Save Our Street Wins Again
Judge denies City of St Paul’s
request to postpone cross-examination in court
(Saint Paul, MN) Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond denied the City of Saint Paul’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 today’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 his order on an emergency basis; following a 90-minute hearing, Judge Diamond found no reason to delay tomorrow’s cross examination.
Judge Diamond’s original order stands, and the City will be required to appear in open court tomorrow at 9 a.m. to answer questions under oath concerning its DPA practices. The City of Saint Paul has also petitioned the Court of Appeals for a writ of prohibition seeking review of Judge Diamond’s order but the Court of Appeals has so far declined to step in.
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 & 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 2,880 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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