April 8-10, 2008
Apr 08 08:13 What Choice Did He Have, Rep. Sertich? Apr 08 10:03 Dan Severson on the Bonding Bill Apr 08 10:26 The Heart of the Matter Apr 08 20:42 Mayor Kleis' State of St. Cloud Speech Apr 08 23:52 Tarryl Answers My Question Apr 09 12:14 A Religious Public School? Apr 09 16:23 BREAKING NEWS!!! BREAKING NEWS!!! Apr 10 10:46 DeSoto Bridge Being Replaced Apr 10 18:04 Whopper Files
What Choice Did He Have, Rep. Sertich?
According to this article , Tony Sertich thinks that Gov. Pawlenty cut too many things in the Bonding Bill that are in DFL districts. Rep. Sertich is right in saying that alot of the cuts came in DFL districts. Here's what he said after learning of Gov. Pawlenty's line item vetoes:
House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, said the governor singled out projects in Democratic districts for line-item vetoes -- particularly St. Paul, which will host the Republican National Convention in September and is the home city of the lead House negotiator on bonding, Rep. Alice Hausman.There's a valid reason why he vetoed so many projects in DFL-represented areas. It's because the vast majority of projects were in DFL districts.
"What the governor did today is he vetoed jobs," Sertich said. "There was punishment by the governor, undue punishment."
Bud Heidgerken has a different take on Gov. Pawlenty's vetoes:
While pleased that funding for Ridgewater and infrastructure projects remained in the bill, Rep. Bud Heidgerken, R-Freeport, said he wished Pawlenty would have cut even more from the $925 million bonding package.I wouldn't have had a problem with vetoing out the arenas. I also think it's a valid point to say that more bonding money should've been used on infrastructure items like wastewater treatment plants.
Pawlenty had warned legislators to keep the bill to $825 million. Pawlenty cut $208 million, which put the final bill at $717 million.
Heidgerken said Pawlenty "didn't go far enough" and that another $100 million "could've been lopped off" by eliminating requests for all hockey arenas.
If communities want hockey arenas, "they should pay for it" said Heidgerken, who is not a fan of any kind of bonding bill because it burdens future generations with debt. As long as there is going to be a bonding bill, Heidgerken said it should be used to fund improvements to the state's colleges and community wastewater infrastructure projects.
Last night, I sent an email to Rep. Larry Haws asking for his opinion of the bonding bill. I just got Rep. Haws' statement. Here's his statement:
Minnesota - It's A Bonding Bill!
St. Paul, MN - Today, the Governor signed a $716 million dollar bonding bill that will pay for renovations and new construction on such public work projects like colleges, prisons, wastewater treatment facilities, and regional civic centers.
"Every State Legislator's first reaction should not be about whether or not their individual projects made the cut; it should be about Minnesota," said State Representative Larry Haws. "After all, we are one Minnesota. And in this challenging economy what's good for Minnesota is jobs and more jobs. Of course, the second reaction shared by legislators should rightly be to inquire about what's left of projects and jobs in their districts. We all want to put Minnesotans back to work."
State Representative Haws chief authored seven bills that will receive funding in excess of $30 million dollars. Because of his efforts, key St. Cloud projects in the final bill include funds for the St. Cloud Convention Center, St. Cloud Technical College to design the allied health building, St. Cloud State University to design an integrated science and engineering lab and renovate Brown Hall, the science building on campus. Also, asset preservation projects include a roof repair of St Cloud National Armory, Saint Cloud University repairs and replaces boilers, roofs, chiller systems, and emergency power systems, and St. Cloud Technical College replace electrical components and roofs. Dehler Park in Sartell will get the necessary funds to re-establish wetlands and improve trails.
"If my conservative friends were seeking advice, I would tell them to add another $100 million into asset preservation because we are only doing 20 percent of what we could and should be doing for the repair and maintenance of prisons, universities and colleges - and still not break the bank," said State Representative Haws. "I want to congratulate all those folks that worked hard on these projects and give a special salutation to the Saint Cloud Area Chamber."
Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2008 8:13 AM
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Dan Severson on the Bonding Bill
Here's Dan Severson's statement on the Bonding Bill:
Dear friends-Representative Severson is exactly right that the DFL wasn't willing to make the difficult choices to trim this bill down to fit within Dr. Stinson's responsible guidelines. There's troubled economic times ahead for Minnesota and the nation in general. We'll need wise financial stewards to guide us through those times.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty finished the job left undone by the Legislature, trimming more than $208 million from the bonding bill Monday and signing it into action.
What we're left with is a $717 million bonding bill that still funds our priority projects, but Pawlenty used line item vetoes to eliminate some of the wasteful pork passed to him from the Legislature. Funding for the Central Corridor and high-speed rail lines, gorilla exhibit and sheet music museum were among the cuts.
One local project that was not a victim of the governor's veto pen was funding for land, the Dahler property adjacent to Whitney Park in St. Cloud, where we're working to establish a regional park. Needed improvements to St. Cloud State University and St. Cloud Technical College, the St. Cloud Civic Center and National Hockey Center also remained in the bonding bill.
The Legislature forwarded a bloated bonding bill to Pawlenty last week; it was $100 million above the $825 million cap recommended by Dr. Tom Stinson, our non-partisan state economist. Stinson said bonding for more than $825 million would have damaged Minnesota's AAA credit rating.
I applaud Pawlenty for reining-in bonding spending. Another alternative was for the governor to veto the entire bill, but that may have jeopardized funding for some of our core needs. There is no guarantee the Legislature would have sent him a revised bonding bill this session.
What's disappointing is the majority party in the Legislature set Pawlenty up to be the "bad guy" by putting the onus on him to make cuts. The House and the Senate were unable to make tough choices to live within our bonding bill means, so they pawned that responsibility off on the governor.
This is not an encouraging sign: We are facing a $1 billion deficit and yet certain members of the House and Senate refuse to meet the challenge of correcting our fiscal course. The question that begs itself is, why were we legislators elected to office? Legislators who aren't willing to make the hard decisions to live within their means are not doing their job.
Generally speaking, the DFL has failed thus far in this respect. Last year, they first argued that we didn't really have a budget surplus because we didn't include inflation into the budget forecast. When Gov. Pawlenty vetoed the bill containing that policy change, the DFL then proceeded to spend every penny of the surplus they said we didn't have.
Now that we're facing a $935 million deficit, they had the opportunity to act in a fiscally responsible manner. Instead, they passed a bloated bonding bill that didn't reflect the right priorities. Instead, it reflected their priority of mixing lots of money spent on their political allies with spending money on Minnesota's top priorities.
If Minnesotans want a fiscally responsible legislature this time next year, they need to elect people who are committed to being fiscally responsible. The DFL's track record or unsustainable spending increases, overbloated bonding bills and crippling tax increases says that they aren't fiscally responsible.
Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2008 10:06 AM
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The Heart of the Matter
This Rochester Post-Bulletin editorial lays things out as well as anything I've read on the matter. Here's the section that best tells the story:
Why were other portions of the state, St. Paul in particular, hit so hard? We suspect that the governor was still smarting from the Legislature's override of his transportation bill veto, and on Monday he clearly regained some lost turf. Legislators can cry foul all they want, but they shouldn't really be surprised. Pawlenty has made cost-containment a top priority, and he'd drawn a line in the sand, an $825 million cap on the bonding bill.That's put as succinctly as anything I've read thus far so I won't attempt to say anything more.
Legislators trampled past it to the tune of more than $100 million, and have paid a price for tempting fate.
That's why we can't help but agree with the spirit, if not the manner, of Pawlenty's action. Among many legislators, there seems to be an attitude that the bonding bill doesn't involve real money, that even in a time when belt-tightening is happening everywhere, this statewide "jobs program" should be as big as possible. "Share the wealth!" and "We want our fair share!" seem to be the rallying cries, as city and state officials keep score of who received how much and fight to be first in line for the next round of handouts.
Does the bonding bill fund important projects? Absolutely. Would we favor nixing the whole concept? Absolutely not.
