Among the Northfielders he interviewed: Chuck DeMann, Peggy Prowe, Sue Lloyd, Al Linder, Jim Johnson, and me.
Sue Lloyd was quoted: "How we’ve come to such extremes I don’t know… Are there middle [ground] people? I don’t know anymore."
Sue, we had a "middle ground" legislator not too long ago: Ray Cox, a moderate Republican by most measures. Back in 2007, Ray got a measly 26% score from the Taxpayers League, was at times branded at RINO by some in the GOP, and received the endorsement from the Star Tribune. Ray wrote in a Jan. 2008 blog post after he lost the special Senate election to Kevin Dahle:
In the recent Senate Special election I was honored to receive the endorsement of the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper. That meant a lot to me. The editors and writers there conducted a thorough review of my voting record. They conducted a comprehensive interview about current issues. While they were careful to keep partisan politics out of their discussion, the editors are well aware of the environment that the legislature must conduct its work. They noted my ability to work in a bipartisan manner on state issues in an attempt to resolve some of the more pressing concerns.
Northfield’s liberal voters rejected this moderate Republican and instead voted for Dahle in large numbers. Likewise, Cox was not enough of a social conservative for a large number of voters in the western part of the district and so they didn’t vote in large enough numbers to offset the liberal vote in Northfield.
Northfield’s liberals won the battle of 2008 but they lost the war in 2010 when the Republicans fielded much more conservative candidates in Al DeKruif and Kelby Woodard who were able to get out the D-25 conservative vote in big numbers.
So for 25B voters to now complain about extremes, partisanship, and gridlock seems a little disingenuous. Al and Kelby and the rest of the freshman Republicans know who and what got them there. Why compromise with Gov. Dayton until you have to?
Wayne Cox, executive director of Minnesota Citizens for Tax Justice, had a commentary in last week’s Strib titled The state’s GOP has lost its way – and many party veterans know it. He criticized the GOP for being "Not Your Mother’s Republican Party" because the voices of moderate Republicans like Arne Carlson, Duane Benson, Dave Jennings, Al Quie, and Dave Durenberger were no longer being heard by the GOP.
Were he writing about Rice County, he’d likely name Ray Cox and Tom Neuville.
In the 2010 election, corporations, big business spoke loudly with support from the Supreme Court’s decision in January. Representative David Bly evidently was targeted by a lot of nasty mailings.
But one Democrat who felt the sting of the corporate lash was David Bly, a state representative from the cow-and-college precincts of Northfield who was seeking a third term… The corporate-funded attack ads that flooded his district even slimed him as a crook that would steal cash right out of the hands of the elderly… "It’s outrageous," says Bly. "It was cleverly crafted — it didn’t outright accuse me of being a crook. It only implied it. But I was trying to make the case for why I should be reelected, and I was drowned out by accusations against me that were totally untrue. I had no way I could counter them. My name was dragged through the mud."
I hate those nasty attack ads as much as the next guy. But it wasn’t too long ago (2004?) that Ray Cox was the target of attack ad mailings that falsely distorted his record as a school board member in his race against David Bly. In 2010, if the backers of Democrats had judged Bly’s 25B seat to be at risk, I think it’s safe to say that similar slime ball attack ads would have targeted Bly’s opponent, Kelby Woodard.
Regardless of the outcome between Bly and Woodard, we’ll have a business-friendly Minnesota legislature come January. I’m eager to see what they can do. Editorial writer Lori Sturdevant in today’s Strib: Well, that worked out pretty well for business
But if the business money that elected Republicans is accompanied by business savvy to truly remake public services into more efficient and effective operations, "reform" and "redesign" will become cues for applause. And Republicans will be more likely to occupy the Capitol’s majority office suites for years to come.
For another perspective on the Supreme Court decision, see Vance Opperman’s opinion piece in the March issue of Twin Cities Business, When Corporations Speak.
The Supreme Court’s opinion in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission held that the free speech protection of the United States Constitution extends to all speakers, regardless of whether they are individuals or corporations. Companies, labor unions, and all other types of entities are free to spend whatever they want to at any time for election communications, as long as they are independent of political parties or candidates.
