As has been written before, when more than two of you gathered, you will find that SPicy was among the many leaders from the Twin Cities who spent the last few days in Toronto as part of the InterCity Leadership program.

Monday was the first official day for the group to meet with local officials to discuss what works in Toronto, what Minnesota can learn, and what our region has in common with our friends from the great white north.

These visits bring together business leaders from across the Twin Cities together with elected officials to build relationships, discuss policies, and look at ways to help Minnesota's economy.

The official description:

InterCity Leadership Visit (ICLV) is an opportunity for Twin Cities' leaders to learn the "best practices" of other regions when it comes to such critical issues as transportation, planning, economic development, workforce, education, housing, and the environment.

The one challenge – people need to attend the meetings and pay attention. Especially when taxpayers pay for it – and we could use some Toronto-style energy in Saint Paul.

SPicy just returned from a trip yesterday and wishes that this could have been posted sooner.  During one of the first sessions for this year's trip, SPicy had received credible, very credible reports that Mayor Coleman was "not engaged" for most of the presentation and then left to go do some personal economic development - shopping - in the gift store across the hall from our conference room. He was apparently observed standing in a store reading a magazine.

SPicy wonders if the Mayor and his two staff members burned up too much energy last week advancing his own political agenda "rallying the troops" in Granite Falls, Benson, Montevideo, Marshall, and New Ulm. You know SPicy read that the trip was not of a political nature, but was related to Coleman's position on the Board of the League of Minnesota Cities. Not political?? The only time anyone tells you something is not political is when someone tells you that it is not. Why else would a Mayor of a City of the First Class be spending time in the minor leagues?

One could see why learning how Toronto has created thousands of housing units and millions of dollars of economic development in its core downtown would not be as exciting as discussing the "Minnesota Miracle" with Mayors Jim Curtiss of Montevideo and David Smiglewski of Granite Falls.

After all – people in Toronto don't get to vote for governor in a Minnesota election. They can only offer is ideas, insight and inspiration about how to lead a city.

The rest of the ICLV travelers are returning today, SPicy wonders if the Mayor will wear his blue jacket and pinkish / reddish shirt to the office again this week.