Robert Lilligren

Last updated
Lilligren on a motorcycle during a Minneapolis Pride Parade in 2009 Robert Lilligren cropped.jpg
Lilligren on a motorcycle during a Minneapolis Pride Parade in 2009

Robert Lilligren (born July 2, 1960) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. He was an elected member of the Minneapolis City Council. He was first elected in 2001, to represent the 8th Ward of the Minneapolis City Council. [1] Following the defeat of Green Party member Dean Zimmermann, during the 2005 municipal elections, Lilligren represented the 6th Ward of the City of Minneapolis. [2] When first elected to office, Lilligren was serving as a volunteer on eight different community boards and commissions including: vice-chair of Phillips West Neighborhood organization, the Midtown Greenway Coalition (a bike/walk advocacy group), the Hennepin County-appointed I-35W Project Advisory Committee, and as a board member for several affordable housing groups throughout South Minneapolis. He lost his re-election bid in 2013 to Abdi Warsame. He was appointed to the Metropolitan Council by Governor Tim Walz in March 2019. [3]

Contents

Personal

Lilligren, as a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, is the first American Indian tribal member to serve on the Minneapolis City Council. In addition, he was one of two openly gay city council members; an avid reader, and a classically trained singer. [4] He does not own a car.

History

Shortly after Lilligren moved to Minneapolis in 1984, crack arrived in Minneapolis and specifically his neighborhood of Phillips West. [5] [5] Lilligren stayed on his block, purchasing rundown apartment buildings and renovating them with Joe Olson, his business partner. They currently own several buildings in South Minneapolis and still reside in those buildings. A key focus of Robert's first term in office was helping to jump start the stalled Sears project – a 2 million square foot vacant and dark building- which is now the up and running Midtown Exchange. His leadership helped to set and exceed historically high minority and women workforce and contractor goals for the project. He drafted language into the project's Request for Proposals (RFP) that allowed for the creation of the Global Market at the Midtown Exchange. This open market brings opportunities for local entrepreneurs – many from new arrival and immigrant communities – and makes fresh food and produce more available to inner-city residents as well as being a regional attraction. Presently, he has shifted his focus to the reopening of Nicollet Avenue at Lake Street, making this revitalizing effort a top priority. The decision by the Minneapolis City Council in the 1970s to close Nicollet Avenue was never a popular one. It was a crisis response to a budget draining situation. The City of Minneapolis’ closing of Nicollet was responsible for dividing our communities and taking redevelopment momentum from this important intersection. The 6th Ward is at the center of a lot of major, long-term transportation and energy projects going on in the City of Minneapolis. These public and public-purpose proposals will bring significant investment in the Ward and throughout Minneapolis. 6th Ward residents, business owners, workers and other stakeholders will need to be involved in these efforts to ensure that the public investment reflects the communities’ interests. Some other on- going projects include:

1. 35W/Lake Street Transit/Access Project The intersection of 35W and Lake Street is once again the site of intense design efforts. For decades almost all levels of government have been interested in further investment in the 35W and Lake Street area, though there has been disagreement about the scope and nature of the work. This time around the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Metropolitan Council/Metro Transit and MN Dept. of Transportation (MnDOT) have joined efforts in a planning process that puts transit first. This means building a new bridge and creating a connection to the Midtown Greenway where streetcars will be installed.

2. Xcel Hiawatha High Voltage Power Line In addition, for the last several years Xcel Energy has sought to build a high voltage power line along the Midtown Greenway corridor from Hiawatha Avenue to 35W with substations at Hiawatha and at Oakland Ave at the Greenway. Xcel is currently working with community representatives to design the two substations. These large-scale, long-term projects along with continued investment in alternative energy generation, onsite energy storage, energy conservation, and the pedestrian and biking realms will continue to better serve all of the Midtown area, South Minneapolis, to provide greater options, improve the environment, promote energy independence and keep housing affordable. [6]

Notable work

Appointments

City Council Committee Positions
Other Council Appointments
Other Community Work

[7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicollet Mall</span> Shopping, transit and pedestrian space in Minneapolis

Nicollet Mall is a twelve-block portion of Nicollet Avenue running through Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is a shopping and dining district of the city, and also a pedestrian mall and transit mall. Along with Hennepin Avenue to the west, Nicollet Mall forms the cultural and commercial center of Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whittier, Minneapolis</span> Neighborhood in Hennepin, Minnesota, United States

Whittier is a neighborhood within the Powderhorn community in the U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, bounded by Franklin Avenue on the north, Interstate 35W on the east, Lake Street on the south, and Lyndale Avenue on the west. It is known for its many diverse restaurants, coffee shops and Asian markets, especially along Nicollet Avenue. The neighborhood is home to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the Children's Theatre Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Street/Midtown station</span> Light rail station in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Lake Street/Midtown station, also referred locally as either the Lake Street station or Midtown station, is a Blue Line light rail stop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The station is located on a bridge over East Lake Street adjacent to Highway 55.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neighborhoods of Minneapolis</span> Official communities and neighborhood of Minneapolis

Minneapolis is officially defined by its city council as divided into 83 neighborhoods. The neighborhoods are historically grouped into 11 communities. Informally, there are city areas with colloquial labels. Residents may also group themselves by their city street suffixes: North, Northeast, South, and Southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Street (Minneapolis)</span> Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Lake Street is a major east-west thoroughfare between 29th and 31st streets in Minneapolis, Minnesota United States. From its western most end at the city's limits, Lake Street reaches the Chain of Lakes, passing over a small channel linking Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles, and at its eastern most end it reaches the Mississippi River. In May 2020, the Lake Street corridor suffered extensive damage during local unrest following the murder of George Floyd. In August of the same year, city officials designated East Lake Street as one of seven cultural districts to promote racial equity, preserve cultural identity, and promote economic growth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest LRT</span> Under-construction light rail transit line in Minneapolis

The Southwest LRT is an under–construction 14.5-mile (23.3 km) light rail transit corridor in Hennepin County, Minnesota, with service between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. The estimated one-way travel time from Southwest Station in Eden Prairie to Target Field Station in Minneapolis is 32 minutes. The Southwest LRT will extend through St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka along the route. Major locations on the line will include Bde Maka Ska, Cedar Lake, the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Target Field in downtown Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longfellow, Minneapolis</span> Community of Minneapolis

Longfellow, also referred to as Greater Longfellow is a defined community in Minneapolis, Minnesota which includes five smaller neighborhoods inside of it: Seward, Cooper, Hiawatha, Howe and Longfellow. The community is a mix of agri-industrial properties along the old Northern Pacific Railway, expansive parkland surrounding the famous Minnehaha Falls, and smaller residential areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevens Square, Minneapolis</span> Neighborhoods of Minneapolis in Hennepin, Minnesota, United States

Stevens Square is the southernmost neighborhood of the Central community in Minneapolis. It is bordered on Lyndale Avenue on the west, Franklin Avenue on the south, and Interstates 94 and 35W on the north and east, respectively. The portion west of Nicollet Avenue can be referred to as Loring Heights; the portion to the East as Stevens Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillips, Minneapolis</span> Community of Minneapolis

Phillips is a community in Minneapolis, just south of downtown. Traditionally, it was both a community and a neighborhood. Phillips is a diverse area in many ways: its population includes people of many nationalities; it has a mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses; and it is home to several large employers such as Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Wells Fargo Mortgage and Allina Health Care Services, along with small neighborhood businesses.

Midtown is a loosely defined region in south Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. There are no hard-set boundaries to the midtown area, but it is generally agreed to include the area in the vicinity of Lake Street between Interstate 35W and Hiawatha Avenue. Lake Street is the border between the Phillips and Powderhorn communities of Minneapolis. Lake Street/Midtown LRT Station, with service on the METRO Blue Line, is located on the eastern edge of the area.

The Minneapolis Streetcar System was a proposed streetcar system for the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Extensive studies and plans for the new system were completed in 2007 and presented to the Minneapolis City Council in January 2008; on April 2, 2010, the Council voted to approve the plans and seek funding. On December 21, 2010 the Federal Transit Administration granted $900,000 to further study the Nicollet and Central Avenue corridors. In June 2021, after no further development on the system, a bill authorized the Metropolitan Council to use funds collected for the Nicollet-Central line to be spent on bus rapid transit funding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Field, Minneapolis</span> Neighborhood in Hennepin, Minnesota, United States

King Field is a neighborhood in the Southwest community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its boundaries are 36th Street to the north, Interstate 35W to the east, 46th Street to the south, and Lyndale Avenue to the west. King Field, within the King Field neighborhood is a park named after Martin Luther King Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Olav Sabo Bridge</span> Suspension bridge for a shared-use path in Minneapolis

