Park Watch, Minneapolis Citizens for Park Board Reform and Friends of the Riverfront - A Tiresome Triumvirate or a Pernicious Posse?

The dedicated detectives that investigate this Mystery Mob, members of an elite squad known as Park Watch Watch, are working hard to discover people and motives behind Park Watch. In the course of our investigation, we uncovered Park Watch’s Kissing Cousins, Minneapolis Citizens for Park Board Reform and Friends of the Riverfront.

Minneapolis Citizens for Park Board Reform was a PAC that raised money and recruited candidates to run against the Commissioners dubbed the Gang of 5 by Park Watch. It was formed after Park Watch, and was very active in the 2005 election. Many of the same people were involved in both organizations, and many of the claims espoused by this organization were identical to those of Park Watch. They endorsed the same slate of candidates. Their mission was “to elect reform-minded Commissioners to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; commissioners who will support Environmental Stewardship, Financial Accountability, and a more Open and Transparent system.”

Don’t bother clicking to their website http://www.parkboardreform.org as the site no longer exists. A Google search of the name does turn up some very interesting things, such as a court document, as you will find in the next shocking installment of this story.

According to internet records, Friends of the Riverfront is a “a nonprofit organization and group of concerned citizens and park users, dedicated to conserving, protecting, and enhancing the resources of the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park in Minneapolis.” Again, the same cast of characters is active in all of these organizations, and they endorsed the same slate of candidates in 2005.

This organization seems dedicated to lawsuits more than anything, as a simple Google search will reveal. Again, don’t bother clicking to their website http://www.ourbeautifulriver.org/ as the site no longer exists.

They are, however, still taking donations at http://www.nicolletislandmn.org/index.php?donate. Make a contribution to help preserve and protect Nicollet Island! Your contribution will be given to Friends of the Riverfront, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the environment of the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park in Minneapolis. Please note that contributions to this 501(c)(4)* nonprofit organization are not tax deductible.

*501(c)4’s can engage in political campaign activity, so long as this is consistent with the organization’s purpose and is not the organization’s primary activity.Coming up…
Something so shocking, so scandalous, it simply defies the imagination – stretches the bounds of believability!