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By Griff Wigley, on November 2, 2008, 6:40 am
(Vote for up to 4 candidates)
[poll id="31"]
By Griff Wigley, on November 2, 2008, 6:34 am
By Griff Wigley, on November 2, 2008, 6:30 am
By Griff Wigley, on November 2, 2008, 6:29 am
By Tracy Davis, on October 13, 2008, 6:43 am
 The Northfield East Side Neighborhood Association organized a candidates’ forum which was held yesterday afternoon. I attended for part of the forum but was unable to stay for the entire event.
Participants (listed in the order they appear in the photo, left to right) were mayoral candidates Paul Hager and Mary Rossing; 2nd Ward candidates Betsey Buckheit and Jerold Friedman; at-large candidates Dana Graham and Kris Vohs; and special election at-large candidates Joe Gasior, Rhonda Pownell, Victor Summa, and Lynn Vincent.
Third ward candidates Erika Zweifel and Don McGee also attended, but were not part of the forum since their ward boundaries are not part of the NESNA.
A questionnaire was sent to the candidates prior to the forum, with their responses included in this MS Word document or this PDF.
I believe about 50 people attended the forum, but I didn’t count heads so I may be underestimating. I’d like to hear comments from those who were able to listen and participate more than I was. Were there any particular comments or discussion of note?
By Griff Wigley, on August 29, 2008, 6:29 am
The DNC is history. The RNC begins on Monday.
What’s to like and dislike (speeches, spectacle, etc. ) about them both?
By Griff Wigley, on August 14, 2008, 10:00 am
 
I took the photo of Contented Cow proprietor Norman Butler doing the Uncle Sam bit yesterday, promoting his pub’s Candidate Meet and Greet series for the Northfield mayoral/City Council primary.
The first in the series of three is tonight, 6-8 pm. See Politics and a Pint moderator Bruce Morlan’s blog post for details.
By Griff Wigley, on August 12, 2008, 7:14 am
By Griff Wigley, on August 10, 2008, 7:02 am
 
I drove by the Grand this morning and noticed the marquee. And then I noticed the poster on the wall at the entrance to the GBM. And then when I checked my email, I got this from Union of Youth (NUY) Exec. Director Josh Hinnencamp:
Hey Griff, I just wanted to make sure you know about the mayoral speed candi-dating event at the Grand from 2:00-4:30pm today (Sunday).
See Josh’s Youth Platform blog post on the Union of Youth blog as well as his post about today’s event on Northfield.org.
By Ross Currier, on June 12, 2008, 2:32 pm
 Griff just called me on the phone. He was racing down the highway in response to a Fluff Alert. I told him to slow down and I’d step up to the plate.
Here’s my swing at some fluff. US Senate candidate Al Franken (and SNL alum) was hanging at Goodbye Blue Monday this (Thursday) afternoon.
Yo Griff, if Tina Fey shows up in Downtown Northfield to campaign for Al, please give me another call.
Update 5:45 pm: More photos, submitted by Jane McWilliams, who wrote:
Ross, I caught Franken in conversations about the schools, Hager for mayor, and health care before he and his entourage walked over to The Sketchy Artist where, when I left, he was doing a sketchy candidate bit. (I couldn’t get close, but I think he was drawing blue states.) His aide said they were going next to OoLaLa and Rare Pair: Franken wanted to visit local businesses run by women! All that in beautiful downtown Northfield.
   
   
Update 9:30 PM by Griff: Robbie and I stopped by The Sketchy Artist to buy a sympathy card tonight and store owner April Ripka was nowhere to be found. However…
April’s mom, Linda Ripka and sister, Sarah Ripka were tending the store, and were quite happy to display the drawing of the United States sketched earlier in the day by Al Franken.
By Griff Wigley, on April 15, 2008, 11:28 pm
    
We got this email from attorney and Froggy Bottoms River Pub proprietor David Hvistendahl this evening:
I am mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore! I want all of you citizens of Northfield to throw open your windows and yell at the top of your lungs, I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!