… The best antidote in a democracy for speech you do not like is more speech. Corporations are not monolithic. Large pharmaceutical companies, some large insurers, and some doctors associations support the current administration’s health care reform. Other corporations do not. There are corporations variously supporting windmills, solar power, natural gas, coal, and petroleum as energy resources—all attempting to persuade our democracy to join them in their divergent positions on energy. Entities such as the National Right to Life Committee and Planned Parenthood share the corporate form, but little else.
The story of the day today seems to be NPR’s firing of Juan Williams, who exercised the poor judgment to go on Bill O’Reilly’s show on Fox to admit to being concerned when he sees Muslims on an airplane, but cautioned O’Reilly not to brand Muslims as terrorists.
Lots of Fox and NPR fans in Northfield so this should be a good discussion.
Links: if you know of links to A) candidate websites/blogs; or B) candidate profiles/interviews in the media, please paste the URL’s/web addresses in your comment.
With the political season winding up, we’ve added 3 more local candidate blogs to our lower right sidebar aggregator: Mark Murphy, and Al DeKruif. Other candidates there include incumbents Kevin Dahle and David Bly.
2 PM update: I mistakenly added Mike Piper’s blog, thinking that he was the Republican endorsed candidate for 25B. Kelby Woodard is the endorsed candidate but he currently doesn’t have a blog or RSS feed. I’ve removed Mike Piper’s blog.
As Tracy reported on Friday, Councilor Rhonda Pownell has filed for her at-large seat and Councilor Jon Denison has filed for his Ward 4 seat. Suzie Nakasian has filed for Jim Pokorney’s Ward 1 seat. He’s decided to not run for re-election. Nathan Kuhlman has filed for Ward 4. Since then, Galen Malecha has filed for his District 2 county board seat, according to the Nfld News.
Two years ago, these were the people who filed for the 4 City Council positions:
I surprised Mayor Mary Rossing in her store Present Perfect this morning with my video camera. I mostly asked her questions that had to do with Monday night’s City Council meeting, which you can read a bit about here. We touched upon her changes in meeting procedure, her tactics on facilitating meetings and her outlook on information exchange in Northfield and on the financial health of the city’s businesses. Continue reading New Northfield Mayor Mary Rossing talks about her first day
Left: As I entered Just Food Co-op earlier this week, I noticed this car plastered with bumper stickers like “Wal Mart Sucks the Life Out of Our Towns” and “Unions: the folks that (sic) brought you the weekends” as well as numerous stickers for Democratic candidates. I didn’t see any cars representing the other side.
Right: Once inside, I noticed that the magazine rack contained not only health/wellness titles but just liberal/progressive ones like Z, Utne, Ms, Mother Jones, etc. Where’s the National Review, The Weekly Standard, Guns & Ammo, etc?
Last night, planning commissioners Alice Thomas, Suzie Nakasian, and I hosted a “get-to-know-you” party for our newly elected female councillors and the Mayor-elect.
Before I issued the invites, I checked with City Attorney Maren Swanson to determine if Alice, Suzie, and I could be at the same place and even [gasp] potentially discuss items of substance. Ms. Swanson confirmed that since the three of us are less than a quorum, it’s permissible under state law. (Since none of the newly elected officials have been sworn in yet, there were no issues related to notice, open meeting law, etc. as far as they were concerned.)
When I informed the current Planning Commission chair and former city councillor Greg Colby of what we were up to behind his hairy back, he responded:
OBJECTION>>>> This sounds like fun and I resent being excluded because of my gender. Nonetheless, I thank you for the heads up and I will try not to be too male by holding a grudge.
In addition to discussing the Comprehensive Plan and a bit about City processes, the event yielded the following crucial information:
Erica Zweifel grew up surrounded by exotic animals. (Her father was a zoo veterinarian.)
Suzie Nakasian sings jazz in the shower and says she’s better than her professional-jazz-singer sister.
Mary Rossing has a secret wish to sell everything she has to live in a van and travel around at will.
Alice Thomas went to school in a one-room schoolhouse through the eighth grade.
Rhonda Pownell has palpitated the internal organs of a cow.
