News for Senate District 66
	Volume 1, Issue 5, September 2005

Important Dates:
Election Day: Tuesday, November 8
Next SD66 DFL meeting: Tuesday, November 29, at the St. Anthony Park Library

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SD 66 News and Extras

Coleman Outlines Progressive Vision for St. Paul

by Chris Coleman, DFL-Endorsed Candidate for Mayor of St. Paul

Chris Coleman

If what you seek in a budget is merely to make sure that column A and column B add up, we will know in the coming months whether the Mayor has succeeded in that task. But if your hope is that we as a city can become a community that provides a higher quality of life for all its citizens, it is clear from the outset that Kelly’s budget does not reflect your hopes.

Budgets reflect a mayor’s priorities and vision. As with individual budgets, where a mayor spends money is a pretty good indication of what is important to him or her. What troubles me about the budget unveiled by Mayor Kelly is that I see no indication of his vision for the future greatness and development of St. Paul.

We can boast that St. Paul has not increased its levy in over a decade. But is the disturbing increase in crime rates, particularly violent crime, the price we have paid for that frugality? Even when the mayor’s budget has addressed the acknowledged crime problem in St. Paul with the addition of 25 additional officers (not enough in my estimation), the mayor comes up short. Every cop will tell you that crime prevention is more effective than crime suppression. Where are the prevention dollars?

I think of a conversation I had recently with Gilbert Delao, a champion for kids in St. Paul. He spoke to me of the disturbing trends that he had noticed lately on the West Side. “We are going right back to where we were twenty years ago (in terms of gangs, violence, and kids without hope),” he told me. That’s happening because St. Paul has focused on crime suppression, not crime prevention. And guess who suffers most? Our youth.

Imagine a city where every child – no matter what income level – has a rec center to go to after school, a city where learning doesn’t end at 2:15 when the school doors close. Think of a city where kids flock to their neighborhood centers after school. During this “second shift,” kids are in a safe environment. There are adults who know their names. Someone is there to tutor them through difficult math or science problems. Rec center staff organizes games so that kids can grow and develop physically and emotionally. And when parents come by to pick their children up after a hard day’s work, they know that their kids have had a truly full day.

Chris Coleman with St. Paul Firefighters

This is the kind of vision I would like to have seen reflected in the Mayor’s budget – any indication that our children matter, that our city could become an even stronger place to own a business or raise a family, or any indication that Mayor Kelly is doing more than tending to his in-basket by balancing Column A with Column B. Moving a city forward in the 21^st century is not simply a matter of accounting, it’s a matter of financial investment. When the mayor refuses to make the investment needed to move our great city forward, he – and as a result we – allow St. Paul to slide backward toward mediocrity.

I love St. Paul too much to let that happen. How much better we could be with visionary leadership – the kind of leadership I want to provide. Unfortunately, Mayor Kelly’s budget continues a pattern, inspired by Republicans at the State and National levels, centered on what we won’t do, rather than what we can do.

Here's a link to the the Coleman Campaign website.

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School Board Chair Advocates Equality

by Elona Street-Stewart, Chair, St. Paul Board of Education

Elona Street-Stewart

The discussion provided an opportunity to reconstruct our community engagement in setting educational standards. By the end of the discussion it was clear that I believed discrimination could not be an adequate deterrent to academic achievement if all students were offered equitable opportunities. The quality of our public education reflects the investment of our nation in our young people.

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Who Knew Saving the World Could Be So Much Fun?

by Gloria Zaiger, DFL Activist and SD66 Affirmative Action Officer

Now I see that making change for our communities doesn’t start with the politicians; it starts with those of us who keep educated on the issues, get active in our communities, and help get the right people in office. All this can be accomplished by volunteering with your local DFL district. Some tasks are exciting, some tasks are bland, all make you feel wonderful when they’re accomplished. And to my surprise, even the bland tasks can be fun! Who knew I would laugh so hard while stuffing envelopes for my candidate? How could it be that sweating it out in the Donut Booth at the State Fair would be so memorable? And I could never have guessed at the wonderful feeling I got while registering people to vote. The list of tasks for volunteers is huge, something for everyone. Are you a good writer? The newsletter could use you. Like organizing picnics? We do one every year. Good on a PC? Help maintain our district’s web site. Love working with people? Volunteer at the DFL booth at the State Fair. And the list goes on.