Yes, I am running for mayor, and I have a serious and defined agenda. A few of the highlights–
1. CLEAN HOUSE AT CITY HALL. When you want to reform a totally dysfunctional organization, you need to start at the top–the city administrator is our highest appointed official. The buck stops with him. Whether he is charged with criminal offenses or not, he should not a free pass for allowing our city government to wallow in mediocrity. The administration needs to reveal under whose watch the millions disappeared, and how are systems failed us.
2. PRIORITIZE THE CITY BUILDING PROJECTS, RECYCLE AND REUSE. The highest priority should be given to building a new police/fire complex on the MnDOT site between Woodley and Ninth Street. The municipal liquor store should go into the present fire station, with the basement used as a warehouse. A freight elevator can move the product to the first floor, where it can be high stacked. The police offices should be recycled for use by the Chamber, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the NDDC. The present Muni could be recycled as a home for the youth groups, such as the Union of Youth, and youth service organizations.
The hockey arena is an embarrasment to the city, and spending $1.4 million on it will not make it any less of an embarrasment. We need a convention center large enough to hold two sheets of ice. The project can be made affordable by negotiating with one of the colleges a land lease in exchange for ice time and use and by expanding our tax base.
3. CHANGE LOCATION OF THE SKATEBOARD PARK AND ESTABLISH PRIORITIES FOR THE PARK BOARD. Next to considering the mayor’s property for the location of Muni, the most dimwitted decision of this council has been to put the skateboard park at the busiest intersection in the city. Ames Park has no bathrooms and no parking. The fact that is farther away from the park board members’ homes than the Memorial Park location should not be the deciding factor.
4. INCREASE THE CITY’S TAX BASE. In order to accomplish the projects mentioned in 2 and 3, the city needs to pursue an aggressive policy of annexation to the north and west to accommodate commercial and industrial growth. At the present rate of annexation, the signs for Exit 69 will read, “Faribault, first of six exits; also Northfield.” Just drive south from Highway 19 exit and count the miles to large industrial properties that mark Faribault’s northern most boundary.
We do not have an orderly annexation agreement with Waterford Township, so we should annex the township to give us industrial and commercial sites on Highway 3, Dakota Co. 47, and Highway 19. Our present annexation ordinance directly conflicts with the state statute, which preempts any contrary local ordinances. We need to bring our ordinance into conformance with the state law, which does allow annexation without the township’s permission.
More to come. . . .
By Griff Wigley, on February 6, 2008, 6:47 am
I attended the DFL caucus at the Northfield Middle School last night, Ward 4 Precinct 2. Mike Mandsager was our able chair. State Senator Kevin Dahle and State Representative David Bly made the rounds. In the presidential preference balloting, our ward voted 88 for Obama, 34 for Clinton.
Ariel Emery has a story in today’s Nfld News titled ‘Massive’ turnout for local party caucuses.
I’ve turned off comments for this post (not pingbacks, tho). Continue the discussion here.
See the album of 17 photos or this slideshow:
By Griff Wigley, on February 5, 2008, 7:37 am
Newly-elected District 25 Minnesota State Senator Kevin Dahle (that links to his Senate page) has decided (wisely, IMHO) to use his WordPress campaign blog as his permanent blog, rather than a separate blogspot blog.
He’s named his blog Mr. Dahle Goes to St. Paul. We’re aggregating his blog’s RSS feed on our lower right sidebar along with a few other active civic/issue-oriented bloggers. See our Northfield Civic Blogosphere page for more.
By Griff Wigley, on January 27, 2008, 7:55 am
 I searched Meetup for Northfield-area groups who support the various presidential candidates but couldn’t find any.
Are there any organized gatherings yet?
If you know of any, attach a comment with the info.
1/31 update: I’ve removed Edwards and Giuliani from the blog post title since they dropped out this week.
