Minutes - 2000/05/22 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View City Council May 22, 2000 Regular Meeting Page 3 done a fantastic job for the benefit of the City. He commented that words could not suffice in describing the efforts of those two individuals. Mayor Coughlin indicated that at the Council Work Session, the Council was asked if they would be agreeable to holding a reception for Senator Novak and Representative Haake, along with City Attorney Long and his associates, in order to provide them with public access so that the citizens of the community, as well as the Council, could thank them for their sacrifice and their service to the City. He stated Assistant to the City Administrator Reed had indicated Wednesday, June 9"', from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., would appear to work for everyone's schedule. He stated the reception would be held in Council Chambers so that the presentation, or at minimum, a portion of the dialogue might be televised for citizens who were unable to attend. He inquired if it would be the consent of the Council to hold the reception at this time. The Council concurred. Mayor Coughlin reported he attended a Mounds View business luncheon the previous Monday, which was somewhat of a round table discussion between the members of the New Brighton- Mounds View Chamber of Commerce and himself. He extended a special thanks to Carol Frey, President of the Chamber, for providing the food and coordinating this event. He added that it was hoped they could continue to maintain their contact with the business community on an ongoing basis. • Mayor Coughlin reported the Golf Course Committee met the previous week, however, this meeting was not televised at that time, as it consisted of a field tnp to examine some of the swamps and lowlands in the area that are being considered for potential development by the Rice Creek Watershed District. He explained that this meeting was videotaped and documented, and was currently being edited for future broadcast. City Attorney Long thanked Mayor Coughlin for his kind words with regard to the airport legislation and litigation. He commented he considered this to be a part of his job duty, however, there were a few close calls in the process, and at approximately 5 minutes to 7:00 a.m., he was somewhat concerned that the House might adjourn and the Airport Bill would not be passed. City Attorney Long stated he believes the congratulations really go not only to the two legislators who did a phenomenal job, but also to the entire community. He indicated their success was not due to any one individual, but rather, the strongest message to the Legislature was that this was a very important issue to the community. He advised that these efforts went back over several years, through three different Mayors, three City Councils, and from one Legislator to the next, even of opposite parties, which clarifies the importance of this issue. City Attorney Long indicated that the presence of an elected official, in this case, Mayor Coughlin, had made a significant difference, as the Legislators listened to him and Council Member Thomason, who was present outside the Chambers to discuss this issue as well. He • pointed out that in the end, the process, which appears to be so cumbersome and unpredictable at times, actually worked, and the Legislature listened to the people as represented by their Mayor and Council Member.