Dear Delegate,

On March 31 at 10 a.m. (registration at 9 a.m.) at Creekview Neighborhood Center (50th and Irving Avenue North) you will be asked to endorse a candidate for Fourth Ward Council Member.

I would like to respectfully ask for your vote to continue my work as your representative on the Minneapolis City Council. My first term has been a very eventful and busy one with many projects completed and many more still underway.

The new Cleveland and Jordan schools, the completion of the roadway for the Humboldt Greenway, the renovation of Hamilton Manor and the demolition and cleanup of the commercial properties at Lowry and Penn are but a few of the projects completed.

This spring we will see the beginning of construction of our new senior apartment building on Shingle Creek, New homes will come out of the ground on the Greenway construction will begin at the North Mississippi Regional Park Interpretative Center and neighbors and professionals will begin work on Hennepin County's Lowry corridor project. NRP Phase IT is already in progress in several Fourth Ward neighborhoods. Our fire chief is proposing a new Fire Station 14 along Lowry Avenue and a committed group of neighbors continues to work to create a community center in the Webber-Camden neighborhood in conjunction with the Library Board.

Our community is in good shape. Housing values are rising and the fourth Police Precinct led the city in crime reduction in 2000. We have record numbers of block leaders and our neighborhood organizations have very dedicated leadership and broad participation. We are a community that is changing, and we arc changing for the better.

We still have much work to do. We will need to be vigilant in the effort to rid our neighborhoods of the effects of drug dealing and crimes such as car thefts and vandalism. We will need to work together across neighborhood boundaries in Phase TI NRP. Our commercial corridors need help to reclaim themselves as the avenues of enterprise that they once were. The Humboldt Industrial Area must become a greener and less polluting neighbor.

Many challenges face our city. We need to find the energy and resources to implement the Upper River Master Plan. The city is trying to respond to the need for affordable housing for working families. Property tax increases are hurting many homeowners on fixed incomes. Along with our partners at Hennepin County and the State Legislature, I want to continue to work with you on these and other concerns so important to our community's success. When our voice is strong we will be heard.

In the next few weeks, as I call you personally and ask for your support, please consider my sincere desire to continue as your council member and support me. I am grateful for your confidence in the past three years and look forward to another term with your help.

Sincerely, Barbara Johnson