Betsey Buckheit has a thing for circus music.
I left home at 17 to live on a commune in Oregon.
I wanted to put something in there about how Rhonda’s experience being up to her shoulder in manure was particularly good preparation for service on the City Council, but she’s so kind-hearted that I took it out. Sort of.
In short, the seven of us had a great time at the first and last gathering of this group. I think we were all a bit sorry that we won’t be able to do it again; however, we all understand and affirm the need to protect the integrity of our local democracy. I told everyone involved that I planned to blog about it, in the interest of transparency between city officials and citizens. That’s one of my pet issues, and I hope we can establish some new trends in that arena.
By Bonnie Obremski, on November 11, 2008, 11:00 am
Photo by Bonnie Obremski
Rhonda Pownell said she wasn’t surprised to come out on top in a four-way race to fill an unexpired two-year term for an at-large seat on the Northfield City Council.
“I have energy and excitement and I’m encouraging others to come along,” Pownell said over a cup of herbal tea at the Bittersweet eatery on Thursday.
She took 33 percent of the 7,112 votes cast for that seat, currently held by Dixon Bond. Bond was appointed by the council after Noah Cashman resigned from the spot in July to pursue a job opportunity and care for an ill sister. Bond may step down early to allow Pownell to begin her work this month, instead of waiting until January when newly elected officials usually begin.
Pownell’s opponents, Joseph Gasior, C. Lynn Vincent and Victor Summa, expressed some surprise at her victory this week. Pownell, 37, has no prior job experience in municipal government and she has been a member of a once much-discussed group that sits in the audience during City Council meetings to quietly pray for the city.
We had a modest turnout at our Locally Grown election party at the Upstairs Rueb last night. About 50 people total visited throughout the evening, with a group of about 15-20 there at any one time.
See the album or this slideshow of 7 photos (hey, I was busy!):
As the election returns come in today for the races in the cities of Northfield and Dundas, for Rice County Board, and for Northfield School Board, talk about them here with your fellow Northfield area citizens.
And help us track the results by linking to media coverage elsewhere.
As the election returns come in today for the races for Minnesota legislature and for the Constitutional amendment, talk about them here with your fellow Northfield area citizens.
And help us track the results by linking to media coverage elsewhere.
As the election returns come in today for the races for President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House, talk about them here with your fellow Northfield area citizens.
And help us track the results by linking to media coverage elsewhere.
I went around to all the polling stations before 6 am to vote this morning. (I bought one of those special passes at City Hall last week.)
At the NCRC on Jefferson Parkway, (left) election judge Alex Beeby and his team were working hard gearing up inside, while (right) judges Ross Shoger and Arlene Kluver goofed off outside.
The deadline for pre-registering to vote for the November 4 General Election was Tuesday, October 14, 2008. However, Minnesota permits election day registration. Information regarding election day registration requirements is contained in the attached document.
Voting will take place at the following polling places. The polling places will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. If you know your Ward and Precinct, here’s where to vote:
Ward 1 Precinct 1, St. Dominic Catholic Church, 104 Linden St.
Ward 1 Precinct 2, First United Church of Christ, 300 Union St.
Ward 2 Precinct 1, Northfield City Hall, 801 Washington St.
Ward 2 Precinct 2, United Methodist Church, 1401 Maple St. S.
Ward 3 Precinct 1, Buntrock Commons, St. Olaf College
Ward 3 Precinct 2, Emmaus Baptist Church, 712 Linden St. N.
Ward 3 Precinct 3, Bethel Lutheran Church, 1321 North Avenue
Ward 4 Precinct 1, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 500 Third St. W.
Ward 4 Precinct 2, Northfield Community Resource Center, 1651 Jefferson Pkwy.
Once again, I’m the only leg of the Triumvirate stool with the cojones, Tracy’s gender not withstanding, to publicize who I’m supporting for office in 2008. [Harumph! However, see my final comment below.]
I’m inclined to be even less issues-oriented this election than in the past. Leadership, transparency, citizen engagement, and collaboration are more than ever the characteristics I’m most looking for in candidates.
