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December 26, 2004
Upgrade, comments
We've upgraded our weblog platform, including the comments and trackback features which will hopefully prevent blog spam.
The comment feature requires a one-time registration (takes only a few seconds) with a universal service called TypeKey. Once you're registered, you're cleared for commenting on thousands of comment-enabled weblogs throughout the blogosphere.
Feel free to test it out here with this post and let me know if you have any troubles.
Posted by Griff Wigley at 12:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 17, 2004
New Legislators Take the Lead
Thanks to Senator Michel and Representative Atkins for their fantastic editorial in today's Star Tribune.
The makings of great leadership, good timing, and potential speakers at an upcoming Mind Opener! (Stay tuned.)
Posted by Sean Kershaw at 05:10 AM | TrackBack
December 15, 2004
The Citizens League is hiring: Membership Organizer
The Citizens League is now accepting applications for the newly-created Membership Organizer position.
The key objectives for the position are:
• To increase individual and corporate/organizational membership in the League.
• To organize/maintain structure to increase & sustain League's membership base.
• To assist in building/maintaining a sustainable funding base for the League.
• To assist in communications and marketing efforts of the League.
To view a full description of this position, please click here.
To apply, please send the following by 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 28:
- One-page cover letter
- One-page resume
Citizens League
555 N. Wabasha St., Suite 240
St. Paul, MN 55102
info@citizensleague.net
Posted by Victoria Ford at 01:00 PM | TrackBack
December 10, 2004
The results are in!
The results from our Annual Meeting instant polling are now available here.
Some highlights:
Financing Minnesota's future, addressing the educational achievement gap, and increasing coverge for the uninsured were the top three policy topics chosen by meeting attendees. Handling the coming baby-boomer retirement bulge, a crowd suggestion, was also well-liked.
"Common ground for the common good" was both the most well-liked (35%) and least well-liked (18%) of the positioning statements.
Meeting attendees said clearly that the number one reason to join the League is the opportunity to influence policy. The number one barrier to joining is a lack of time.
Bad news: 59% of meeting attendees said that the League was too passive & too academic.
Good news: 91% agreed that the League is headed in the right direction.
Thanks for your input! If you couldn't make the annual meeting and want to comment on these findings, email us at info@citizensleague.net.
Posted by Victoria Ford at 02:22 PM | TrackBack
December 08, 2004
Reminder: RSVP for the December 15 Mind Opener
Are counties really "dinosaurs?"
Join Michael O'Keefe, former Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services and Jim Mulder, Executive Director of the Association of Minnesota Counties to discuss the role of counties in delivering government services. O'Keefe will speak about the need for the state and the counties to act as partners rather than as antagonists, and Mulder will update us on AMC's Minnesota County Futures project.
Posted by Bob DeBoer at 02:13 PM | TrackBack
Spaces still available in the Growth & Justice roundtable...
To register, email info@citizensleague.net. Spots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. Lunch will be provided.
The central question:
Is it possible for Minnesota to structure its state and local revenue gathering to simultaneously strengthen the state's economy AND ensure that the burden of financing the state's government services are more equally shared?
This is the question that Growth & Justice has been posing in their Tax/Revenue Project through research and a series of roundtable discussions with Minnesota citizens and tax experts held throughout the year. Growth & Justice has developed a proposal for reforming the state and local revenue system in Minnesota to accomplish this goal.
The proposal includes raising more money from the income tax, from high-income households, while reducing the tax burden on business to foster a good business climate. Lowering business taxes also can improve fairness, because businesses pass along much of their tax burdens to consumers and employees in a manner that hits lower- and middle-income Minnesotans harder than the wealthy.
Posted by Bob DeBoer at 12:57 PM | TrackBack
Reminder: check out the Community Connections Calendar!
In case you haven't already done so, be sure to check out the Community Connections Calendar. The Calendar allows you to sign up for customized updates -- if you just want to find out about events from the Citizens League or another organization, or just events having to do with a particular policy issue, you can do that.
We are still on the lookout for more organizations to participate -- so please let us know if you know of any groups that have public affairs events that should be listed.
And finally... check out some of the press the Community Connections Calendar has been getting!