Summary of the Lester Golf Course Ballot Initiative Fight

A group of awesome activists called Our Park, Our Vote has been working hard to save the public land that used to house the Lester Park Golf Course from private development.  They collected enough signatures to bring the issue before the voters, but are now facing a clumsy attempt by the City to block it.  We're posting below a great summary of the issue that was written by Hardian DeMaioribus: 

Wow, the Lester Golf Course debacle drags on. This has been an atrocious political effort by the City:

- After Right to Repair passes by ballot initiative, Mayor Reinert writes to City Council recommending the City Charter be amended to remove ballot initiatives.

- Going against years of comprehensive planning, the City pushes a fast sale of Lester Golf Course.

- City rushes vote after election but before new councilors are seated.

- Mayor Reinert + aligned councilors tell councilors they will cut bus service, library staff, and go nuclear on all other priorities unless they vote for a hasty transfer of Lester Golf Course to DEDA.

- Residents are infuriated. (By a variety of things: that this preceded comprehensive public input; that it preceded comprehensive development planning; that it precluded desired green uses; that it was driven by bad faith arguments; fears that it amounted by a public giveaway to private developers; concerns that it was going to lead to rich person resort housing; that Reinert's whiff of being a lobbyist for rich developers is too strong, etc.)

- Our Park, Our Vote forms and, inspired by Duluth Tenants, starts 2 ballot initiatives to put the future of Lester Golf Course to a city-wide vote.

- City Attorney approves their petition sheets.

- Clerk certifies Our Park, Our Vote reaches the 20% threshold of votes needed to be on the November ballot for petition #2.

- City Clerk refuses the 20% threshold for petition #2.

- City Clerk rejects 100 petition sheets the City Attorney approved.

- City Clerk also doesn't count 1000+ valid signatures for petition #1.

- Volunteers spend dozens of hours documenting exactly which sheets the Clerk missed.

- Clerk refuse to update their certification.

- City Attorney refuses to meet with Our Park, Our Vote.

- Our Park, Our Vote sues city.

- Incredulous judge issues writ of mandamus to force clerk to certify petition #2 at 20% threshold, and schedules hearing about the missing sheets.

- City capitulates and counts the rest of the signatures, and petition #1 reaches the 20% threshold too.

- City Council schedules special City Council for July 23rd with a resolution on the agenda to deny Our Park, Our Vote ballot access on a shaky legal theory.

Maybe I'm missing something, but what a mess. The City has mishandled this from the beginning.

There are lots of wishbox arguments for developing Lester Golf Course. ("Well I think it would be great if...") -- the problem is that without guardrails, it's just a box of wishes with nothing guaranteed and everything irreversible.