Alan's Civic Experience

Alan Shilepsky for State Representative 58-B

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Citizens Council on Police-Community Relations (managing co-chair). This group was set up by the Minneapolis Mayor, President of the City Council and Police Chief John Laux to study and make recommendations for improving relations between police and citizens in the 4th Precinct. Recommendations focused on community policing and means to discourage overly-aggressive policing.
Institutional racism awareness trainer at US GAO (in addition to policy analysis duties), training all fellow employees in the Energy and Materials Division. Was also the Division's representative to the GAO Womens Advisory Committee.
Minneapolis Public Library Internet tutor when public Internet computers were first introduced.
Central Community Housing Trust (Minneapolis non-profit housing provider) Board Member.
Board President of 500 unit residential condominium (oversaw hiring of a new management firm).
Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center tutor.
CLIMB (Creative Learning Ideas for Mind and Body) Board Member. This group worked using "actor-educators" and the excitement of theatre to grow capability among the developmentally disabled and to discourage bad behaviors like bullying, littering, and smoking among K-12 students.
Served on various Citizens League committees, including transportation policy and groundwater policy
Started hot lunch program and cooked at a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America)-developed daycare center in Madison WI.

Activist Democrat supporting national candidates like LBJ, Gene McCarthy, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Paul Tsongas and Bill Clinton
Local DFL activist, attending caucuses and conventions, and working on campaigns for Lisa McDonald, 58B Rep. Richard Jefferson, and Don Samuels. Worked on Mayor Fraser's Charter Amendment drive. After caucusing for fiscal responsibility as a "Radical Moderate", campaigned in 1993 for Ward 7 City Council as a "New Vision Democrat"
Independence Party, then Reform Party activist, chairing State Public Relations Committee and State Platform Committee, including introducing the concept of "cornerstone" and "supporting" planks to allow more freedom of conscience and voter knowledge of candidates. Supported Ross Perot in 1996 and Jesse Ventura in 1998, including working in Governor-Elect Ventura's transition team office.
Reform Party candidate for Secretary of State in 1998, winning 10 percent of the vote statewide and promoting Instant Runoff Voting (which is now supported locally by two political parties and many civic leaders).
Joined Republican Party in 2002, to support the War on Terror and domestic program reforms. Had supported Governor Arnie Carlson during the 1990's. Became Senate District 58 Co-Chair in 2003 and held monthly meetings at Fairview Park. Was the driving force behind the Minneapolis City Republicans having a booth at Juneteenth Celebration the past three years.

Took coursework at University of Minnesota School of Public Affairs (now the Humphery Institute), studying program evaluation, government finance issues, technology policy and economics
Member of various policy discussion groups since 1976 to present day, including Washington Policy Study Group, Citizens League, Center of the American Experiment, Prospect Park Drugstore Group, and Stone Arch Discussion Group (DFL Education Foundation).
Attended various seminars on public policy, covering tax policy, welfare policy, education policy, and "locating the new political center in America"

that of the "Itinerant Scholar" in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales: "Gladly would he learn, and gladly teach."