and integral park system.

I hope you will read the article at MinnPost and send it to as many people as you can. And tell your elected representatives that you support the autonomy and efficacy of an independent board of park commissioners.

David Carpentier Smith