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African American Leadership Forum, Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, CPED, Vikings public works projects – there are already too many questions that Councilwoman Betsy Hodges-Cunningham would have to answer. Of course, there are many elected in the DFL who feel they don’t have to answer to anyone.
Fast Tube by Casper
by Donald Allen, Editor in Chief – The Independent Business News Network and watchdog for the African-American Leadership Forum (AALF)
Community Activist Al Flowers and personal promoter candidate Betsy Hodges-Cunningham. (photo: online access)
Minneapolis, MN (IBNN/Fool me once/December 4, 2012)…Each time I wandered down to the Minneapolis City Council meetings, most city council members said hello as they passed by in the hallways before meetings. Councilwoman Betsy Hodges-Cunningham did less. It is my opinion the Council member Hodges-Cunningham does not consider herself a public servant – but more of an institution unto herself, above the average Minneapolis citizen, in a place of stratification with nothing to undergird it with.
This is problematic with Hodges-Cunningham filing to run for mayor of Minneapolis.
When non-verbal communication was made between Councilmember Hodges and myself – I got more of a frown with a wrinkled forehead and facial expressions that sent a message to me, “what are you doing here.” She probably knows I’m still very upset for the 2008 attempted dysfunctional-dismantling of the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights and I have a hypotheses on why she led the charge in trying to shut down faulty but useful Minneapolis office with her legal tendering’s.
Al Flowers and I have a love and hate relationship. From arguing about a community benefits agreement with the Minneapolis Public Schools to an almost knockdown, drag out fight in the parking lot of Summit Academy OIC, I’ve grown to understand Mr. Flowers and the power he keeps close to speak his mind in spite of what others might think. Al has been to the mountaintop and in the purest form is a public servant of the people.
Flowers has selected a team of stakeholders, like Hodges-Cunningham to investigate all possibilities if he, (Flowers) decides to file next week. This will be an interesting political year.
For starters, both possible candidate Al Flowers and candidate Betsy Hodges-Cunningham need to look at CAP (Community Action Partners) and it’s executive director Bill Davis and explain the cash-flow including any information on dollars being sent back to the feds for lack of finding qualified businesses in Minneapolis.
Secondly, Flowers and Hodges-Cunningham need to take a closer look a best practices for the CPED (Community Planning and Economic Development), the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights – to include why an equity plan was not written for the new Viking’s public works project.
At the end of the day, Al Flowers will secure the minority-ethnic vote (Blacks, Hispanic, Asian, Somali) quicker than candidate Betsy Hodges-Cunningham.
I’ve heard the rhetoric from the Hodges-Cunningham camp – it’s not going to fly in 2013 – not on my watch.
Al Flowers for Minneapolis mayor 2013?
