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Regarding "Mpls. safety head leaving after 1 year: Cedric Alexander to retire Sept. 1 after a turbulent tenure as commissioner" (front page, July 21):

You don't retire from a job after one year, Cedric. You quit.

Al Leberknight, Prior Lake

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So Alexander's excuses for "retiring" after one year on the job include 1) lack of resources and 2) he never said how long he'd stay. I call BS. When he came into the position as a highly touted, highly credentialed problem-solver with a wide breadth of experience in the criminal justice system, he was all about telling everyone how committed he was and how he was going to restructure this city.

He began by stating that he didn't need this job and therefore had no problem saying and doing what needed to be said and done in order to do the hard work of change. He was in awe of no man or woman. He initially attended community meetings and talked a great game. I was impressed.

A few months later, he was nowhere to be found. Apparently he didn't respond to questions and became outright annoyed if anyone questioned or criticized him. Now he says he wasn't personally bothered as that's all part of the job. Right.

If, in fact, he's all he wanted us to believe he was, he would have been in the media, in the community and at the doors of every City Council member, the mayor and every applicable city staffer demanding, begging and pleading for the resources he says are lacking (which they are). He would have engaged nonprofits and private business and community residents and would have been so ubiquitous we would have tired of seeing his face and hearing his voice. Instead, he hid in his office (or somewhere), failed to respond to requests and questions, "forgot" some of the people who headed agencies he should have remembered and devised a plan to hire PR people to communicate for him.

I think he retired because things got a little too hot around here. Too much media attention and too many questions about what he was doing, when and why. I guess he believes that a $300,000-plus salary doesn't require that he actually be held accountable, so he's running away. Buh-bye, sir. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Jeanne Torma, Minneapolis

The best plan, according to two-thirds of respondents to the official survey and I believe a wide majority of people who were not represented in the survey, is to put the headquarters back into the same building that burned. It's in the best geographical location for crime response and it's also the cheapest plan.

It's time for our city leaders to quit being pushed around by the people who prefer we not have a police force at all and start putting the best interests of the city first.

R.T. Smith, Minneapolis

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On the evening of May 28, 2020, Minneapolis police officers abandoned the Third Precinct as a result of poor planning by city and state officials. In a hail of rocks, bottles and fireworks, officers crashed through their own gate like a defeated army. This abandonment passed the "torch," literally to the mob of protesters who gutted the building with fire and vandalism. More than three years later, the building stands as a monument to city elected officials' inability to recover from the terrible murder of George Floyd. The pending retirement of Cedric Alexander is another setback.

The rebuilding of the Third in its present site would confirm a new beginning with sound policies and accountability. It would, in fact, "close the chapter" by opening a new one. It would affirm a commitment to those neighborhoods that Minneapolis can learn from its mistakes. The council's vote to move the site acknowledges failures and delays any positive transformation.

Joe Polunc, Waconia

Thank you to the city of Minneapolis for reminding me why I am so proud to live in a progressive state like Minnesota ("Minneapolis' key climate goals — and how city plans to achieve them," July 21). Maybe because of our heritage, we take our social responsibilities seriously — something that is common to many Scandinavian countries. We share a philosophy that invests heavily in benefits for the common good — public parks, health care, schools, social safety nets, mass transit and, most important, providing a healthy climate for future generations.

Although we power our own home and EVs with rooftop solar, personal choices will not be sufficient to address our climate crisis. We need local and federal policy to support a quick clean-energy transition. Minneapolis's new climate programs are a wonderful example of what a progressive city can accomplish with the right leadership. I know that the rest of the state, and our country, are taking notice of what is happening here.

Mark Andersen, Wayzata

Darlene Marie VanOverbeke, Mound

On Thursday night, I along with my daugher, son and dear friends had the privilege of watching Beyoncé perform ("Review: Beyoncé gives a queen-worthy performance in Minneapolis," StarTribune.com, July 21). She is a remarkable performer and a brilliant mind. She wowed us with a career-spanning array of hits. Her incredible voice, her engaging dancing and her awesome team made for a special night. The Renaissance World Tour is set to be a multibillion-dollar enterprise, and Beyoncé is the creative and intellectual architect.

She and I live very different lives. She is often traveling and performing across the globe. I usually am in my little corner of northeast Minneapolis with my husband and three children, writing picture books. But something happened tonight that reminded me that, in one of the most important ways, Beyoncé and I are alike. We are both mothers and women of color. Blue Ivy, her 11-year-old daughter, performed during one of her songs this evening, and Beyoncé congratulated her on her dancing. At the end of her show and at the end of both of our nights, we will be asking our children about their days and tucking in our kids to sleep. How sweet it is.