Will Michele Tafoya Leave MN If She Loses?

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories. 

Stop Embarrassing This Florida Lady, MN!

Yes, MPR News, it has been an “oddly quiet” U.S. Senate race in Minnesota. Let’s make some noise about it, already, shall we? 

Though she denies it now, GOP candidate Michele Tafoya has a history of shit-talking her state. You’ve likely heard her comment about how people tell her that they’re embarrassed to be from Minnesota.

But did you ever read this (since-deleted) tweet: "I'm embarrassed to say I live in Minnesota. This state has gone so far left it's amazing any of the snow still sticks." (Uh, what? What does that even mean?)

As AlterNet reports, Andrew Kaczynski of CNN's KFile today sleuthed out a few deleted tweets, including the one above, in which Tafoya repeatedly said she planned to leave Minnesota and praised Florida, where she lives much of the year, as a model of state governance.  

At one point she revealed “a plan” to move to Tennessee, and she refers to herself as “a Florida resident.” (Friend of Racket Mike Norton, of course, has the receipts on Twitter.)

Also, an interesting revelation from the MPR story above: Adam Schwarze, who got the nod at the state GOP convention but lost to Tafoya in the primary, says that though he initially refused to back her, he’s since contacted her campaign five times to lend a hand. And heard nuthin'.  

I’m Gonna Wind Up Paying For a New Basketball Arena, Huh?

For those of us who didn’t make it to the Star Tribune’s North Star Summit on Tuesday (which I’ll assume includes all of you), we apparently missed a day of major revelations, like the news that some CEOs believe the government should use a “light touch” when regulating AI (gift link). Whoa! Can’t wait to hear what heterodox ideas these folks have about corporate taxes.

A genuine bit of useful info did come via Lynx/Timberwolves CEO Matt Caldwell, who for the first time (publicly, at least) talked about how a new arena for those teams might require public funding (gift link). “There will be a lot of money invested in it from the ownership, for sure,” Caldwell says, suggesting someone else would contribute to the remainder of the investment—and just between us, I doubt he expected that cash to be sprinkled from above by the Arena Fairy. 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who was also on the panel, has rejected the idea of public funding in the past, but he seemed giddy about the possibility of creating a mixed-use complex centered on a new basketball arena, saying it presents “a massive opportunity to shift how downtown functions.”

The Target Center, incidentally, is all of 36 years old—ancient by NBA standards, but a lot newer than my home and probably yours. It was rehabbed to the tune of $145 million less than a decade ago.

Let’s Fine Some Landlords

I’m a longtime proponent of jacking up fines on vacant commercial properties, but I’d never thought much about doing the same for unleased residential spaces. I’m intrigued, though, by this proposal in the Minnesota Reformer today from Forrester Pack and Lucid Thomas (incredible names, by the way) for the city of Minneapolis to do just that. 

The impetus for this opinion piece is the horrific conditions uncovered at Heritage Park in north Minneapolis; in that decaying complex some 200 units were left vacant. The authors note that the current fee landlords incur is not only too low, but depends on self-reporting or tips from neighbors, and that the Board of Estimate and Taxation has already floated the idea as a revenue-generating possibility. 

Since such landlords are “holding desperately needed housing units away from the very Minneapolis residents this housing is supposed to serve,” they recommend that these incoming fines should go toward affordable housing. Worth talking about. 

You Call This Retirement?

OK, fine, let’s talk about something nice for a change. “A little slice of Utopia in south Minneapolis” is how you could describe many parts of south Minneapolis, but the phrase was used in the most recent Longfellow Whatever to refer to Becketwood senior co-op. Located on West River Parkway just north of Minnehaha Falls, the apparently idyllic senior residence is now celebrating its 40th year, and LW’s Trevor Born took a peek behind the curtain to see how the co-op’s 280 incredibly active residents keep it going.

The grounds contain 53 landscaping gardens, maintained by residents, and that’s not including the community garden or the wildflower garden. There are endless committees, all staffed by residents, and activities, all organized by residents. The library is a beaut. Personally I’ve always imagined my retirement to involve a lot more sitting around. Though given the state of my finances, my retirement is sure to remain just that: imaginary.