Northfield Mayor: Mary Rossing. I think both Mary and Paul Hager would serve the city well. I lean towards Mary because I think her more extroverted personality will help to more quickly restore confidence in city hall among the citizenry, engaging us and inspiring us after the tough years we’ve had. Her willingness to participate here on LG over the past year and then to become a blogger for her campaign are also pluses, as it indicates that a demonstrated belief in transparency and engagement.
Northfield Council, 4-year At-Large: Dana Graham. I think both Dana and Kris Vohs are capable. I lean towards Dana, as I think he’ll be more engaged with the citizenry. Kris has had many years on the Council and hasn’t held many Ward meetings or made use of the internet to make himself and knowledge of the issues more available to citizens. This was sorely needed in the past 18 months of controversy.
Northfield Council, 2-year At-Large: Lynn Vincent. I like her leadership experience in the non-profit and volunteer sector.
Northfield Council, Ward 2: Betsey Buckheit. (I can’t vote for her since I’m a Ward 4 resident.) I’ve been impressed with both Betsey’s and Jerold Friedman’s participation here on LG. Betsey’s deep public policy experience here in Northfield, especially as a member of both the Charter and Planning Commissions, make her the stronger candidate. I hope Jerry continues to get more involved in civic affairs.
Northfield Council, Ward 3: Erica Zweifel. (I can’t vote for her since I’m a Ward 4 resident.) I like Erica’s experience as a member of the Environmental Quality Commission and now as a charter school board member… not to mention her willingness to engage citizens via the internet via her blog. I’d like to see a longer track record of serving on boards and commissions and other civic engagement by Don McGee to know whether he’d make a good councilor.
Northfield School Board: Diane Cirksena, Rob Hardy, Anne Maple, Ellen Iverson. They have demonstrated a deeper knowledge of the issues than the others, plus a willingness to use the internet to engage citizens.
MN House 25B: David Bly. David’s very accessible — a blogger since 2003 — and I think represents Northfield’s left-of-center constituency quite well. I’m more of a moderate but Tim Rud’s been running too much on a social conservative values platform.
U.S. House of Representatives, MN District 2: John Kline. I was persuaded by the Strib’s endorsement of Kline over Steve Sarvi. We need more moderate Republicans in Congress and he’s been becoming more moderate/independent over the years.
U.S. Senate, MN: Dean Barkley. The partisan rancor of the Norm Coleman and Al Franken campaigns has been hard to take. I know Barkley’s not likely to win but I still think he’d be a more effective Senator… plus a reasonable check-and-balance on a legislative branch dominated by Democrats.
As for cojones, if I actually wore a hat in which I actually did real community work like Ross and Tracy have done over the years and continue to do, I wouldn’t publicize my candidate picks either.
Peter Seebach (Seebs): California in general has very high rates of “drug use”. And frankly, there is no place in the US that can be meaningfully called “very accepting” to gays. More accepting than others, sure. Why, I...
David Henson: Peter, you have the Internet you do the research. Use San Francisco as a baseline (an accepting place) – gays there have very high rates of depression and drug use.
Peter Seebach (Seebs): Those are fascinating beliefs, but conveniently for us, the research has already been done, and they’re wrong. Legalizing gay marriage has no effect on the observed incidence of homosexuality, and the concept of...
David Henson: John, I understand sexuality to be a continuum and not a hard and discrete fact. I earnestly believe that if gay marriage is approved many more people will experiment with gay sex and some numbers will get AIDS (and depression and...
Peter Seebach (Seebs): Kiffi, I am not sure that is fair. As long as peoples’ condemnation does not translate into hostile action, I am of the general opinion that people have a right to condemn behaviors they disapprove of, whether or not...
Griff Wigley: Good turnout last night for the Cannon Valley Mountain Bike Team meeting at the high school. I’ve blogged a summary with the ppt presentations.
Griff Wigley: Jordan Osterman, the new Sports Editor for the Northfield News, scooped me on Saturday. I’m glad! Northfield high school mountain bike team forming As a club sport, mountain biking would have no official affiliation with either...
Griff Wigley: Good suggestion, Curt. I’ll do that for next week’s blurb. I have been verbally emphasizing the importance of having girls on the team, especially since their points on race days count more than boys’ points. Other...
