 Locally, Coyle spent much time in the mid-to-late-1970s working on tenants' rights issues, and campaigning (unsuccessfully) for a rent control ordinance.He was also active in powerline protests in rural Minnesota (along with future Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone).From 1979-1981, Coyle organized with Minnesotans Against the Downtown Dome (MADD), a coalition opposed to the construction of a subsidized sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis.