Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn., Dave Beal column: Twin Cities mayors confront huge changes.

Byline: Dave Beal

Feb. 8--It was billed as a meeting where the Twin Cities' two mayors, singing from the same songbook, would "foster a new sense of partnership between Minneapolis and St. Paul" and address the regional business and economic issues of the day. But the themes that surfaced Tuesday at a breakfast sponsored by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce touched on much more. Most of all, they gave new substance to that familiar refrain about how the region has "lost its innocence." A generation ago, it all seemed so simple, so idyllic here. There was that famous Time magazine cover hailing Minnesota as "the state that works." There were forward-looking initiatives to solve every problem. Taxes were higher and regulation more in vogue. Businesses complained, with justification, but for …