2/9 update: I’ve removed Romney from the blog post title since he dropped out this week.
4/17: I’ve removed Huckabee and Paul from the blog post title
6/3: I’ve removed Clinton from the blog post title
By Griff Wigley, on January 27, 2008, 7:40 am
Super Tuesday is coming. Here’s where to caucus in the Northfield area, 7 pm on Tuesday, Feb. 5:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Northfield Middle School, 2200 Division St S
Independence Party
New Prague High School, 221 12th Street N.E.
Republican Party
Northfield High School, 1400 South Division St
It’s been a long time since I’ve attended a caucus. How do Minnesota’s caucuses differ from the way the parties held caucuses in Iowa?
By Tracy Davis, on January 20, 2008, 6:03 pm
 I’ve been following a thread I started a few days ago, “Enough of the Mayor and City Council Already“, in which I asked LG readers for suggestions about topics they’d like to discuss. I’ve made some notes as the comments unfolded, but one exchange is threatening to break out into a discussion over there, so I thought it would be best to give it a headline and keep things going here.
Carol Overland said,
. . .Energy Summit with Rep. Bill Hilty? He’s the House Energy Committee Chair who called me into his office to explain that we need more coal, just can’t do without it! That was not long after he presided over hours of CapX 2020 transmission promotional testimony and wouldn’t let me give my presentation against CapX 2020 (but hey, I got 2 or 3 minutes to testify!). That was just after he graciously gave the CapX promoters time to present AGAIN at the following committee meeting. The Committee only heard testimony of those with a contractual or employment obligation to promote CapX transmission! CapX 2020 is planned to run in the north end of SD25 (www.nocapx2020.info), the Cannon Falls meeting last month had the highest attendance of any across the state (I went to almost all of them). We sure don’t need suppression of information about CapX2020’s facilitation of new coal plants in the Dakotas at this critical juncture … sigh… well, this Summit should give him the opportunity to hear from those facing CapX 2020 in the neighborhood and learn how we can indeed do without coal!
Holly Cairns wrote,
That’s interesting, Carol. So you think Rep. Hilty meant that we should avoid sudden, economic, change? Do things slowly?
Ok, regarding the turbines: so we have electricity to our homes and DC doesn’t work as well… electrical stations at the base of every turbine would be stupid unless there was an expensive device to charge the battery faster and better than at our homes…
but let’s build turbines and have electrical cars, and have the city have a stake in renewable resource generation.
To which Carol replied,
Holly – no, I don’t think he meant doing things slowly. i think he meant what he said, I have to take at face value his statement that he supports building new coal plants (which is happening right now, they’re in permitting as we speak, it’s happening QUICKLY). he said that we “need new coal plants” and we can’t do it without coal, and that we need the transmission “for reliability” which he should know is really to do the bulk power transfer for market transactions (not regulated). To me, that means that he does not support change, and he said he supports more coal. He was not interested in how it can be done without coal, not in the least, he wanted to deliver a lecture on the need for coal! These new coal plants are billions and billions of dollars of irretrievable infrastructure commitments to coal plants and transmission lines that last 50+ years, and would grossly increase CO2 production, not to mention serious contamination with all the associated pollution, like mercury (ummmm… we already can’t eat the fish in MN, and with more falling from new coal plants, where will we be), pollution that will NOx your SOx off. The MN 2005 Transmission Omnibus Bill opened the door for new Dakota coal plants, and the 2007 “global warming bill” did nothing to stop all these new coal plants, instead giving them an exemption if they were in the pipeline. If they build these new coal plants, all the lightbulbs in the world, all the PV installations in the world, all the wind in Buff Ridge, will not effect the necessary change. He wants to go ahead with business as usual (and therefore not make the complicated and difficult and carefully plotted out changes to do our energy differently). He’s House Energy chair providing “leadership” that is forging down the same unworkable path. Instead we/they need to be standing up and turning the battleship around (that’s the slow painful change that we must make). Every time you hear someone yapping about global warming, CO2, ask them what they are doing to effect change, what changes they are working for — go beyond the talk. On a state and federal level, energy policy is going nowhere but warmer, lots of talk, lots of generation of CO2, and they’re not walking the walk. All the Minnesota legislative gains in wind and other “renewable” generation has been connected/tied with continued or ramped up noxious generation, coal and nuclear, when what we need is NO NEW COAL, and what we need is NO TRANSMISSION THAT FACILITATES NEW COAL. And don’t even get me going on our “Green Chameleon” Governor, or what these yahoos running for president think about coal… only Edwards has come out against new coal, Obama and Clinton are coal toadies.
