Rebel, rebel

Local poet Robert Bly is honored with lifetime achievement award. page 8

Nightingale sings
New Lyn-Lake restaurant fills a niche. page 17

May 619, 2013

the journal

Serving Downtown & Northeast Minneapolis

Art-A-Whirl springs again

/ / Get on the bus: the Northeast arts event blends new and old / /
By Mike Munzenrider

Sculptor Heidi Hoy in the Northrup King Building in Northeast.

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hether you greet it with a primal scream or an affirmative murmur, spring is belatedly back in Minneapolis, and its time to get out and meet the city once more: Its a good thing Art-A-Whirl is right around the corner. Now in its 18th year, the Northeast arts event is all grown up, expecting more than 30,000 people in attendance, featuring art installations, demonstrations, live music, food and drink and more. Once again held on the third weekend in May, Art-A-Whirl will take place May 17, 18 and 19 throughout the Northeast Arts District and beyond. It started off with a couple artists, maybe a couple hundred people in a couple locations, and now were at over 500 artists in over 70 loca-

tions, said Alejandra Pelinka, the executive director of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA), which presents the event each year. Its grown from just being an artists studio tour to being a neighborhood, community celebration, but all really tying back into the arts and the artists and what theyve contributed to the community, she said. The current scope of Art-A-Whirl can be, as Pelinka said, intimidating, featuring much more to see and do than an average person could accomplish in a handful of days. Here well try to distill the rookies and the vets to help you navigate this years Art-A-Whirl.

See art-a-whirl Page 14

2013 city election

// Mayoral candidate profile //

Jackie Cherryhomes wants another chance at City Hall

By Sarah McKenzie

Building boom continues in North Loop

/ / Development activity especially strong near Target Field / /
By Sarah McKenzie

Jackie Cherryhomes said she has learned some lessons since her time in City Hall. For one, she said shes become a better listener. They way I look at things is Im not the same person I was when I left office 11 years ago I should hope not, she said during a recent interview. I hope weve all grown in that period of

time. I want to take what Ive learned both personally and professionally back to City Hall. Cherryhomes, 58, served on the Council from 1990 to 2002, representing the 5th Ward, which includes neighborhoods in North Minneapolis. She was elected president of the Council her second term and held that post until she was defeated by Natalie Johnson Lee
See cherryhomes Page 12

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Mayoral candidate Jackie Cherryhomes at a campaign event.

The development boom in the North Loop shows no signs of slowing down as two new office building projects and another apartment development have been proposed for the neighborhood. The area around Target Field and the Interchange, a transit hub under construction next to the ballpark, in particular, is set to undergo

a dramatic transformation in coming months. United Propertieshas proposed demolishing the Shapco Printing building near Target Field to make way for a new $57 million eight-story office building. The developer is negotiating with theNortheastbasedNational Marrow Donor Programto build a new home for the organization, said Brandon ChamSee development Page 10

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2013 city election

// Mayoral candidate profile //

Top priorities
Cherryhomes said her top priorities, in no particular order, would be public safety, maximizing the value of public services for taxpayers and job creation/ economic development. Cherryhomes, a resident of the Homeward neighborhood (also known as Willard Hay) on the North Side, said her family has been impacted by crime. We had a couple of break-ins in our house when my daughter was 2, and then again when she was 6, and it left a huge, huge impact on her life to this very day, she said. I take public safety personally. She would also prioritize a high level of public services to ensure taxpayers are getting their moneys worth making sure the citys infrastructure, streets and curbs are in good condition. Thats not the most exciting or glamorous thing to talk about, but at the end of the day, were paying property taxes and everyone should be getting good services for what they are paying for, she said. Cherryhomes said she was in the middle of studying the citys budget to come up with ideas on how to keep property taxes down. Property taxes are absolutely a number one issue because if were going to attract young families to this city and help our seniors stay in their homes as long as they can, we need to make it a fair tax structure, she said. Her other top priority would be job creation and economic development. For me the bedrock of everything is we have to find ways to get people employed, she said. We have to increase our opportunities in manufacturing and jobs at all levels of government. Kathleen OBrien, former vice president of University Services at the University of Minnesota and a Minneapolis City Council member from 1982 to 1989, is supporting Cherryhomes campaign. OBrien said Cherryhomes strong community organizing skills, work ethic and ability to empathize and listen to people would be strong assets for her if she was elected mayor. Shes worked on issues important to our city for

Cherryhomes
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for reelection in 2001 by a mere 72 votes. After she left City Hall, she launched a consulting business to help companies and developers navigate the citys bureaucracy and connect with community groups. Some of her recent clients have included Covanta Energy Corp., which runs the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, and Mortensen Construction. She has since parted ways with those companies because of her mayoral bid. Ive learned that we are not as business friendly a city as we could be, she said of her private sector work. That is something I will bring to City Hall. I have learned that we need to have a more engaged citizenry. People need to be heard and have the opportunity to be heard. Shes said shes motivated to run for mayor for several reasons both professional and personal ones. First of all, Ive lived here all my life, and I see an opportunity to contribute what Ive learned as a community

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Jackie Cherryhomes at a recent campaign event.

organizer, as an elected official, as an engaged citizen and a private business owner, she said. Ive done all those things and I see the opportunity to contribute what Ive learned back to the city to make it even better for the future.

