Wedge LIVE‪!‬ John Edwards

It's the world's first half bike/half scooter mobile podcast episode, with Taylor Dahlin. We are patrolling the streets of Loring Park and downtown Minneapolis on the lookout for scooter scofflaws. We talk about the alleged connection between scooter ridership and crime; Taylor's transportation habits as a year-round, all-seasons scooter commuter; the state of bike and scooter infrastructure in Minneapolis; and so much more. You're won't want to miss the lovely scenery, so catch this episode on our YouTube channel.


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John is joined by Josh Martin to talk about three proposals to amend the Minneapolis City Charter, including a plan to move from odd to even year city elections. Plus: Ilhan Omar's DFL convention win over an underwhelming Don Samuels; and how despite the city's 2040 Plan appeals court victory, only the legislature can save us from endless further litigation.


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There's a linear park in Uptown called "the Mall" that functions more like a parking lot. In 2020, after two years of community engagement, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board adopted a long-range plan that transforms some of the Mall's parking area into actual "forested and green space" and includes additional amenities like a community garden. But now that the plan is about to be implemented, a pair of commissioners elected in 2021 appear determined to scrap the plan in the name of public safety.

For this conversation, John is joined by Melody Hoffmann of https://southwestvoices.news. We talk about the parking concerns and, more urgently, the public safety concerns being used as cover for the parking concerns; why Minneapolis Fire Chief Bryan Tyner is recommending against a plan he concedes he has never seen; why a park commissioner would discard years of community engagement in the name of listening to the community; how MPRB ordinance prohibits overnight parking on all parkways, including the Mall, which means the thing they're trying to preserve (24 hour residential parking) is not a legal use to begin with.

We're also talking about the latest on the Uber and Lyft saga, now that DFL leaders in the MN House and Senate have come to an agreement with the Minneapolis City Council on pay rates; Metro Transit's new service for disabled riders; and as always some recommendations.

Read John's post here: https://wedgelive.com/plan-to-expand-forested-green-space-in-uptown-at-risk-over-parking-concerns/

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Today, we're talking about people who think Roberts Rules is an acceptable form of bullying. It turns out, shouting "Point of order! Point of order!" over and over again is not an excuse to get up in a parliamentarian's personal space. Our conversation is inspired by Deborah Copperud's recent experience at the Minneapolis DFL City Convention. We talk about what's wrong with the DFL process, some potential solutions, and importantly, why those fixes will never happen. In a surprising twist, we agree the current deeply flawed process is still better than a primary.



John's guests are Conrad Zbikowski, new chair of the Minneapolis DFL, and Deborah Copperud of the new substack "Deborah Copperud Shops at Target."



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This is part of a series of conversations with 2024 candidates for MN House district 62B to be published ahead of the DFL Convention on Sunday, April 14. This episode features candidate Anquam Mahamoud (https://www.anquam62b.com).



Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

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Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive

Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

This is part of a series of conversations with 2024 candidates for MN House district 62B to be published ahead of the DFL Convention on Sunday, April 14. This episode features candidate Londel French (londelfrench.org).



Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive

Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive

Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee