Can these do.town mayors get citizens to groove?

Reporter Mary Jane Smetanka in today’s Strib: Cities say it’s time to step it up: Bloomington, Edina and Richfield hope test project will give fitness a foothold (links added in the excerpt below):

Actor Dexter Warren of the “do-groove” commercials led mayors Debbie Goettel, Jim Hovland and Gene Winstead along the walkway around Bloomington Lake. Photo: Tom Wallace, Star TribuneFor years, Edina Mayor Jim Hovland and his counterparts in Bloomington and Richfield have been building bike lanes, sidewalks and trails and talking about healthy living. But that doesn’t mean people have been listening.

The desire to take the topic beyond “blah, blah, blah” prompted the mayors to ask Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to join them in a pilot effort that they hope will become a national model.

The 18-month, public-private partnership to boost healthy living was kicked off Tuesday with the three mayors circling Normandale Lake in Bloomington behind the dancing actor featured in Blue Cross’ “do-groove” commercials.

do.town

The site: Do.town

A unique collaboration between the cities of Bloomington, Edina, Richfield and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to improve the health of our communities.

Getting the City Council members up to speed about Edina Citizen Engagement

I emailed this last week to each member of the Edina City Council:

Last week’s online live chat about Southdale and this week’s article in the Edina Sun Current have made the Edina Citizen Engagement project a little more visible than when Scott Neal emailed you about it a month ago. Might there be a time in the next week or two when I could talk with you about it?

Mary Brindle, Edina City Council Member; Griff Wigley, Edina Citizen Engagement project Starbucks near 50th & France in Edina
I expected that most of my conversations would be via phone so I was delighted to be able to meet with Council member Mary Brindle today at the Starbucks adjacent to the Edina Liquor Store near 50th & France.  After I gave her my sermon about blogging and other social media, she graciously allowed me to take a photo of us for this blog post.

Thanks, Mary!

Update 7/26:

Griff Wigley, Edina Citizen Engagement project; Mayor Jim Hovland, City of Edina
I met with both Mayor Jim Hovland and Council Member Joni Bennett last week. Alas, I neglected to get a photo with Joni when we met at Turtle Bread but I did get the above one with Jim at Edina Grill.

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