Save the Metropolitan Council

Great op-ed in today's Star Tribune about one of our local issues that no one seems to understand: No need to mess with the Metropolitan Council. Written by no less than 14 mayors from suburban cities in the area, it's one of the clearest explanations of why the Met Council should not be destroyed, as appears to be current policy for Minnesota Republicans.

The Met Council, as I always remind people, is a national model for regional coordination. But Republicans want to blow up its relatively apolitical format because they claim to hate the fact that the Council's members are appointed rather than elected in some way.

As the mayors write, it may be okay to stagger the terms (rather than having them all seated when a new governor is elected). But other than, don't mess with a good thing. These are suburban mayors, and I'm sure they don't like everything the Met Council does, but they recognize that it's the most workable system available.
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A past post on my love for the Met Council.