The Martin Olav Sabo Bridge is a bridge in the city of Minneapolis and the first cable-stayed suspension bridge in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Formerly the Midtown Greenway Pedestrian Bridge, it was renamed in honor of former Representative Martin Olav Sabo, a fourteen-term member of Congress from Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Bender</span> American politician and city planner

Elizabeth Peterson "Lisa" Bender is an American politician, city planner, and a former member of the Minneapolis City Council from the 10th Ward. In 2018, she was unanimously elected president of the Minneapolis City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro B Line (Minnesota)</span> Planned bus rapid transit line in the Minneapolis metropolitan area of the United States

The Metro B Line is an under construction bus rapid transit route in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The route will operate mostly on Lake Street in Minneapolis before crossing the Mississippi River into St. Paul and operating mostly on Selby Avenue and ending in downtown St. Paul. The route was identified in Metro Transit's 2014 Arterial Transitway Corridors Study as one of eleven local routes to be upgraded to bus rapid transit. The route will have "train-like" features to speed up service, such as signal priority, all-door boarding, further stop spacing, and specialized vehicles. Planning and design was completed in 2021, with construction beginning in May 2023. The line will join a number of Metro Transit's future Metro system lines, as well as the currently operating A Line, C Line, and D Line. Full funding for the line was secured in October 2020 with a final $35 million from the state of Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiawatha LRT Trail</span> Shared-use path in Minneapolis

Hiawatha LRT Trail is a 4.7-mile (7.6 km), multi-use path adjacent to a light-rail transit line in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that is popular with bicycle commuters. Users travel along the Metro Blue Line and Hiawatha Avenue transit corridor, reaching downtown Minneapolis near an indoor sports stadium at the trail’s northern end, and reaching a bridge above Minnehaha Creek at the trail’s southern end. Hiawatha LRT Trail provides a vital link between several Minneapolis neighborhoods and the city’s downtown area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Earth Trail</span> Shared-use path in Minneapolis

Little Earth Trail is an approximately 1-mile (1.6 km), multi-use bicycle path in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that links several neighborhoods, parks, businesses, and trails in the Phillips community. The trail begins at its northern end near the intersection of East Franklin Avenue and 16th Avenue South and eventually follows the west side of Hiawatha Avenue to the Midtown Greenway and Martin Olav Sabo Bridge. Named after the nearby Little Earth community, the shared-use pathway provides transportation and recreation opportunities, and is a frequent location of activism on social justice issues in Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Min Hi Line</span> Proposed linear park and shared-use path in Minneapolis

Min Hi Line is a proposed linear park and shared-use path that would eventually re-purpose an active rail and agri-industrial corridor in the Longfellow community of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Modeled after successful projects like the Atlanta Beltline and New York High Line, it would feature an approximately 3-mile (4.8 km), shared-use pathway that traverses housing, retail, commercial buildings, gardens, playgrounds, and public art installments. Two pilot projects completed in 2018 and 2019 connect the Min Hi Line corridor to trail systems at its northern and southern ends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trails in Minneapolis</span>

Minneapolis is often considered one of the top biking and walking cities in the United States due to its vast network of trails and dedicated pedestrian areas. In 2020, Walk Score rated Minneapolis as 13th highest among cities over 200,000 people. Some bicycling ratings list Minneapolis at the top of all United States cities, while others list Minneapolis in the top ten. There are over 80 miles (130 km) of paved, protected pathways in Minneapolis for use as transportation and recreation. The city's Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway parkway system accounts for the vast majority of the city's shared-use paths at approximately 50 miles (80 km) of dedicated biking and walking areas. By 2008, other city, county, and park board areas accounted for approximately 30 miles (48 km) of additional trails, for a city-wide total of approximately 80 miles (130 km) of protected pathways. The network of shared biking and walking paths continued to grow into the late 2010s with the additions of the Hiawatha LRT Trail gap remediation, Min Hi Line pilot projects, and Samatar Crossing. The city also features several natural-surface hiking trails, mountain-biking paths, groomed cross-country ski trails in winter, and other pedestrian walkways.

References

  1. "Minneapolis 2001 General Election Results" . Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  2. "Minneapolis November 8, 2005 General Results" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  3. "Council Members and Districts Robert Lilligren District 7" . Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  4. "Ward 6 Office Hours - City of Minneapolis". Minneapolismn.gov. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  5. "Allina raises hopes for a Lake Street revival - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  6. "Priorities - City of Minneapolis". Minneapolismn.gov. 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  7. "Appointments - City of Minneapolis". Minneapolismn.gov. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2013-12-05.

Further reading