3rd Ward News with Council Member Michael Rainville: Week of August 28
Message from Council Member Rainville
Hello to all my 3rd Ward neighbors,
My office has received a lot of correspondence pertaining to the proposed data center on the Star Tribune site and the community has repeatedly asked (and in some cases demanded) me to come out against this project. I want to take a moment to explain the difference between the city council’s votes on legislative policy versus a land use item such as the Star Tribune data center application which is considered a quasi-judicial vote.
A proposed policy item, like the proposed citywide data center ordinance, is legislative in nature and I am free to express my policy views, however, pending land use applications are like a court proceeding and are classified as quasi-judicial. Our City Attorney reminds us that in quasi-judicial matters we must avoid any prejudgment and if we express our position prior to the council voting on the item, we will be disqualified from voting on it and will be forced to recuse ourselves from that vote.
I also want to share that there have been several threats made towards me and my family by people opposed to this project and this is not acceptable! I do my best to be out in community and to engage constructively with my constituents but when my personal safety and the safety of my family come into question, I must take that into consideration when determining my community interactions. Please stop the threats against me and my family.
In other news, The League of Women Voters is hosting a session on the pros and cons of the Hennepin County Garbage Burner, the panel will cover the history, benefits, risks, science, and the environmental justice perspective behind the HERC. This information session will be held at the Minneapolis Downtown Library on Tuesday, September 8 at 6:30pm.
At the Committee of the Whole meeting, the council received the second quarter financial report for the City of Minneapolis. This is very helpful information as the council begins a very tight budget process for the 2027 budget.
Next week there are no committee or council meetings, so we will not be sending out a newsletter next Friday.
As always Patrick and I are here to serve you. We can be reached at ward3@minneapolismn.gov. Please report all issues to 311 before contacting us so there is a paper trail and staff are already aware of the issue when we speak with them. You can contact 311 by simply dialing 311, email them at Minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov or by submitting a 311 Contact Form.
Your neighbor,
Michael
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