But we're more convinced than ever that when things get tight, Minnesota shouldn't keep charging things on its credit card as if unemployment were low, the stock market was soaring and homes were selling in six days, not six months.
Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2008 10:26 AM
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Mayor Kleis' State of St. Cloud Speech
As an influential member of the St. Cloud media, Mayor Kleis sent me a copy of his State of the City speech. Here's the text of that speech:
This year the City of St. Cloud turned 152 years old. St. Cloud's beginning was that of three separate hamlets on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, rich in farming, fur trading, lumber mills, and stonemasonry, yet each settlement was culturally different. Those three hamlets came together and merged into one city. The City of St. Cloud today has grown into a vibrant and flourishing regional center of economic, educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities, yet, like our early days, we continue to face issues, and, we find that these issues can be resolved by working together. In fact it was Henry Ford who said, "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."I actually got a preview of the speech yesterday when I had lunch with Mayor Kleis. The thing that impressed me was the vision that Mayor Kleis has for St. Cloud. He's committed to making the smartest use of the taxpayers' dollars.
As we come together today, the STATE OF THE CITY OF ST CLOUD is as solid as the granite foundation it is built on. We credit our successful growth and expansion to our heritage, the leaders and citizens who guided us, showing us that working together is powerful. Citizen involvement, partnerships, retail and commercial businesses, our arts district, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and certainly our neighborhoods and residents are important to our thriving community.
During the past few months, St. Cloud has received many noteworthy acknowledgements. We were recognized on an international stage as the best in planning for the future, and were selected as one of the most Livable Cities in the world. In the April 2008 issue of County Home Magazine, St. Cloud was featured as one of the top 25 best Green cities in America. Fortune Magazine lists St. Cloud as one of the top 100
cities in U.S. to launch a new business. And, a publication by Farmers Insurance ranked St. Cloud as one of the safest cities in the United States, and, the lists goes on.
Forming Partnerships and seeking Citizen Involvement has strengthened our community. We have fostered relationships with St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud Technical College, and District 742, joining forces to resolve community issues of parking, cleaning-up neighborhoods, curtailing underage drinking, supporting a late night bus for college students; partnering on Move-In Day and Homecoming; working with rental homes and landlord issues, partnering on joint planning efforts and ongoing efforts to address public safety concerns, all of us working towards change for the better.
The Joint Powers Agreement between the City of St. Cloud and District 742 provides fiber links for St. Cloud Technical College, the Courts Facility, MnDOT, and Stearns County. The Central MN Regional Radio Board consists of 19 Central MN counties and the City of St. Cloud to provide governance of the Public Safety 800 MHz radio system; and our media departments work together on broadcasting. Our Police Department provides public safety to our schools by providing School Resource officers, a program which has shown positive results.
The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, St. Cloud Building & Trades Council, The St. Cloud Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Partnership, the Downtown Council, and many others should be commended for taking the lead on the Civic Center expansion, because of their hard work the legislature passed and yesterday Governor Pawlenty signed a State Capital Investment bill appropriating $2 million to begin the expansion project his year, 270 new jobs, 100 new construction jobs, $32.4 million in economic impact. In today's economy this is the shot in the arm we need.
Private and public organizations continue to volunteer time and efforts, showing us successful results. A few examples include: the construction of the new St. Cloud Public Library scheduled to open this summer; the three-phase construction of the Eastman Regional Park (Lake George) Plaza; the construction of two new fire station facilities to open later this year; the expansion of our Regional Airport Terminal building and the Army National Guard*s construction of the Army Aviation Support Facility; and the soon-to-begin construction of a new police station. Our largest employer in the City of St. Cloud, the St. Cloud Hospital/CentraCare Health System, is undergoing a major improvement and expansion project investing over $200 million in our community at this time. We are blessed in this community to have a hospital consistently designated as one of the top 100 in the country. Our community has emerged as a state-of-the-art regional health care center offering the best-quality medical care possible.