Her 16-year-old daughter Emma Sipora Tyler is another source of inspiration. She sees firsthand commitment to public service, what women do and what it is to be a woman running for office, she said. She sees first-

hand you really can indeed make a difference. Other critical life lessons come from time on the campaign trail, too, she said, such as learning to develop a thick skin in the face of criticism.

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// Mayoral candidate profile //

30 years, OBrien said. She has a very broad knowledge of the city. Walter Rockenstein, a retired attorney and former Republican when she says something, thats where shes going to be. You can trust that, he said. said, reflecting on the original Block E deal. Frankly it functioned pretty well until the latest owner bought it and cleared it out for the casino that didnt happen. She said the building is designed poorly and needs to open up more to the street, particularly on the Hennepin side. She would also like to see the Target Center renovation move forward and connect better with Block E. I have come to have a much deeper appreciation for design and the power of design than I had before. That was not on my radar and now I have learned that design can really make a huge difference in how things work, she said. As for the Vikings stadium, Cherryhomes was originally a proponent of building a new home for the team at the Minneapolis Farmers Market site. Now that it will replace the Metrodome, she wants to see downtowns east side revitalized and better connections between the new stadium site and Target Field. The challenge is how do you bridge that great divide that has always existed between downtown east and the rest of downtown. I think we have a real opportunity with that public plaza to do that, she said.

2013 city election

She doesnt always tell me what I want to hear, but I always know that when she says something, thats where shes going to be. You can trust that.
Walter Rockenstein

Her pitch
When asked what sets her apart from the other candidates in the crowded mayors race, she said shes got three major assets going for her. No one else in the race has the experience I have in community organizing. I have done it. I continue to do it. It is what made me successful as a council member, she said. Secondly, Ive done the job. There is not a whole lot of difference in responsibility between council president and mayor. And thirdly, Ive run my own business and Ive worked with private sector businesses. One of her proudest accomplishments has been her work fighting absentee property owners both as a community organizer and as a council member. I did it so effectively

that the landlords came and picketed my house to say how awful I was because I wasnt going to settle for people having inadequate housing and being take advantage of, she said. She said she is also proud of her work fighting crime in North Minneapolis while in office. Im not easily intimidated, and Im really tenacious.

Minneapolis City Council member who served from 1974 to 1983, is also working on Cherryhomes campaign. He represented the citys 11th Ward, which includes neighborhoods in South Minneapolis. He said he believes Cherryhomes is the most qualified candidate because of her track record on the City Council, her work in the private sector with her consulting business and her experience community organizing in North Minneapolis. He said hes always been able to trust her word, too. She doesnt always tell me what I want to hear, but I always know that

Downtown development
While Cherryhomes and Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton were in office, they oversaw the citys purchase of Target Center to keep the Timberwolves in town and the redevelopment of Block E a project that included a $39 million public subsidy and has since been the object of criticism. Cherryhomes noted that despite the many vacancies in the entertainment complex, the businesses on the 1st Avenue side Kierans and the Graves hotel are doing well. In retrospect, I think we made the best decisions we could make at the time, Cherryhomes

At a glance: jackie Cherryhomes Age: 58 Neighborhood: Homeward (Willard Hay) Family: husband F. Clayton Tyler and daughter Emma Sipora Tyler Resume snapshot: Founded Cherryhomes-Tyler Inc. in 2002 (a consulting business); City Council member 19902002 (served as president from 1994-2002). Education: Bachelors of arts degree, Augsburg College; reflective leadership program, Humphrey School of Public Policy and Affairs Fun fact: In college she belly danced in a talent show at the Minneapolis Public Library. Campaign website: jackiecherryhomesformayor.com Twitter: @CherryhomesMpls Facebook: facebook.com/cherryhomesformayor Instagram: instagram.com/jackiecherryhomes

Editors note The Journals will be profiling the self-declared candidates for mayor for the next several issues leading up to the DFL City Convention on June 15. This is the second profile in our series. We have profiled Mark Andrew and will be publishing stories in coming weeks on Don Samuels, Gary Schiff, Betsy Hodges, Jim Thomas and Cam Winton, an Independent candidate not seeking the DFL endorsement.

14300 Burnhaven Drive 952.892.7272 7711 Mitchell Road 952.934.9463 12650 Elm Creek Boulevard 763.494.3466 1204 Harmon Place 612.288.0138 2728 Gannon Road 651.772.4388

952.892.7272 952.934.9463 763.494.3466 612.288.0138 651.772.4388