Curt Benson: Hey Griff, I wonder if you shouldn’t put a bit more emphasis on the idea that you’re recruiting both boys and girls for this team. And that the scores for both the boys and girls make up a team score. I think that in the...
Griff Wigley: It should be noted that this team does not yet exist! So this meeting is for those student-athletes (and their parents) who might be interested in joining this new team.
Griff Wigley: Suzy Rook has a sidebar to today’s Nfld News update on last night’s Council meeting. Excerpt: The city administrator and finance director say they have asked for the information on several occasions, including last month...
john george: Living where we do, it is only a few blocks walk to North Street and a grand view of the sunsets. Also, with our neighbors’ mature white pines & spruce, our covered deck affords outdoor enjoyment with a fair amount of...
Griff Wigley: Props to the newspaper and Suzy Rook for mentioning LoGro twice in the story: Fire Department officials, including Fire Chief Gerry Franek, did not respond to several requests from the News for association financial records or...
Griff Wigley: Posted to Northfield News at 1pm: Ethical questions arise over Northfield Fire Relief Association expenses Donations made to Northfield Fire Relief Association aren’t public dollars, but that hasn’t extinguished city...
Griff Wigley: Curt/Robert, There’s a summary of the Rescue Squad on Page 21 of the 2009 NFD report to the City. It doesn’t mention that there’s a Rescue Squad Association. The last paragraph states: The Northfield Rescue Squad is...
Robert Palmquist: If Hvistendahl’s motivation was to keep the financials from getting known, his submitting a memo like that just really backfired. I agree, why would these financials be such a secret??? And why did the NRSA hire a lawyer to...
Curt Benson: So Hvistendahl has found another place to wet his beak. You ask a good question, “Why is it important that the City not know the Northfield Rescue Squad Association financials?”
Jim Haas: Happens to me a lot. So much that my lovely wife had to coin a term for it: she says I have datelexia.
norman butler: Since coming to my adopted country 16 years ago I have observed, amongst other things, that not putting the day with the date is both common and peculiar to Northfield (MN? USA?).
John Thomas: Just a reminder, advance tickets for Girls Night Out 2012 can be purchased on The Grand’s website at http://www.thegrandnorthfield. com/public-events. Your tickets will then be available at a special “Will Call” at...
Liz Reppe: This is a great place to buy plants! Jeni is very knowledgeable and they are both really helpful. You get great service and plant expertise, but the prices are not higher than other places in town.
bill metz: While most of how Jake is being remembered revolves around, and rightly so, his great and wonderful talent as an artist and teacher and the works of sculpture he has left for our and the next generations enjoyment, I have had the...
Ross Currier: It was an honor for me and the NDDC to work with Jake. His pieces of sculpture in our community send a powerful visual message that Northfield is an Art Town. I still marvel at his clever and creative approach to building social and...
paul krause: The memorial service will be held at 11am. Doors to the Chapel will open at 10am for a chance to visit with family members and friends to share memories of our dear friend. Anyone who would like to view the documentary Harvest (which...
kiffi summa: Come on, Griff… you say you’re “more than a little clueless about about investments” but you “just happened to notice”… and from what you said, were reading analytically, etc etc… Once...
Griff Wigley: I’m more than a little clueless about investments but I noticed on page 14 in the April 24 Council packet that the Fire Relief Association has 85% of its pension portfolio in stocks. Isn’t that a bit risky/aggressive for...
Griff Wigley: Has there been any media reporting on the intergovernmental meeting in Bridgewater Township that was held on April 25 re: the Rural Fire Protection District and the City of Northfield?
Jim Mangan: I noticed this morning that a few of the newly planted trees along South Highway 3 have a pronounced lean. Could it be storm damage?
Ross Currier: It’s great that someone is enhancing the connection between downtown and uptown. I know they coordinated their work with MNDoT, City staff, and the Streetscape Task Force. Uh, raise your trowels in a toast to the Northfield...
Vicki Serreno: I wish I’d known – this is my neighborhood since I left Northfield in 2010. I’d have shown up to support them.