Our City can certainly boast a remarkable face-lift and restoration of our downtown area. Thanks to the great work of the Downtown Council and significant private investments, new businesses are opening, and if you like to eat, in addition to the great places that have always been downtown, new places are open or soon-to-open: Jimmy John*s, Subway, Salad bowl, Meeting Grounds, 5th Avenue Grill, Mi Famiglia, White Horse Grill, ING Cafe and the re-opening of Hemsings.
The new ING building is soon to open downtown adding over 400 new jobs to St. Cloud. The new Centre Square Parking ramp has opened. This 525-stall ramp provides capacity to support the parking needs of the new ING building and other area businesses. But stay tuned, FIFTH AVENUE LIVE, a mixed use development to become the gateway to the downtown and St. Cloud State University is in the planning stages. And thanks to our success with the state's bonding bill, that project can go forward, over $50 million dollars in private investment, what an exciting rebirth!
However, a recent event has created a challenge. Minnesota Department of Transportations' closing of the Desoto Bridge on March 20th has caused some significant traffic issues in the heart our city. We support MnDOTs decision to close the bridge for safety reasons. We certainly would rather close a bridge than have one fall down; and our city engineers, police and MNDOT folks have done their best at keeping traffic flowing thru the detour. Our traffic engineers will continue to make adjustments to keep traffic flowing the best we can. We appreciate motorists* patience during this time. As for what's next? On Thursday MNDOT will make it's decision about the bridge as to replacement and/or repair and the timeline. We continue to communicate with the local MNDOT folks, the Transportation Commissioner, the Governor's office as well as our state and federal lawmakers. Our message is simple! "Replace the Bridge as soon as humanly possible."
We would like to see it on a fast track. DeSoto Bridge was scheduled to be replaced in 2015 and even before the bridge was closed, it was looking like the project was going to be moved up to 2010. In addition, we have been anticipating next year's major reconstruction of Hwy 23 from the DeSoto Bridge west toward Washington Memorial Drive. It makes sense to do those projects together, a two-year construction cycle, rather than five, would save money and time and ease the impact of the closure.
One of our most important partnerships begins with our neighborhoods and their involvement. Groups including Eastside Boosters, Neighborhood University Community Council; the Healthy Neighborhood Partnership; the Neighborhood Coalition and other various neighborhood groups have worked with the City on Housing, Nuisances, and Zoning enforcement. The Housing and Code Enforcement Division began in 2007 with many challenges. Citizen recommendations created new approaches to enforcement. New initiatives were implemented and staff completed a record-breaking number of inspections and re-inspections. Housing, nuisance and zoning inspections totaled more than 6,100 inspections and re-inspections. The City is currently working on a land development code that establishes new standards to meet the Comprehensive Plan's goal of enhancing landscaping, urban design, and character of the community. A study committee of local residents and business representatives has presented a draft that is currently under review by the City Council. The goal of improving the community's aesthetics is one of the initiatives most strongly supported by participants preparing the Comprehensive Plan.
The City continued its on-going commitment to the improvement and revitalization of neighborhoods with completion of the first phase of the 8th Avenue North and vicinity neighborhood improvements. Several neighborhoods will be targeted over the next few years for sidewalk repairs and alley resurfacing. The reconstruction of East St. Germain is complete. The 9th Avenue North improvements are complete. The construction of the long-awaited 44th Avenue North/Waite Park improvements is scheduled to commence this summer, this is cooperative venture between the City of St. Cloud and the City of Waite Park. Cooper Avenue South between 33rd and 38th Streets South will be reconstructed and widened this year. Pine Cone Road and West Metro Corridor Improvements are scheduled to commence next year.
Regional cooperative transportation planning and implementation are vital to our area. St. Cloud partners with many entities when it comes to transportation. St. Cloud is a partner in planning for the much anticipated Northstar Corridor and provides support to the national award winning St. Cloud Metro Bus. We've joined forces with Stearns County, Waite Park, the Area Planning Organization, and MnDot on County State Aid Highway 75/Trunk Hwy 23 Corridor Study; the 33rd Street South Corridor; Southwest Beltway Study; and working with Sherburne County and the APO on the University Drive Environmental Assessment. Stearns Electric, East Central Energy, St. Cloud Opportunities, St. Cloud*s HRA, and the St. Cloud Area Economic Development Partnership have worked with us on the development of the I-94 Business Park and the Airport Business Park. And, we continue to work with the state and federal officials on seeking resources for transportation and for airport upgrade and expansion.
