I am interested in quality of life issues. But, I do agree with Christopher on
a number of things. Mayor Carter inherited a mess from the previous Mayor Chris
Coleman. That mayor certainly had his eyes on making contacts to further his
political career and spent money that often had no evidence backing the reason
to spend money.
I believe that there is crime, there is an uptick according to various reports.
I thought Minneapolis had Shot Spotter, I don't know, but if they do, they are
still having the same issues. I think there are several solutions that need to
come together and I still agree with Mayor Carter that a community based
approach needs to be part of the solution.
On the same page, I also hear many people who bicycle say that there is
increasing violence against them via drivers that park, drive in bike lanes,
swerve into them, run red lights, etc.
I read how unsafe it is to bike, walk, shop, ride transit, exist in St Paul,
but when I actually do all of those things, I usually find pleasant
experiences. Again, I do believe the reports that things are getting worse and
I hope we can work together to find an actual solution. The mayor is right that
there are actual solutions and solutions that the public perceives as making us
safer. We tend to often spend a lot of money to make the public feel safe
without any real solution.