Midtown Community Works Partner Profile

Gail Dorfman

BACKGROUND

Gail Dorfman began her career in public service working as the Research Director to the Governor of Ohio. She subsequently served as a legislative aide to Congressman James Burke in Washington, D.C., and as Assistant Director of the Boston, Massachusetts Neighborhood Development Agency. After relocating to St. Louis Park nearly fourteen years ago, Commissioner Dorfman served as a St. Louis Park City Council Member from 1991 to 1995, and as Mayor of St. Louis Park from 1996 to 1999. During her years on the City Council, she worked to promote and participate in the creation of the City’s strategic plan, “Vision St. Louis Park”; to establish the grass-roots planning process for the town center (currently under construction); and to encourage beautification and pedestrian friendly development through landscaping, innovative streetscape, and promotion of the arts as an important aspect of civic revitalization. She is currently a board member of Perspectives, a St. Louis Park agency that provides transitional housing and support services to women in recovery and their children. She is also a member of the League of Women Voters of St. Louis Park and Jewish Community Action, and serves on the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board and the NRP Policy Board.

Commissioner Dorfman is a former fellow at the Mondale Policy Forum at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

Thoughts on MCW

“ I joined the Midtown Community Works Partnership shortly after I took office in 1999, and I have been consistently impressed with its ability to draw together so many different stakeholders to begin tackling a project of this scale. From the government’s perspective, this type of simultaneous partnering with private business and grassroots organizations is a new and exciting way of doing business. Many different visions are at work along the Midtown Greenway, from the many diverse neighborhoods, to the plans for development, to the master plan for the arts and the integration of arts with infrastructure design and construction. But rather than discord, these voices are creating a harmonious, cohesive vision that recognizes and respects the diversity of the many stakeholders. I believe that over the next few years, these pieces will continue to come together to create unified, meaningful development along the Midtown Greenway.

“ The participatory process is critical, because it creates a sense of pride and ownership in the entire project. One example of this has been the success of the last two Arbor Day planting events. Many families took part in planting trees and perennials along the Greenway during those events, and their sense of joy and pride was palpable. In the years to come, as those kids ride their bikes along the Greenway, they will pass by the landscaping and think, ‘That’s my tree!’ That kind of community involvement and sense of investment is invaluable, and is the key to ensuring the Greenway’s success.

“ Hennepin County’s interest in the partnership derives equally from the Greenway’s role in the regional transportation system, and its unique potential to become a chain of vibrant, exciting communities. In the past, government has tended to look at transit-related work as what happens between the curbs; now, we’re broadening our view, and realizing that things such as landscaping, green space, and smart development are not just amenities, but are the kinds of things that really help to build healthy communities. Hennepin County is proud to be part of the work of transforming the Midtown Greenway into a unique urban asset.”