On the other hand, there are a few of us working hard to stop the new coal plants and we’re doing pretty well, the utilities and promotesr are dropping plans, permits are being denied, contracts lost — check out the January/Feburary issue of Orion, look for “Stopping coal in its tracks.” It can be done, we’re doing it, but I sure wish that the policy wonks and well-funded “environmental” organizations would start leading and making real change, or at least get out of the way of those of us stopping coal.
… well, you asked!!!
By Tracy Davis, on January 8, 2008, 2:42 pm
There’s a brief writeup on the Northfield News website: Judge Rules Against ABE in Ethanol Plant Suit; Court says zoning ordinance is OK (look for story in Wednesday’s Northfield News print edition).
In his ruling, received by the township Monday, Wolf dismissed most of the charges made by ABE. They included:
- The township exceeded its rights in legislating a comprehensive planning and zoning ordinance to prohibit ethanol production;
- The ordinance was ineffective due to the township’s failure to present the ordinance to residents for a vote; and
- The timing of adoption of the ordinance was improper, and the township failed to give adequate notice of public hearings.
.
By Tracy Davis, on January 7, 2008, 2:39 pm
 In light of all the anti-religious sentiments posted here lately, I thought I’d perform an act of community service and warn people that there are a couple of very young and adorably sincere Mormons accosting innocent citizens on Division Street this afternoon….
.
.
By Griff Wigley, on January 3, 2008, 11:56 am
 
Kevin Dahle was shaking hands at the GBM early this morning. (“Be sure to vote tomorrow, Griff.”) Ray Cox was shaking hands at Carleton’s Sayles-Hill student center. I’m trying to get a photo of Vance Norgaard campaigning.
By Griff Wigley, on January 2, 2008, 4:15 pm
 I thought I’d go out on big limb here (heh) and reveal why I’m voting for Ray Cox tomorrow in the Senate District 25 special election.
First the disclaimers: I’m his blog coach and have been since 2002. He continues to pay me for technical work on both his company website, Northfield Construction Company (NCC), as well as his political blog, RayCox.net. My wife Robbie and I have been friends with Ray and his wife Ellen since their kids and our kids were in diapers, and then later when our kids all went to Prairie Creek Community School from the day it opened.
My political leanings? I’ve voted for Democratic party candidates way more than Republican party candidates over the years, with some Independence and Green Party votes along the way as well. in the 90s, I worked for 8 years at the left/progressive/liberal/green publication, Utne Reader. Nationally, I don’t think I’ve ever voted for a Republican for president and thus far for 2008, I really like what I’ve read about Barack Obama.
My political support for Ray began during his years on the Northfield school board, after he was one of two board members to vote to authorize a charter school sponsorship for the proposed Cannon Valley Middle School way back in the early 90s. I had no clue whether he was a Republican or Democrat then… it didn’t matter to me and of course, school board races are non-partisan.
But during those years, my Democratic Party leanings began to waiver when I saw how the DFL, the educational associations, and the teachers unions came out so harshly against the education choice-related legislation (charter schools, open enrollment, post-secondary enrollment options) and the DFL legislators who supported them like then-DFL Senator Ember Reichgott Junge (co-author of Minnesota’s charter school law).
