One of the better definitions of journalism I've heard is, "I'll hold the coats while you fight." For opinion journalists, though, it's "Readers, hold the coats while we fight."

On Friday, I reprinted Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation member Carol Becker's personal and political lament over a tough tax vote. Becker, facing layoff, contends "the heart" of city services are facing cuts, even as she knows many residents lack the wherewithal to pay more.

This prompted a sharp retort from Star Tribune opinion writer Jill Burcum, whose editorial board campaigned for the abolition of Becker's board last year:

What Becker didn’t say last fall, and what she and others who campaigned vigorously against streamlined city government have brushed under the rug, is that the peculiar form of city democracy they espouse is not only messy, it’s expensive. Very few other cities have a BET. Cities with Park Boards running a separate police force [like Minneapolis] aren’t common either.

So when Becker and others like her convinced voters to shoot down BET consolidation, they also convinced voters to choose a more expensive, layer-filled and tradition-bound form of government. They also sent this message to any official weighing serious structural changes to enhance efficiency: don’t even think about it.

In the spirit of updating and coat-holding — as well as vetting the "reform" mantra so popular in this year's elections — here's Becker's response (you have to click the blue arrow on the Minneapolis Issues site to read it):

I am paid $35 a month, as is the other citizen on the Board, a cost of $700 a year. Having people involved in critical decisions like tax and debt policy is not expensive, as Ms. Burcum argues.

But the real question is what makes better government? Having more power in fewer hands or many hands? I am a strong advocate for more hands because I believe it creates better outcomes. Democracy should be gloriously messy as we argue and debate to find the best alternatives for our community. The residents of Minneapolis agree, having defeated the proposal to eliminate my board, two to one.

Ms. Burcum argues that that this “sent this message to any official weighing serious structural changes to enhance efficiency.” Again, this is simply not true. We have been working hard at change. In 2003, we had 6000 employees. In 2010, we have 5000.