Agenda Packets - 2009/10/26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Heidi Steinmetz From : Val [vamundsen@comcast. net] Sent: Thursday, October 22 , 2009 2:22 PM To : Joe Flaherty; Sherry Gunn ; Roger_Stigney; Al Hull ; Carol Mueller Cc: Ken Roberts; Jim Ericson; Heidi Steinmetz Subject: City Tagline Dear Mounds View City Council Members , Please read the following - I have spent considerable time writing to you , so I hope it is carefully read . Thank you . I am writing to you to emplore you to reconsider the tagline that was '.. selected at the last EDA meeting , " See for yourself " . A city tagline should describe Mounds View , should fulfill a brand promise , and should emphasise a compelling benefit ( of the city ) . It should tell the reader about Mounds View . As Heidi so very well stated at the EDA meeting , it is okay to go without a tagline if we don ' t yet have the perfect one . This one , with appologies to Al , is not either the right or perfect tagline . Certainly it is short and easy to remember . But what does it say about Mounds View ? What does it '.. promise ? It promises that there will be lots to SEE once you arrive here in the city . That just isn ' t the case . You see County 10 . You see the Medtronics building . You see Wynsong Theater . The only lake '.. you see is a dying lake . Do you see anything really any different than '.. you would see in New Brighton , Spring Lake Park , etc . The answer is obviously NO . I love this city and it has countless benefits , but being '... scenic , and terribly beautiful with lots to " SEE " just isn ' t one of them . Infact , with our bedroom community and many homes being out of compliance with city ordinances , it is often cited to me that our biggest problem is the visible problems ( littered properties etc ) . Do you really want to promote our biggest problem? I ' m sorry , that is the truth at this point ( though I know we are working hard to correct this ) . But to over promise with this Tagline , and leave the reader feeling duped or mislead , is a mistake . Our community / city has SO much to offer . We do not need to over promise , or try to " sell " something we don ' t have is not necessary . There may be beautiful cities that need to promote that aspect of their community , but maybe they don ' t have the other assets that we DO have to promote . We have a very involved citizen , with a receptive city staff , beautiful big lots with lots of trees , a rural feel that is close to many ammenities , great parks and '.. trails , a fantastic school system , etc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I could go on and on about what we DO have here . Sherri expressed this at the meeting , ', that she was thinking about the assets that were touted in the community survery that we spent money on . It seems to me that all of the research and surveying that was done to create this new image , simply was not talked about , discussed or even considered as you diliberated about the choices . Please remember that the tagline needs to mean something . I just watched the EDA meeting this afternoon after learning of the Tagline choice . When the gentleman got up at the end of the meeting and quite rightly asked WHAT will they see , he was dismissed . However , that is the million dollar question and the right one to ask . It was not answered because it could not be answered . There really isn ' t anything special to " SEE " here in Mounds View . It is more the EXPERIENCE . . . a lot of which actually can ' t be seen . It ' s how the citizen is welcomed at '.. city hall . It ' s how the city feels ( this isn ' t seen - it ' s felt ) . I plan to come to the meeting on Monday if I can to express my opinions in person . If I am not able , I hope that you will all very seriously '.. discuss the promise this tagline is making and the problems associated with " settling " on this . '.. Please either rediscuss this at another meeting , table the issue to '.. discuss again at the next EDA meeting , or decide to go without for a time . In my humble opinion , it would be a very big mistake to go with L. 1