Sometimes it can seem like the task is too remote from the issue you care about. For example, how can working on the DFL picnic help you save a wet land from being paved over? By bringing people who care about that wet land in direct contact with your elected officials. And, you’ll get direct contact with them too. Once you voice your concern, you make sure they can stay in office to fight for that cause.

I urge you, all of you, take a chance, make a change, do something new. Come to your local Senate District meeting on Sept 28, at the Rice Street Library, at 7 PM and find out more. Then get involved. You’ll be amazed at how good you’ll feel, how many cool people you’ll meet, and what a whopping good time you’ll have!

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Why I am Running for St. Paul School Board

by Tom Goldstein, DFL-endorsed candidate

Tom Goldstein

I decided to run for school board primarily because I’m tired of the de-funding and marginalization of public education and all the great things that good schools can do for children and communities. I have seen the toll that a never-ending cycle of budget cuts has taken on our schools, and I am no longer willing to sit by and watch this process happen without trying to do something to reverse it.

We should be talking about what more we can do for kids, not how much less we’re willing to accept. How does cutting staff, neglecting libraries, and eliminating sports teams and extracurricular activities make us a better community? How do larger class sizes and deferred maintenance make our children better and broaden their horizons? It’s great to talk about efficiencies and cost-saving measures, but I’ve yet to see how forcing all kids to fit into one particular learning track makes them better citizens, or how it opens their minds to the kind of creativity they need to develop if they’re going to survive and thrive in this global economy that promises no jobs or a certain future to anyone.

At my son’s school, I have served as PTO chair and member of the Site Council. I’ve also participated on the steering committee of a statewide parents organization that has been pushing for funding increases in K-12 education the past two years. But it is not the job of parents to provide the leadership we need to change the dynamic in how we fund and value public schools in St. Paul. That’s the responsibility of our elected officials, and I plan to be an activist school board member who is out in front on the issues rather than waiting for parents to get angry enough to take action.

Those who have worked with me know that I am not afraid to be combative on an issue if that is what the situation requires, but my general style is to work collaboratively and effectively at achieving the best solution possible. The years ahead will pose many challenges for St. Paul Schools, given the continued outflow of students to the suburbs and private schools. To reverse that trend, we will need leadership at all levels of city government, from the mayor’s office on down, fully engaging the business community, labor, and all the other stakeholders in the city. I plan to be an integral part of that effort.

I am trying to run the kind of campaign that will excite and engage folks like you who care about this party, this city, and our schools. But no campaign can be a success without the active participation of citizens like you. So, I hope you will find some time in the weeks and months ahead to give a few hours volunteering on my campaign, because there’s plenty of work to be done between now and the general election on Nov. 8^th. Feel free to contact me directly by email or visit our campaign website for more information.

Together, we can do great things for kids!

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Why the Partial Government Shutdown?
Our Legislator Provides Insight on the Special Session

by Representative John Lesch, 66A

John Lesch

The experience was a frustrating one for everyone – from ever-shifting proposals that made reaching an agreement difficult to a partial government shut-down that left thousands of hard-working state employees without their paychecks to even a power failure that put the capitol in the dark delaying the votes needed to put the session to rest – this special session has been a frustrating roller coaster ride that has finally come to an end.

Especially frustrating to me was the partial government shutdown. It wasn’t necessary and left good state employees out of work through no fault of their own. I voted several times for legislation that would have kept state government operating until a deal could be reached, but unfortunately, the House majority refused to agree to this decent gesture on behalf of state employees and the citizens who depend on them and chose instead to allow the state’s work to come to a standstill.

Many people in the district have asked me why it was so difficult to reach an agreement. From my viewpoint, there were two primary reasons.

First, the Governor insisted on inserting numerous “pet” proposals into the negotiations that had nothing to do with the basic work of agreeing on a budget. At different points he insisted on school vouchers, private school tax credit programs, initiative and referendum, a “taxpayers’ bill of rights,” limitations on teachers’ collective bargaining rights, a unicameral legislature and other proposals, many of which were never voted on or ultimately failed to pass one, or both, houses. Pushing these divisive and partisan issues into the forefront distracted negotiators from basic budgetary work and unnecessarily lengthened the special session.