The City of St. Cloud continues to support regional cooperation. Area Cities continue to meet regularly on joint efforts such as: sewer and water , Human Rights, the new Library, and local sales tax projects. We do a number of things regionally and we work well together. However, I know we can do better, and we owe it to our taxpayers to try. Next month I will be calling on our area Mayors to join me for a "Mayor's Summit" at our new Library (although it will still be under construction) I'd like to get together there, because the Library is being built as a regional project, supported by our voters in each of our cities. The Library is a solid example of regional cooperation, let's build on that foundation.
There is much the City is doing to conserve energy and improve the environment. In keeping with those efforts, we are about to initiate green improvements at the Municipal Athletic Complex. Knowing that the most important mechanical components of the Ice Arenas (mostly Torrey Arena) have lasted much longer than anyone would expect, we are planning on a major renovation of the facilities.
Most of the equipment in need of replacement was installed in 1972, so we expected to be able to install more energy efficient systems today. And, we could install similar equipment and technology that would indeed be more energy efficient. However, we have identified a high performance green solution that will provide a sustainable solution for the arena's long-term operation. We will install a Geo-Exchange System which is the most efficient technology available today that will reduce electric usage by 34%, nearly eliminate the use of natural gas, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This use of geothermal heat pumps and state of the art controlling systems will reduce carbon emissions equal to getting 34 vehicles off the road, save electricity to power 31 homes, save natural gas in an amount to heat 81 homes, save the MAC budget over $110,000 annually, all with a payback that is significantly shorter than a traditional system.
BUDGET
St. Cloud's overall financial condition is sound; our bond ratings have been upgraded and our financial management is strong, but we are feeling the pressures of the slowing economy. The City depends heavily on three sources of revenue to fund its operations: property tax, local government aid from the State of Minnesota, and user fees & charges for services and permits.
St. Cloud is not immune to the housing crisis facing the nation. It is a challenge we continue to work on with our neighborhoods and our state and federal officials. In the past we experienced significant increases in our total market value, in fact as high as 12% in 2003, 2004, and 2005. This growth has slowed to 3.7% in 2008 and 2.4% in 2009. While it is unknown at this time, with the state facing significant budget shortfall, we do not expect an increase in Local Government Aid from the State in 2009. And, the slowing economy could reduce our revenues generated from some fees and charges.
We are fortunate that last year during our annual budget process we looked ahead two years instead of only one. While we can predict the market value, and therefore the property tax income, we cannot predict what the Legislature will return to our community in Local Government Aid. So, as we prepare for the rest of 2008, we have been adjusting expenditures in anticipation of a challenging 2009. Much like any of you would do with your household budgets or business budgets, city government must live within its means and make adjustments to balance.
In the City's case, at this time, those adjustments mean a hiring freeze, at least until we hear what Local Government Aid will be in 2009. It means a reduction of expenditures in the current year that can be sustained through 2009. And lastly, it means a look at a prudent and reasonable use of fund balance to help us through this difficult time. In doing all this, we will continue to adhere to the City policy requiring that the tax levy be limited to the rate of growth and inflation in the market value. We will not raise the tax rate. And, we will adhere to the pledge we made prior to the referendum of 2006 to increase our public safety efforts by constructing new buildings and hiring firefighters and police officers. We will keep the commitment the voters approved.
I strive to be accessible to the public. Weekly I conduct Town Hall Meetings at various places and times around our community. There are also opportunities every Tuesday and Friday mornings to call into my local radio shows at 8 a.m. Your concerns are addressed. In fact on one of my very first radio shows, an individual called in about the train whistles, could they be silenced? Well, because of that call, some folks are sleeping better on the southeast side, and based on the Council*s action last night, soon to be sleeping better on the northeast side, as well.
