2022.07.21 Work Session Packet
4141 Douglas Drive North • Crystal, Minnesota 55422-1696
Tel: (763) 531-1000 • Fax: (763) 531-1188 • www.crystalmn.gov
Posted: July 15, 2022
City Council Special Work Session Agenda
Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 7 p.m.
Council Chambers/Zoom
Pursuant to due call and notice given in the manner prescribed by Section 3.01 of the City
Charter, the special work session of the Crystal City Council was held on Thursday, July 21, 2022
at _____ p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 4141 Douglas Dr. N., Crystal, MN and via
Zoom. The public may attend the meeting via Zoom by connecting to it through one of the
methods identified on the Notice of July 21, 2022 Special Work Session.
I. Attendance
Council members Staff
____ Adams ____ Norris
____ Banks ____ Bell
____ Budziszewski ____ Omari
____ Cummings
____ Kiser
____ LaRoche
____ Parsons
II. Agenda
The purpose of the special work session is to discuss the following agenda item:
1. Point – counterpoint: a discussion on equity, inclusion and diversity.
III. Adjournment
The special work session adjourned at ______ p.m.
Auxiliary aids are available upon request to individuals with disabilities by calling the city clerk at
(763) 531-1145 at least 96 hours in advance. TTY users may call Minnesota Relay at 711 or 1-800-627-3529.
4141 Douglas Drive North • Crystal, Minnesota 55422-1696
Tel: (763) 531-1000 • Fax: (763) 531-1188 • www.crystalmn.gov
Posted: July 15, 2022
CRYSTAL CITY COUNCIL
NOTICE OF JULY 21, 2022 SPECIAL WORK SESSION
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Crystal City Council will hold a special work session on Thursday,
July 21, 2022 at 7 p.m. at Crystal City Hall, 4141 Douglas Dr. N., Crystal, MN and via Zoom.
The public may attend the meeting via Zoom by connecting to it through one of the methods identified
below.
Topic: City Council Special Work Session
Time: July 21, 2022, 7 p.m. Central Time (US and Canada)
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PETER BELL
Peter Bell is the former Chair of the Metropolitan Council, which is a cabinet-level position
appointed by the Governor. The Chair’s primary responsibility is to establish policy for major
infrastructure services in the Minneapolis/St. Paul seven-county region. These include
transportation and transit (bus/rail), wastewater, regional parks (50,000 acres) and aviation. In
addition, the Council has planning and regulatory authority over the above-stated systems. The
Council has 4,000 employees and a budget of $800,000,000.
Prior to his position at the Metropolitan Council, Peter was executive vice president of
Publishing & Educational Services (PES) at the Hazelden Foundation in Center City, Minnesota.
Hazelden is an internationally renowned nonprofit which provides a wide range of alcohol and
drug-abuse services including treatment, prevention, research and publishing. Peter was
responsible for all publishing, video production and public education at Hazelden. The
publishing division is the world’s largest producer of self-help material focusing on chemical
dependency. It markets and sells over 3,500 products to 500,000 customers each year.
Before coming to Hazelden, Peter was the cofounder and, for 15 years, executive director of the
Institute on Black Chemical Abuse. He was appointed to serve on a commission to the White
House Conference on a Drug-Free America, and to a congressionally-created national
commission on drug-free schools. He has traveled extensively both in the United States and
abroad providing seminars on alcohol and drug abuse. He has written numerous books on
chemical dependence, and for his pioneering effort, was named ABC Evening News Person of the
Week in 1989.
In addition to his work in chemical dependence, Peter served for five years as executive vice
president of corporate community relations of TCF Financial Corporation, a 50 billion-dollar
holding company with 183 offices in five states, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. He
supervised all bank audit, compliance, foundation and lobbying activities. Under his leadership,
TCF Bank Minnesota was awarded an “outstanding” rating for its community reinvestment
activities by federal regulators.
Peter has or currently serves on the board of directors of numerous local and national social, civic
and business organizations, including TCF Bank, The Citizens League, Center of the American
Experiment, CommonBond, TCRISE!, and was a founding member and chair of the Center for
New Black Leadership, based in Washington, D.C. Peter was appointed to the Board of Regents
for the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2002. He was also appointed to the transition teams
for both Governor Ventura, Governor Pawlenty and Mayor Hodges.
Peter appears frequently on the editorial pages of the Star Tribune, provides commentary for
Almanac, a statewide public affairs television program and often provides political and social
commentary for MPR.
DR. ABDUL M OMARI
Dr. Abdul M. Omari is in the business of human connection. He is the founder of AMO
Enterprise, which focuses on leadership development and the inseparable ties to equity,
inclusion, and diversity.
Abdul holds a B.A. in global studies, a master’s of public policy, and a PhD in
comparative and international development education from the University of Minnesota.
Abdul is devoted to civic and public service. He served six years as an elected member
of the Board of Regents at the University of Minnesota and currently serves on the
University of Minnesota Foundation Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors for
Achieve Twin Cities, and Civic Eagle. Abdul has been featured in Minnesota Business
Magazine's "Young Entrepreneurs". In 2019, he was selected as one of 140 people
nationwide to participate in the Young American Leaders Program at Harvard Business
School. Abdul has also been recognized as one of Minneapolis/St. Paul Business
Journal 40 Under 40 and was named one of Minnesota’s Top 100 People to Know in
2021 by Twin Cities Business. Omari is a proud native of Minneapolis, Minnesota with
immigrant parents from Kenya and Jordan and is a sucker for a good TV show and an
avid sports fan.