Robert Haider
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roberthaider.bsky.social
Robert Haider
@roberthaider.bsky.social
680 followers 420 following 160 posts
Area dad, policy aide, bike & transit rider, yimby, woodworker, support The Arsenal & MNUFC. Midwest is best. Views here are mine alone.
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roberthaider.bsky.social
Couldn’t agree more! Here’s a new one I encountered downtown on my ride home today.
November 19, 2025 at 1:54 AM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Not holding my breath to see whether Deena and her editors at the Strib deem it newsworthy that the City Auditor found that Frey has created an environment ripe for fraud with his resistance to oversight and accountability.
City Council takes steps to increase oversight in response to concerns of mismanagement by the Frey administration Following several reports by the City’s Independent Auditor raising concerns about mismanagement, the City Council approved an ordinance that increases transparency for contracts and advanced a proposal to create a Risk Mitigation Executive to prevent future risks for the city enterprise MINNEAPOLIS - Today the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed the Professional Services Contracts Ordinance, which will require the mayor’s administration to regularly disclose all contracts that are entered into without a vote by the Council. Under current financial policies, the mayor’s administration may enter into contracts below $175,000 without approval from the City Council, limiting transparency and accountability for the administration. This ordinance now will require regular disclosure which will increase transparency and give the opportunity for improved oversight. “City Council is responsible for ensuring that taxpayer dollars are responsibly stewarded by the mayor’s administration. Multiple high-profile incidents this term made it clear that there need to be significant improvements to the transparency protocols and financial policies to prevent unscrupulous contracts by the Frey administration and any future Mayors,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley who authored the professional services contracts ordinance. “More transparency in government contracting is good for everyone who believes in preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in public spending.” The passage of this ordinance follows reports of mismanagement from the Frey administration. Earlier this year, a concerning contract to a vendor for under $175,000 was approved by the former Director of the Neighborhood Safety Department, and later by the Commissioner of the Office of Community Safety. At the September 17th meeting of the Public Health & Safety Committee, the City Auditor presented his… Council Member Robin Wonsley and Council President Elliott Payne also introduced an ordinance to create an Enterprise risk management ordinance, which the City Council voted today to refer to its Administration & Enterprise Oversight committee. The current risk management function is inadequate, with a current narrow focus within the finance department. This has been identified as leaving significant gaps that fail to protect the city and its taxpayers from mismanagement, poor decision-making, and other unnecessary risk by the mayoral administration. This ordinance would create an Office of Enterprise Risk Management with the authority to act on identified risks across the City enterprise. “There’s a culture within Minneapolis City Government of not being transparent and being averse to oversight” said Council President Elliott Payne, who also serves as chair of the audit committee. “We need stronger processes and tools to help mitigate risk and prevent mismanagement all throughout the city enterprise. These steps we’ve taken today can hopefully be the beginning of creating a culture of accountability within city government, rather than a culture of defensiveness” These actions follow a disturbing pattern of the Frey administration not complying with the Office of the City Auditor, which operates independently of both the mayor and city council. At Budget Committee meeting on 10/16, the City Auditor shared that his office is not fully equipped to manage the workload of auditing the Frey administration and noted the mayor has “resisted investment in oversight and accountability.” The Auditor also spoke about how his office has encountered delays and a resistance from the Minneapolis Police Department regarding the ongoing audits into the shooting of Davis Moturi and death of Allison Lussier.
October 23, 2025 at 7:51 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Seeing more and more of these on my commute.
White sticker with “WEAK MAYOR” and “WEAKMAYOR.COM” in black and green font on a yellow beg button post.
September 23, 2025 at 10:34 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
The Mobile Medical Unit is an incredible resource for the City. After the administration told CMs yesterday that there are no plans to deploy the MMU to the area, it’s worth noting this passage from Mayor Frey’s press release after the shooting.

content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MPL...
Excerpt from a press release with the following passage highlighted in yellow: “Our Mobile Medical Unit will continue to go out daily, providing healthcare and opioid resources.”
September 19, 2025 at 2:28 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
(I’m not affiliated with All of Mpls, so I left my taxpayer-funded office and taxpayer-funded equipment to participate in this campaign activity.)

