I hear Oberstar is looking for a job. This would be a perfect way for him to waster some more public sector money on bicycles. Send a resume request to him.

OMG and you libs keep saying we don't have a spending problem. Keep voting this guy into office and you deserve whatever property tax increase you get.

Are they sure $61,000 to $84,000 a year is enough to attract a top caliber bicycle coordinator? If not, maybe they could crank up property taxes another notch or two to be sure we have the absolute best bicycle coordinator that money can buy. I would look to the private sector to determine the going rate for a bicycle coordinator except that nowhere but in city government could you find such a ridiculous position.

A bike coordinator? Really? Lay off firefighters but call for a bike coordinator? Does Rybak throw this stuff out there as a joke? Minneanoplace, you're on your own.

To the contrary of some opinions, this is a very needed position. Better to lay-off some overpaid union clerk. Whenever the city puts in a few more miles of bike paths or lanes, it pats itself on the back for being a "bicycle-friendly city." What B-S! We will NEVER be a bicycle-friendly city by merely adding miles of paths. MUCH work need to be done in educating *both* bicyclists and motorists as to the proper rules of the road for bicycles. Both parties seem to make up the road rules as they go along, causing much frustration on all sides. The city quite desperately needs a point-person to educate the public on bicycle safety!

Given the importance of bicycles in the future of Minneapolis' transportation matrix one single coordinator to make sure we do it right is not fluff. I am very fond of firefighters, even if I hope I will never need one, but I also recognize that they are a countermeasure to a past failure, i.e. sufficient fireproofing in earlier building codes. A bicycle coordinator will make sure that future infrastructure accomodates ALL commuters, not just those driving cars!

I agree! Having someone qualified to lead the design of pedestrian and bicycle facilities? What city needs that? Just have one of the firemen do it, since we can't possibly lose any of them, based solely upon the collective opinion of people who have no idea of the staffing issues faced by any of the departments they are commenting with so much authority on. In fact, we don't need a public works department at all. Just cut it and use the freed up cash to hire hundreds more firemen.

Rome burns and RT keeps spending. The money to pay for this role comes from not filling some positions? The idea of not filing some positions is to save money, not to turn around and spend it somewhere else. The laying off of Firemen is nothing more than a game. When ever cuts need to be made, notice how many politicians go right to "we must cut fire and police". It is a game to get us to absorb higher and higher taxes. On another note, what intellectual property does the police department have??

You can't make this stuff up!! Rybak will by tarred and feathered for this idea.

Keep paying those increased property taxes you Minneapolis residents!