LuAnn's Vision

Here are some of my thoughts and ideas. I am very interested in hearing about your concerns and suggestions, too, and if you have questions about my positions on specific issues, please contact me.

Back to the Basics

In recent years, fiscal resources have been siphoned away from recreation, maintenance and environmental protection to pay for large scale development projects with huge cost overruns and revenue projections that have not been realized. In these times of severe fiscal constraints, we need to take better care of what we already have and adequately address the needs of our neighborhood parks. Also of primary concern to me is keeping natural areas natural and keeping public parks public. When over 70% of park users visit them specifically for passive, reflective experiences, it is imperative - and far more cost effective - to provide them with open undeveloped green space.

Keep the Money Closest to the People

Our first priority in making difficult budget decisions is to consider the direct impact those decisions have on residents and the environment. The current board closed bathrooms and removed porta-potties to save money, and you can’t get much closer to the people than that. Then, while recreation center budgets have been cut, the board approved a new level of management. I would rather see well-trained, well-qualified, well-paid staff on the front lines providing direct service to our residents.

Think Outside the Park

Parks have recreation facilities, non-profits and other organizations have programs. Let’s invite more structured use of park facilities by groups with compatible values and objectives. Our recreation centers can’t provide all programs for all people, but we can facilitate a heck of a lot. We should also look at parks as just one part of what’s available in the community, and we can coordinate and promote other recreation opportunities that serve resident interests. There are also possibilities for park staff to hold programs and events outside the park, especially for teenagers and senior citizens.

We can also think outside the park in terms of the environment. Environmental education should be a key role for the Park Board, encouraging citizen stewardship and ecologically sound practices in our homes and backyards, and establishing green corridors throughout the city. And, let’s do more to engage the dollars and expertise of state and federal agencies and the University of Minnesota, too.

Parks as Centers for Community-building

We have community center buildings, but we often don’t do much community-building at these centers. The Park Board can start by being models for civil discourse and democratic decision-making ourselves, then become paragons of these virtues in our neighborhoods. Commissioners, managers and center directors need to be in constant dialogue with citizens, starting with an active presence in our neighborhood associations and holding at least one board meeting per year in each park district.

I also firmly believe that we must stop punishing our youth and start living the values we claim to espouse. When 75% of all youth say they don’t feel valued in their communities, we can’t expect them to value their communities, either. How about neighbors who smile and greet youth by name? How about neighborhood newspapers covering youth sports and neighbors, especially seniors, as cheering fans? How about park police who do street outreach and practice restorative justice? How about all of us consistently modeling positive communication and social behaviors that our youth will emulate?

Let’s be creative, innovative and progressive!

Let’s have parks become an integrated part of the whole community!