Kathie Galotti: My neighbor and sometimes babysitter Maggie Kennedy appears in this video as well! Go Maggie, and Cliff and Sophie and Parker and everyone else! Well done, guys!
Peter Seebach (Seebs): Heh, we had those when I was in college. Guess we’re making progress, they’re starting years earlier now!
Sandy Vesledahl: Thanks for blogging our garage sale Griff! We are at 2018 Jefferson Rd, Suite 1, thanks to the Jasnoch Family for allowing us to use the space. We will be there until 5:00 today and again from 8-2 on Saturday. We’ve had a...
Bright Spencer: I have an 8 year old dog that has not been neutered, has not reproduced and never been out unleashed except in our yard. It costs nothing to care for your pet properly.
Bright Spencer: To see this makes me so happy! Best of luck to you!
Peter Seebach (Seebs): For what it’s worth, I’m pretty happy with the whole process so far, although we found exciting new things out about the land development code, such as “the rules for calculating how tall a building is for...
Peter Seebach (Seebs): Not a hot tub, a swimming pool. One of those backyard pools you can get at k-mart, and the greenhouse is so we can use it a couple months earlier in spring and later in fall.
Arlen Malecha: I wish more establishments had outdoor seating & dining. Now that our offices (Coldwell Banker South Metro www.CBSouthMetro.com are downtown, I love to see people sitting and dining outside. It is fun to walk up and down...
Sean Hayford O'Leary: I would say the current configuration of Division Street makes me grateful not everyone is doing it. Sidewalk dining brings a lot of livelihood to the street — but I’ll admit that I’ve been occasionally...
Griff Wigley: Rebecca, there are several Northfield eating and drinking establishments that have outdoor dining with tables and chairs, serving alcohol, but not SIDEWALK dining. Downtown ones that come to mind: The Tavern, Chapati, The Cow, Froggy...
Rebecca Bliss: Timely post, Griff -I didn’t realize this. I was just commenting to my husband about how nice it would be to dine al fresco now that the weather is getting warmer. Guess this is another discovery for the new...
Patty Gallivan: MOST Northfield volunteers are waiting for someone who DARES boost a program with evidence of effectiveness to come forward with leadership to actually make a difference with students in our Northfield schools. Make sure to let us...
StarTribune reporter Richard Meryhew paid a visit to Northfield and a few other towns in District 25B last week, asking citizens their reaction to the state budget battle at the Capitol. His story appeared in yesterday’s paper: Voters say: Enough Already. In politically diverse House District 25B, folks wonder how compromise became a four-letter word at the Capitol.In the recent Senate Special election I was honored to receive the endorsement of the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper. That meant a lot to me. The editors and writers there conducted a thorough review of my voting record. They conducted a comprehensive interview about current issues. While they were careful to keep partisan politics out of their discussion, the editors are well aware of the environment that the legislature must conduct its work. They noted my ability to work in a bipartisan manner on state issues in an attempt to resolve some of the more pressing concerns.
Wayne Cox, executive director of Minnesota Citizens for Tax Justice, had a commentary in last week’s Strib titled The state’s GOP has lost its way – and many party veterans know it. He criticized the GOP for being "Not Your Mother’s Republican Party" because the voices of moderate Republicans like Arne Carlson, Duane Benson, Dave Jennings, Al Quie, and Dave Durenberger were no longer being heard by the GOP. 
It’s all over the MSM, blogosphere and twittersphere today. MPR’s News Cut blog has a good overview: 
Finally, a place to discuss all the candidates and any issues related!
With the political season winding up, we’ve added 3 more local candidate blogs to our lower right sidebar aggregator: 
As the election returns come in today for the races in the cities of Northfield and Dundas, for Rice County Board, and for Northfield School Board, talk about them here with your fellow Northfield area citizens. 
As the election returns come in today for the races for Minnesota legislature and for the Constitutional amendment, talk about them here with your fellow Northfield area citizens. 
As the election returns come in today for the races for President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House, talk about them here with your fellow Northfield area citizens.
Once again, I’m the only leg of the Triumvirate stool with the 
Current Discussion Threads