Letters to the Editor - Clarifying authority on properties - Clarifying the City’s authority on properties

    The two letters to the editor in June Camden News overstated the City of Minneapolis’ authority to intervene in situations facing our community.

    The City has no authority to limit where people can buy properties. We are unable to intervene in a house closing that is being delayed. We can, however, work to encourage homeowners to purchase in North Minneapolis. We are doing just that with our Advantage Loan Program, an effort that is being matched by NRP dollars in several neighborhoods. We have neighbors who have organized home tours, telling the story of our great housing stock. I thank them for their work. We all need to be salespeople for our community and to look beyond the foreclosure crisis to determine how we will repopulate our neighborhoods.

Barbara A. Johnson

Council Member, 4th Ward