♪♪ >> Eric: AN INTERIM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, TENSIONS OVER RENT CONTROL AND TENANT PROTECTIONS.

LINGERING UNCERTAINTY OVER TRASH COLLECTION.

AND ANOTHER DOWNTOWN BUILDING CONDEMNED.

AND I BET WE COULD FIND OTHER ISSUES PLAYING ST. PAUL BUT THAT'S WHY WE BRING IN FRED MELO OF THE PIONEER PRESS TO BRING HIS EXPERTISE.

IT WAS LIKE THE MINNESOTA HOUSE FOR A WHILE, 3-3 ON THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR HAD TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.

>> YEAH, WHAT IS GOING ON?

IS IT I CALLED A LOT OF FORMER CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, WOMEN WHO HAD BEEN ON THE COUNCIL, COUNCIL KATHY LANTRY WHO HAD BEEN ON THE COUNCIL FOR TEN YEARS, THEY WERE ALL LIKE WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?

YOU DON'T DO THAT.

COUNCIL PRESIDENT STEPPED DOWN AND INSTEAD OF PICKING THEIR SEVENTH THEY GAVE AWAY ALL THEIR POWER TO THE BIG GUY, TO THE MAYOR IN THE CORNER OFFICE.

SO THESE SIX WOMEN, PROGRESSIVE WOMEN, I THINK ONE OF THE FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS SAID THEY'RE ALL ALPHAS, THEY'RE ALL KIND OF, YOU KNOW, STRONG LEADERS, SO WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?

BUT THEY COULDN'T GET TO YES, THEY COULDN'T COMPROMISE, THERE WASN'T A LOT OF DISCUSSION BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, THERE WAS THIS WEIRD EMERGENCY RECESS.

THREE DIFFERENT MEETINGS THEY COULDN'T GET THERE.

>> Cathy: WHAT'S WITH THE DYSFUNCTION?

SERIOUSLY?

>> RIGHT NOW FIVE OF THE SEVEN ARE FRESHMAN, THEY'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE.

THEY'VE NEVER WORKED TOGETHER BEFORE.

I THINK THEY CAME IN WITH STRONG MANDATES, I'D BE THE FACE OF RENT CONTROL OR THE FACE OF ANTI-RENT CONTROL.

BUT THEY HAVEN'T REALLY SPENT MAYBE THE FACE TIME BEHIND CLOSED DOORS THAT PREVIOUS COUNCILS HAVE.

I TOOK THE LIBERTY OF COUNTING UP THEIR ATTENDANCES.

THEY WERE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, TWO, THREE OF THEM WERE IN THAT B RANGE IN TERMS OF LIKE 84, MAKING 84% OF MEETINGS.

KATHY LANTRY SAID EVEN WHEN SHE HAD CANCER TREATMENTS SHE DIDN'T MISS A MEETING.

SO THEY NEED MORE TIME TOGETHER.

>> Cathy: SPEAKING OF DYSFUNCTION, WHAT IN THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH ARBAGE IN THE CAPITAL CITY?

THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME ISSUE WITH GARBAGE HAULERS IN THE CITY.

>> WE WENT FROM KIND OF THIS LAISSEZ-FAIRE SYSTEM WHERE YOU PICKED YOUR OWN HAULER AND THE CITY SAID YOU HAVE SEVEN TRUCKS IN ONE ALEEY, THIS IS CRAZY.

SO THEY SWITCHED TO SEMI-ORGANIZED SYSTEM HAS THERE WERE ONES, DIFFERENT HAULERS IN DIFFERENT ZONES AND THE BIG ONES BUY OUT THE LITTLE ONES AND ALL KINDS OF DELAYS.

NOW THEY'VE GOT ONE HAULER, FCC ENVIRONMENTAL.

THAT HAULER SEEMED TO HAVE WAITED A LITTLE BIT TOO LONG TO FIND A BASE OF OPERATIONS.

THE ONE THEY FOUND GOT FOUGHT BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS, CITY COUNCIL TOOK THE SIDE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS.

WITH TWO WEEKS TO GO THEY LOST THEIR ZONING AND COULDN'T REALLY PUT THEIR OPERATIONS THERE.

>> Eric: SOME DOWNTOWN BUILDINGS COULD BE DEMOLISHED OR IS THAT TOO EXPENSIVE?

>> WE HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE ON WHAT WILL GET DEMOLISHED WHEN AND WHO WILL DO THAT, WHETHER IT'S THE PORT AUTHORITY, DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE, CITY HRA SOMEHOW.

BUT IT'S CLEAR THAT THAT'S COMING.

NO ONE IS DOUBTING THAT.

AND THERE'S ACTUALLY BEEN A STUDY OF WHICH ONES WOULD BE MOST WELL POSITIONED FOR CONVERSION TO HOUSING AND WHICH ONES WE JUST HAVE TO GIVE UP ON.

CLEARLY NOT ALL OF THESE BUILDS ARE GOING TO MAKE IT.

>> Cathy: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE HERE IN ST. PAUL WITH THESE LARGE BUILDINGS BEING ABANDONED, EQUITIES WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE PAST.

I'M WONDERING WILL THERE BE OTHER PROPERTIES TO FALL LIKE IN A DOMINO SITUATION?

>> I THINK WE'VE ALREADY SEEN IT WHEN ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL WENT OFFLINE.

A COUPLE OF THE MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDINGS THAT WERE IGHT THERE ON EXCHANGE STREET KIND OF NEARBY JUST BECAME EMPTY.

ONE WENT FOR AUCTION FOR A DOLLAR AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE DID NOT SELL.

SO WE HAVEN'T REALLY HEARD ABOUT THAT CHANGING HANDS.

WHEN IT WENT FOR AUCTION IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS A BUYER AND THEN IT WENT BACK UP FOR AUCTION.

SO, YEAH, I THINK THERE'S OTHER PROPERTIES NOT MADISON EQUITY THAT ARE IN TOUGH STRAITS.

>> Eric: IN THE MINUTE AND A HALF WE HAVE LEFT GIVE US POSITIVE NEWS, A BRIGHT LIGHT WE CAN LOOK TO.

>> ALLIANZ FIELD, THEY STARTED TURNING UP THE ARTS.

A COUPLE RESTAURANTS PAVILIONS.

>> Eric: THIS IS THE SOCCER STADIUM.

>> WE'VE GOT THE WORLD'S LARGEST LOON AND I LIVE NEAR THERE AND SNELLING/UNIVERSITY WAS LOOKING ROUGH ABOUT A YEAR AGO.

SOME ELECTED OFFICIALS VERY PRO TRANSIT SAID THEY WOULDN'T TAKE IT AT NIGHT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.

I WOULD TAKE IT AT NIGHT NOW.

IT'S LOOKING BETTER, MORE EYES ON THE STREET.

GREAT RESTAURANTS, GREAT COMMUNITY CENTERS, THE NORTH END COMMUNITY CENTER, $30 MILLION REC CENTER, GRAND OPENING TOMORROW MORNING.

I TOURED IT TODAY, LOOKS AWESOME, IT'S ON RICE STREET.

>> Eric: ON THAT POSITIVE UPBEAT NOTE WE'LL LET YOU HAVE