If you want to fight back against the DFL, join me! secure.actblue.com/donate/omar_...
Receipt for $250 donation to Omar Fateh.
August 21, 2025 at 8:09 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Blow jod and artichoke hearts at 26th and Lyndale.
“Blow jod”con red spray paint above a jar of artichoke hearts at a bus stop.
August 9, 2025 at 5:36 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Update to this. Two weeks later and I’ve put another 200 miles on my bike, which is 200 fewer VMT on our streets.
LCD display of an Aventon Abound e-bike with the speedometer showing 0.0 mph, the odometer at 1100 miles, and total time ridden at 94:38.
August 8, 2025 at 4:49 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Wearing a "GAY FUCKIN PRIDE" tee in Council chambers is such a boss move.
Council Member Jason Chavez reading an honorary resolution next to Council Member Andrea Jenkins and six community members. The person standing next to Council Member Chavez is wearing a white t-shirt that says "GAY FUCKIN PRIDE"
August 7, 2025 at 3:21 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Happy Father’s Day to this little critter’s old man, despite abandoning its offspring.
A baby raccoon stuck in a window well. A baby raccoon back on solid ground after being rescued from a window well.
June 16, 2025 at 1:53 AM
roberthaider.bsky.social
You’d have hoped that by now, the media wouldn’t take MPD’s word as gospel when they put out a press release.

CM Chavez continues to ask Chief O’Hara to provide specifics on the claims he made and continues to be met with silence.
In addition to getting this after-action request passed yesterday, I have sent multiple requests to MPD Chief Brian O’Hara regarding the public statement he released on Wednesday. In his statement, he said the following: “There was irresponsible misinformation shared on social media by some officials—statements made without gathering basic facts. That kind of rhetoric is harmful and only served to inflame tensions, increasing the danger to everyone involved. Elected officials have a responsibility to provide accurate information, especially during tense situations.” I asked the chief to elaborate on what statements were made, and which elected officials he was referring to, so I can understand what he meant by “misinformation.” While I will not pretend to be aware of all content that was shared on Tuesday, I did not notice misinformation being shared by elected officials. Considering the absence of direct communication from the chief on Tuesday, I know that many of us on the council were intentional with our words. Further, I asked the chief for this information as it would be helpful to understand exactly what comments he was referring to so that I, other council members, and the chief have a shared understanding on his definition of “misinformation.” I have also reached out to my colleagues on the Council to learn whether they’ve heard from the chief regarding potential harmful content they may have shared. As of now, I am not aware of any council members who have heard direct concerns from him. Chief O’Hara’s statement included a serious accusation to make while excluding the exact comments that he believed caused harm. More importantly, it offered no clarity on what specifically the chief would have liked to see differently. While the lack of engagement from the chief directly has been puzzling, I believe it’s in Ward 9 residents’ best interest—as well as those of the city as a whole—for Chief O’Hara to receive direct feedback from me regarding MPD’s participation with federal agencies, including ICE. I felt that it was important for the chief to understand the immediate impacts already felt by our community and the full cost the City took on with its actions. Unfortunately, in Chief O’Hara’s response to my questions, he did not provide an answer as to which elected officials shared misinformation and what that misinformation was, and he ignored my follow-up request for information. Further, while we were debating the after-action review at yesterday’s Council meeting, I asked him from the dais to whom and what he was referring. This morning, I followed up with the chief for a fourth time, again asking him to name the elected officials he accused of spreading “irresponsible misinformation,” and to provide specifics on what misinformation was shared. It’s easy to make claims such as those that he made in a press release; but when you do that, my position is that it’s fair to be held accountable for such serious allegations. The chief’s refusal to answer my questions speaks volumes to me. I agree with the chief when he said that, “elected officials have a responsibility to provide accurate information,” but I believe also that unelected officials, such as the Chief of Police, have the same responsibility. I will keep you updated if and when I get answers from Chief O’Hara to the questions that I have repeatedly asked of him.
June 6, 2025 at 6:12 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
tfw you’re willing to sacrifice the health and safety of undocumented folks on behalf of the trump administration
May 16, 2025 at 1:15 AM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Regular reminder that @mndot.mn.gov is failing so many vulnerable Minnesotans, many from underrepresented communities, with their weird behavior regarding the @ourstreetsmn.org -led Twin Cities Boulevard.
The Twin Cities earned an "F" grade on key air quality metrics on a new pollution "report card." Why it matters: Air pollution threatens everyone's health — especially children, seniors and people with asthma or heart and lung conditions. The big picture: Nearly half of Americans are now exposed to potentially dangerous levels of air pollution, the American Lung Association's 2025 State of the Air report found. State of play: The report, which looked at 200-plus large cities, dinged the Twin Cities as one of the 40 worst metro areas in the nation for 24-hour particle pollution. The area ranked 48th for the number of high-ozone days. Zoom in: Hennepin, Ramsey and Dakota counties got an F for particle pollution.
April 25, 2025 at 2:41 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
In a caucus full of unserious people, this absolute turd is coming for the crown.