Second, the negotiation process was sometimes contradictory. For example, at one point the House Education Working Group put forward an offer to use Racino funds to support education, saying they had the authority of the Republican Leadership to make the offer. At the same time, in a different location, Speaker Sviggum was making a different offer using Racino funds for a different purpose. It was unclear who to believe and, thankfully, in the end, we managed to defeat any Racino legislation while still providing needed money for schools and health care.

That leads me to my final point: the one positive result of the lengthy special session is that we stood firm in insisting on a budget that reflects key Minnesota values. While the budget is not perfect and contains items I voted against, House and Senate Democrats held fast to the core values that Minnesotans have come to expect and deserve: quality education, affordable and accessible health care, and protection for taxpayers. While it is important to “get the job done,” it is also important to “get the job done right”" by ensuring these values are upheld. Despite the messy process, I believe that in the end, the job was – for the most part – done right.

The final budget included 4% increases in per student school funding (double the Governor’s request) for the next two years to stop the fiscal bleeding of our schools and prevent teacher lay-offs; retention of 27,000 working Minnesotans on MinnesotaCare; and relief for homeowners to help hold down property taxes. In addition, money was provided to keep our buses rolling and avert many of the proposed transit cuts.

Earlier in the year, the Legislature passed a sweeping bonding bill that invests in our future and will create 10,000 jobs. The minimum wage was increased for the first time since 1997. A strong public safety bill was enacted that cracks down on sex offenders and tackles the growing meth problem. Our higher education system received a substantial increase in base funding to stem rising tuition hikes. And, the minimum content requirement for ethanol in fuels sold in Minnesota will double over the next eight years, reducing smog in the Twin Cities while boosting the economy of Greater Minnesota.

These gains did not come easily and represent big wins for the people of St. Paul and the state of Minnesota. I hope we can build on them in the future and work together to avoid the difficulties we encountered in reaching agreement this session.

Thank you for the honor of representing you at the Capitol. Please always feel free to contact me whenever I can be of assistance.

You can contact John Lesch via his Legislature page on the Web.

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Mayor Kelly’s Budget Raises Taxes and Fees While Lowering Expectations

by Lee Helgen, St. Paul City Councilmember

Lee Helgen

The Mayor’s proposed budget is at best uninspired, but it does put to rest the no new taxes mantra and the notion that we simply have a spending problem. The Mayor’s budget increases the property tax levy by 3% (or $1.8 million dollars) to add 25 police officers and 3 firefighters along with several fee increases and a range of budget cuts. I think we can generally agree on the need for additional police officers and firefighters. However, I believe that we must do more to meet the challenges facing Saint Paul.

In my view, the budget provides an opportunity to articulate a meaningful vision for the future of Saint Paul. Clearly, Mayor Kelly’s budget proposal is a missed opportunity. I would like to see a greater emphasis on crime prevention and community building rather than focusing so heavily on law enforcement. I think it is critical that we address the digital divide to support the knowledge economy of the future by ensuring the availability of high-speed broadband internet access for all families.

The arts and culture are part of what makes Saint Paul such a great place to live and I expected to see a more focused effort in support of these outstanding institutions. One of my passions is in the area of environmental stewardship and sustainability. I think the City should do more to promote green building design, energy efficiency, and the restoration of natural areas. From my perspective, fiscal responsibility must include some measure of strategic investment.

What troubles me most is that the Mayor’s budget approach stifles creativity, limits innovation, and discourages proactive responses to community problems. During the Mayor’s budget address Mayor Kelly repeatedly stated that he would veto any proposal that raised taxes beyond 3% no matter how creative or thoughtful the proposal. In my opinion, this style of adversarial leadership reflects poorly on the City of Saint Paul and our tradition of common sense working together to solve community problems. We can and we should demand better.

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John Brodrick Seeks Re-Election

by John Brodrick, St. Paul Board of Education

John Brodrick

Of course, there is still much more work to be done. During my four years on the Board, I have gained valuable experience to add to my lifelong background in Saint Paul. I truly believe this combination makes me an asset to the Board. Please give me your support and your vote.

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