What was the bigger embarrassment for the Moorhead City Council last night: Voting unanimously against a needed apartment complex for homeless families (including children) or questioning whether they want to continue as a sponsor of the F-M diversion? Who should be more embarrassed: Councilman Jim Haney, who questioned the need for permanent housing for homeless women and children, or DFL council members Mari Dailey, Heidi Durand and Chuck Hendrickson, who voted against the project and said nothing in defense of homeless, often disabled, often victims-of-domestic-violence families? At least citizens knew where Haney stood. At a candidates forum on 10/15/13, when asked by a homeless advocate what the city should do about its homeless population, Haney showed his colors by saying, The best thing we could do for them is to improve the business climate and they could find jobs. Dailey, on the other hand, said, We need to work with our churches. ... We have 187 homeless children in our community and we need to help them. She, and others, had that opportunity last night and declined. As far as the diversion, Moorheads cavalier attitude toward it (We have our protection, we dont need the diversion.) is provinicial, short-sighted and just plain wrong. If Fargo goes under so does Moorhead, if not in a literal sense then in an economic one. A majority of Moorhead residents work in Fargo. Moorhead needs Fargo to thrive in order to thrive itself. If Fargo floods and loses jobs, Moorhead loses. It is ironic, I think, that Durand (who has been described to me as a Wellstone Democrat) supports millionaire farmers who live south of Fargo-Moorhead in her diversion stance, but doesnt vote in favor of an apartment complex for homeless families. Somehow, I dont think Paul Wellstone would approve. Oh, and I am extremely impressed by the two Fargo cops who stood up yesterday to speak against homeless families at the Moorhead meeting (they live in a nearby development). I quote Fargo officer Susan Dealing from The Forum: Shoplifting will go up and theft from neighborhoods, from yards, will go up (if the apartment complex for homeless families including children is built.). I know this. Im a Fargo police officer. Stay classy, Officer Dealing. Needless to say, it is going to be a fun Mike McFeely Show today on KFGO from 2-5 p.m. Open season on Haney, Dailey, Durand, Hendrickson and the rest of the city council ... and on a couple of Fargo cops, too.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 15:03:57 +0000
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