I voted for Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Peter Hutchinson in 2006 but I wasn’t unhappy that Tim Pawlenty won, in part because I thought Mike Hatch would be a disastrous leader and in part because DFL control of the Minnesota House, Senate and governor’s office would have made me very nervous.
The Strib’s endorsement of Ray for his “bipartisan working style and independent thinking” with specific examples said it well. But it’s also important that the Senate Dems NOT have a super majority to override Pawlenty’s vetoes on a party line vote. I disagree with Pawlenty on many issues but he’s not on the extreme right and I think much can be gained for the state long-term by having the DFL find common ground with him and vice versa.
Besides Ray’s moderate stance on many issues, he’s got an ability to converse as easily with the liberal constituents who dominate Northfield as he does with the conservative constituents who dominate many other parts of Senate District 25. I value that a lot because there’s wisdom in both camps and it takes a certain kind of leader to tap into it. It may be that Kevin Dahle has that ability, too, but I’d like to see him demonstrate it at the local level in other roles besides those related to K-12 education.
 
Lastly, I really like Ray’s local civic involvement. He’s generous with his time (example, left photo: duct taping at the 2006 Jesse James Bike Tour) and he and his wife Ellen are generous with their money (example, right photo: at the 2006 Laura Baker annual fundraising gala with my wife Robbie). Long term civic involvement is an important indicator of a candidate’s credibility for me. (I like it that Kevin Dahle has a history of civic engagement, too.)
So there you have it. Whad’ya say? Vote for Ray!
By Griff Wigley, on December 30, 2007, 7:45 am
Here are the radio ads that are running on KYMN AM 1080 in support of the three District 25 Senate candidates. Each is 30 seconds long, except for Norgaard’s which is 15 seconds.
Continue reading Audio of Senate 25 election radio ads
By Griff Wigley, on December 27, 2007, 6:43 am
A week from today, Jan. 3, citizens head to the polls to elect one of the above candidates to the Minnesota District 25 Senate seat: L to R: Vance Norgaard, Ray Cox, Kevin Dahle.
Use the comment thread attached to this blog post to weigh in on the candidates as individuals, where they stand on the issues, and how they’re conducting their campaigns.
In Wednesday’s Northfield News, Dahle and Cox each have guest columns.
The paper’s letter-to-the-editor section (Wed., last weekend) has many letters on the race.
By Griff Wigley, on December 21, 2007, 7:08 am
Locally Grown Northfield and KYMN 1080 AM hosted a Senate District 25 candidates’ debate at The Grand Event Center last night.
  
Candidates L to R: Kevin Dahle, Vance Norgaard, Ray Cox.
  
Center: the LG triumvirate (Tracy, Ross, me) with the candidate trio (Vance, Ray, Kevin).
AUDIO
Click to play. 2 hours, 3 min. Or grab this downloadable MP3.
VIDEO
Hour 2
THANKS
Much appreciation to Paul Krause at Paul Krause Creative for doing the videotaping, to Jeff Johnson at KYMN for the audio, and Chuck Pryor at The Grand for the venue.
DISCUSSION
I’ve turned off the comments for this blog post, in favor of continuing the discussion started earlier this week in the Senate 25 debate at The Grand blog post. Trackbacks/pingbacks are still accepted.
By Griff Wigley, on December 18, 2007, 10:37 pm
 The results of today’s Republican primary for Senate District 25 are posted on the Secretary of State’s site.
Endorsed candidate Ray Cox won.
The totals:
- Ray Cox: 2029
- Keith Swenson: 363
- Rod Tietz: 649
By Griff Wigley, on December 18, 2007, 5:13 pm
 Shortly after lunch today, I paid a visit to Jerry Bilek at Monkey See Monkey Read to look for some xmas presents.
About ten minutes later, Ross stopped in to pick up an order.
About ten minutes later, Tracy stopped in to place an order.
We handed the camera to Jerry to take our photo, and we soon got to arguing over who got to buy the book.
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