FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Updated April 27, 2023
Another win for SOS
MN Court of Appeals denied
City of Saint Paul’s petition
to review order by Ramsey County Judge
(Saint Paul, MN) Late yesterday afternoon, the Minnesota Court of Appeals denied the City of Saint Paul’s petition for discretionary review of the order to appear in court by Ramsey County Court Judge Patrick Diamond. This was the second of two set backs for the city in one day. Following a 90-minute hearing Wednesday morning, Judge Diamond found no reason to delay today’s/Thursday’s cross examination. Judge Diamond denied the City’s request to stay the court’s order to appear in court and submit to cross examination regarding its failure to comply with Data Practices Act requests. (Order 62-CV-23-1549. Find online here). Judge Diamond scheduled Wednesday’s hearing to consider the city’s request that he stay his original order so the city could ask the Court of Appeals to review Judge Diamond’s order on an emergency basis.
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Judge Diamond’s original order stands, and the City will be required to appear in open court today at 9 a.m. to answer questions under oath concerning its DPA practices (Ramsey County District Court, 15 West Kellogg Boulevard, Room 170, Saint Paul, MN).
Robert Cattanach, who represents the Summit Avenue Residential Preservation Association(SARPA), as well as assists Save Our Street (SOS) initially filed the request for documents using his own email, and thus appeared on his own behalf, or pro se at the hearing. SARPA and SOS, along with Cattanach individually, have been advocating for a delay in any
decision by the City on the proposed Summit Avenue bike trail until they disclosed documents as required by law, and there has been time to compile and review the data related to:
· Alternatives to the trial with less impact on Trees, Safety and Historic Preservation
· Costs and source of funding
· Evidence of community support for the final plan
· Equity concerns
The number of people who have signed an online SOS petition opposing the proposal has reached 2,897 so far.
About SOS (Save Our Street)
Save Our Street is a citizen group that seeks to educate and advocate for preserving the historic streetscape of Summit Avenue as a treasured St. Paul destination and a safe, tree-lined, multi-modal corridor for generations to come. https://www.savesummitavenue.org
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