Minneapolis has brought in an outside consultant in hopes of improving relations between the city council and mayor’s office.

A $1.4 million contract for “leadership development” and “executive coaching” with Madison, Wisconsin-based Darcy Luoma Coaching & Consulting began in October and is in effect through September 2028, with the option for up to two additional years.

City Clerk Casey Carl initiated the contract in September, and the City Council approved it by a unanimous vote.

Carl said his office brought the proposal to the council with an eye toward the first full four-year term of the mayor and City Council under the new “strong mayor” structure of governance. Darcy Luoma will focus on establishing strategy, norms and collaboration for council members and the mayor’s administration.

In addition to quarterly group sessions with all 13 council members, the mayor and cabinet members, the contract also involves one-on-one sessions and onboarding training for new council members.

While Carl said bringing in outside consultants on leadership strategy is a “very common tool” for city governments, he acknowledged that the contract is “in part a response to what we’ve seen in the previous term,” a reference to the often acrimonious relationship between Mayor Jacob Frey and the City Council.

The mayor and council members frequently traded barbs over political disagreements, but perhaps the most extreme example came in August, when City Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai cursed Frey on stage at an Uptown music festival. Frey, for his part, has accused council members of engaging in “vote trading and political gamesmanship.”

Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said the first session was on its second day when a federal immigration agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis.

A second session recently took place, to positive reviews.

“I do see that there are differences and that people are trying, and it’s a matter of just, yeah, making an effort, and if we make mistakes, try to learn from those mistakes,” Chowdhury said.

Jamison Whiting, a newcomer to the City Council, said being on the inside opened his eyes to why this sort of coaching is necessary.

“This city knows about the toxicity and lack of civility that has happened at City Hall, and so it’s something I have been looking forward to, and it went well,” Whiting said. “Engaging in those conversations, open and honest conversations where we are allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and actively move forward for the City of Minneapolis.”

So far, Whiting said the sessions have produced some norms that guide how officials interact with each other: no personal attacks, communicate in private before having open conflict at the dais, and hold each other accountable.

Frey was not available for an interview on Friday, but in a statement, he expressed his hope that the sessions would lead to more productive governance.

“Minneapolis works best when the people elected to lead it can work through disagreements respectfully and get things done,” Frey said. “We don’t have to agree on everything, but residents expect us to solve problems, not create more of them. If better communication helps us deliver safer streets, more housing, and better city services, that’s a worthwhile investment.” 

Chowdhury was confident her constituents would find the $1.4 million price tag to be a wise expenditure.

“I have only heard from residents that they want us to work our stuff out,” Chowdhury said. “… They don’t like seeing city council members fight over personal things. They don’t like seeing the high level of polarity between the council and the mayor, especially if it isn’t about the issues at hand.”

She said the work will be ongoing to find a sustainable path forward.

“To figure out what skills we need to sort out conflict without a third party, that’s the goal,” she said.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to Darcy Luomo for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Minneapolis leaders will meet again for a coaching session in late July.

“I think that is how we build shared trust as a body that will hopefully move through the next four years,” said Whiting. “And if that comes at a cost, I think we better make sure we’re putting in the effort and time and trust to actually do that for our constituents.”

Source: The Catholic Spirit

Effective July 1, parishioners of St. Boniface in Minneapolis will continue to attend Mass and receive sacraments at the church, even as parish assets are transferred to another owner.

The St. Boniface parish corporation will be suppressed and all parish assets, such as the church building and land, will be transferred to the nearby St. Maron of the Maronite Catholic Church in Minneapolis — a parish that celebrates liturgies in the Maronite Rite, which has its roots in Lebanon. The Maronite Church is Catholic and in union with the Holy Father; it operates under its own set of laws and liturgical rubrics.

St. Maron will continue to provide limited sacramental ministry to St. Boniface parishioners for at least one year and beyond that time if it continues to be possible to maintain and safely use the church. The priests of St. Maron parish have bi-ritual faculties allowing them to offer Mass and the sacraments in the Latin and Maronite Catholic rites.

Read the full story in The Catholic Spirit.

Prince fans will paint Minneapolis purple this weekend as concerts, block parties and a new museum opening celebrate his musical legacy and what would have been his 68th birthday Sunday. 

In St. Paul, roller skaters will head to Rice Park for a weekly disco night, while a new exhibit at Indigenous Roots showcases work by Black and Indigenous artists. In Maplewood, food trucks will roll into the Asian Street Food Night Market. 

A weekend tribute to Prince

Fans will have multiple opportunities to celebrate Prince across Minneapolis this weekend. A concert at the Armory will bring together members of his backing bands alongside performers Morris Day, Miguel, Bilal and more. 

Saturday’s events include a block party and sing-along at the downtown Prince mural, followed by late-night gatherings at Union Rooftop and First Avenue. On Sunday, fans can take part in a Lake Minnetonka tribute cruise. 

This weekend also marks the grand opening of the People’s Museum for Prince at Roberts Gallery in north Minneapolis. The museum’s “Let’s Work! A Labor of Love” exhibit at the Capri features artwork created by community members inspired by Prince’s life and music. 

Artists reflect on humanity’s ties to nature

A new exhibit at Indigenous Roots brings together Black and brown artists from the Twin Cities to explore the natural world as a source of guidance. 

“Force of Nature” is the curatorial debut of Afro-Indigenous artist Dizi Lawrence. The show features more than 25 works that examine humanity’s complex relationships with land, water, wildlife and plant life. 

“Nature itself, and the Earth are teachers,” Lawrence said. “In this time in particular — from a social and political lens — we have so many questions of how to solve certain problems or how to move through certain tragedies. The Earth holds a lot of the answers that we seek.”

The concept for the exhibit grew after Lawrence participated in “Where the Seed Remembers,” a group show at the Minnesota Arboretum. 

The exhibit includes a range of media, from collage work by Pau Perez to three-dimensional pieces by Jaali Griffin, along with large-scale paintings by Maiya Lea Hartman and Linnea Kingbird-Martini. 

Lawrence will also present 11 of her own paintings, shaped by her interest in Indigenous ways of living and Christian creation stories, including Genesis, Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. 

Indigenous communities “have origin stories that completely encapsulate a reciprocal relationship to nature,” she said. “I would like people to come away from [“Force of Nature”] examining their own relationship to nature and honoring all the ways that it provides for us.” 

The opening reception on Saturday will feature poetry readings from Kira Bunkholt and Isavela Lopez; live music from Jada Lynn and Brandyn Lee Tulloch; and a performance by the Mexica Aztec dance group Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli. Plant-based meals will be catered by Heal Minneapolis. 

Skating and disco at Rice Park

An annual roller-skating series, “Roller Disco,” returns this Friday with free skate rentals, music by DJ Presto, line dancing led by Coach Rahn Oz and food trucks. Twin Cities Skaters also plan to introduce themed skating nights later in the summer. 

Three days of street food, music and dance

The Asian Street Food Night Market returns to the Pan Asian Center in Maplewood for a three-day festival.

The weekend will feature a talent show, lion dances, a beer garden, and music and dance performances. More than 35 food vendors will serve Thai dishes, sushi, egg rolls, Korean corn dogs and more.