Dear Friend,

I am running for Minneapolis City Council because I want to bring my unique qualifications and urban planning experience to benefit our neighborhoods. I am asking for your support at the DFL Ward 9 endorsing convention on Saturday, March 3 at Matthews Park.

As an unashamed product of the public schools and the son of an elementary school teacher, I know the vital role our teachers play as they prepare our children to determine our city's future. As a former union member, I have been in the trenches and know our city needs good jobs and fair wages. And as a neighborhood activist, I know that successful coalitions are key to getting things done.

Ward 9 needs new leadership with the vision and experience necessary to get things done. Minneapolis needs smart investments, affordable neighborhoods, and better urban planning.

Smart Investments. Last year, the City Council voted to expand a subsidy for a downtown Target store to $66 million. A new mall on Block E received $39 million. Our city's subsidies for large development projects jeopardize our fiscal future, and taxpayers have to foot the bill. The city should restrict tax increment financing (TIF) and direct more resources to the small business owners who are the backbone of our neighborhoods.

Affordable Neighborhoods. We're facing a housing crisis that makes our city unaffordable for middle- and low-income residents. We need more options so families of all sizes, ages, and incomes can stay in the city. New housing developments must include affordable units for renters and homeowners.

Better Urban Planning. Development doesn't need to be a fight between neighborhoods and City Hall. We can retain successful businesses at the Hi-Lake Shopping Center, improving the area without overburdening it with high-density housing. Our city needs a vision that puts parks before parking lots, mass transit before cars, and clean air before airlines.

My neighborhood activism has been about making the city a better place to live. My qualifications show that I can successfully create change through coalition building, while promoting fiscal responsibility, and being accessible to you. As a member of the city council, you can count on me being a leader, because I've been one in the past.

I am proud of my work on the board of my neighborhood association, the MCDA's Advisory Committee on the Hi-Lake Shopping Center, and as the Vice President of the Minneapolis Zoning Board of Adjustments.

I have built successful coalitions around issues that are important to Minneapolis residents. I'm proud to have authored the 1997 Minneapolis Civil Rights Charter Amendment that brought the police department under the city's civil rights laws for the first time.

I have saved taxpayers millions of dollars. I co-authored the successful 1997 Minneapolis Stadium Charter Amendment that limits public funding for any new professional sports stadium.

s a former member of AFSCME, I will be a voice for working men and women.

In the last eight years, our neighborhoods have had to focus on reducing crime. I believe the challenge for the future will be to manage growth, sustain the local economy, and keep neighborhoods affordable, safe, and vibrant.

As your representative to the City Council, I pledge to be accessible, make your voice heard through a strong attendance record, and to continue working with neighborhood associations.

Thank you for your endorsement consideration on March 3. If you have any questions about my campaign or my vision for the city, please call me at 612-724-5942. Please stop by a fundraiser I am having at the Motor Oil Café on Thursday, February 15th at 2610 E 32 St in lovely Longfellow, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, Gary Schiff www.garyschiff.org