Imagine the campaign in Lake Elmo if this were to happen

Star Tribune Sun, 09 Mar 2008 02:52:23 GMT
Clamor builds for Met Council change

Cities are pushing the Legislature to make Metropolitan Council members less tied to the governor and more responsive to residents. ... The issue has made the formally adopted list of "legislative priorities" in several cities. And Metro Cities, which lobbies for its 86 member cities in the seven-county metro area, supports a third-party study of the Met Council as a whole -- with one focus being how the council is structured. "At a minimum, the council should go to staggered, fixed terms," said Louis Jambois, director of Metro Cities. A pair of House and Senate bills would create staggered four-year terms. They would remove language from existing law that has Met Council members' terms ending "with the term of the governor" and members serving "at the pleasure of the governor." "A long-term planning organization like the Met Council shouldn't turn every four years on political philosophy," Jambois said. Met Council Chairman Peter Bell said it is likely such a bill will pass this year. Less likely -- and more controversial -- is the idea that the council be elected.

[[keywords: Elections;PropertyTax;Metro;]]