Alongside co-authoring the “mRNA vaccines as WMD bill,” his thoughts on undocumented folks having access to affordable healthcare are predictably measured.
The Minnesota Republicans sponsoring the bill include Shane Mekeland (Clear Lake), Krista Knudsen (Lake Shore), Assistant GOP Floor Leader Walter Hudson (Albertville), Jeff Dotseth (Silver Township), Tom Murphy (Underwood), Pam Altendorf (Red Wing), Keith Allen (Kenyon), and Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore Isaac Schultz (Elmdale). Several have also sponsored a marginally less extreme bill (HF 3152) that would make administering mRNA vaccines a misdemeanor subject to a $500 penalty. "This is the closest thing that you will ever see to treason, where taxpayer dollars are going to fund people who are here illegally," Rep. Isaac Schultz, R-Elmwood Township, said.
April 22, 2025 at 5:43 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
It looks like Mike Lindell has met the minimum requirements for an All of Mpls endorsement.
April 4, 2025 at 2:21 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Imagine being on a list of endorsed candidates alongside Becka “being anti-MAGA is racist” Thompson.
List of candidates endorsed by All of MPLS. Ward 8: Josh Bassais; Ward 9: Marques Jones; Ward 10: Lydia Millard; Ward 11: Mariam DeMello; Ward 12: Becka Thompson; Ward 13: Linea Palmisano.
March 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Mayor Frey and Chief O’Hara: “Minneapolis is a welcoming city.”

Also Frey and O’Hara, when asked about a city contract recipient with a long, documented history of homophobia and who recently threatened CMs with violence:

www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...
March 21, 2025 at 5:04 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Time to take a big sip of coffee and have a look at the confirmation vote for the VA Secretary
Roll call vote of senate confirmation for VA Secretary Doug Collins, which shows that Sen. Klobuchar voted Yea.
March 9, 2025 at 4:09 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
It’s so bad. These are from this morning. I’ve reported to 311 each day.
March 7, 2025 at 3:29 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
This is what I had to navigate this morning to get on the bus with a one-year-old. We really need a mayor who supports municipal sidewalk plowing.
March 6, 2025 at 5:46 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Whether it’s the necessity to roll to get around or walking to the bakery, think of how much easier life would be if we didn’t have a patchwork of people who shovel the sidewalk in a timely manner. We need a mayor who, at a minimum, supports at least piloting a municipal sidewalk plowing program.
A stroller on a snowy sidewalk with some sections of the sidewalk clean in front of random houses.
February 15, 2025 at 6:25 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
February 14, 2025 at 9:30 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
This CV reads like a parody of who a Democrat would say is the prototypical ideal of a Republican Party chair.
December 16, 2024 at 3:29 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Visiting from the U.S., I went there to watch the Arsenal in 2018!
December 11, 2024 at 7:07 PM
roberthaider.bsky.social
Twitter could never
Screenshot of bluesky feed with six accounts talking about how good Arsenal are.
November 26, 2024 at 8:57 PM