Citizen involvement is important. In June I am planning to host a LISTENING WEEK and during that week, there will be a specific LISTENING DAY. It will be a full 24-hour period where the public can meet with me and City staff to discuss matters that are important to you. It won't matter what shift you work, we'll be available. More information on the LISTENING WEEK will be coming soon.
Many people step up and contribute to make this community great by volunteering their time, their talents, and their treasures. From the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program; The Whitney Senior Center, the United Way; Create CommUNITY, whose mission is "to provide a welcoming, non-discriminatory environment with respect and opportunity for all;" to the many service organizations, Veterans' groups, and faith-based organizations, all these people volunteer thousands and thousands of hours. It's amazing!!!
Vince Lombardi once said, "Individual commitment to a group effort, that is what makes a good team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." There are many opportunities for you to step up. There are boards and commissions to serve on. Contact my office if you are interested, the only qualification is "a willingness to serve."
Speaking of "pitching in", I've designated April as Spring Clean-up Month. I'm encouraging the City to not only beautify our city, but to GET FIT while doing so. Neighborhoods, groups, organizations, schools, and individuals are encouraged to pick a day in April to volunteer to clean an alley, a park, a school, a boulevard, a neighborhood street, a wetland, or any public space. Contact the City and we will provide you with special garbage bags and gloves and a drop-off site for your collected garbage. AND, the GET FIT part, mowing your lawn, cleaning your garden, raking, pulling weeds, all of these physical efforts certainly help to keep one fit. (PAUSE: *CHALLENGE* ~ and ~ *MARATHON* )
I look forward to this year*s summer festival and the many exciting events planned for Granite City Days, June 26-29! A lot of your favorite activities will return with a lot of new entertainment and events. Thursday's opening event will feature Tonic Sol Fa and St. Cloud Symphony, and Friday's Liberty Block Party will bring to the stage The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. (ELABORATE) Go to the web site, www.granitecitydays.com for a list of events. Also, as Minnesota celebrates its 150th birthday and America's Independence Day, we look forward to the American Legion Post 76*s Fourth of July FreedomFest and Fireworks. (Thank Post 76 and Veterans)
And, lastly, be a good citizen! Say hello to your neighbor; do something nice for someone in our community. You know when there is an issue with a neighbor, don't always make government your first call, take the initiative to call your neighbor. Get to know them. In closing, I would like to share a quote with you The author is unknown, but its message is important:
"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I
couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on my town. Their impact could have changed the nation, and I could indeed have changed the world."
St. Cloud has great people, that's why we are a great place to live!
May God continue to bless St. Cloud, our state, and our nation! Thank you.
That's why they looked into the Geo-Exchange System "which is the most efficient technology available today that will reduce electric usage by 34%." According to Mayor Kleis, the MAC's operating expenses will be $110,000 a year lower with this new system. He says that those savings are so big that this new state-of-the-art system will pay for itself within 5 years.
By comparison, a more efficient model of the system currently used by the MAC would pay for itself within 18-22 years.
The biggest benefit is that this will play a key roll in keeping St. Cloud's property taxes stable. How many cities can say that?
Here's what Mayor Kleis said about the benefits of the Geo-Exhange System:
We will install a Geo-Exchange System which is the most efficient technology available today that will reduce electric usage by 34%, nearly eliminate the use of natural gas, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This use of geothermal heat pumps and state of the art controlling systems will reduce carbon emissions equal to getting 34 vehicles off the road, save electricity to power 31 homes, save natural gas in an amount to heat 81 homes, save the MAC budget over $110,000 annually, all with a payback that is significantly shorter than a traditional system.Now that's smart. How can you not make that your choice? Here's something else that St. Cloud should be thankful for:
Our City can certainly boast a remarkable face-lift and restoration of our downtown area. Thanks to the great work of the Downtown Council and significant private investments, new businesses are opening, and if you like to eat, in addition to the great places that have always been downtown, new places are open or soon-to-open: Jimmy John*s, Subway, Salad bowl, Meeting Grounds, 5th Avenue Grill, Mi Famiglia, White Horse Grill, ING Cafe and the re-opening of Hemsings.The bonding bill is only part of the investment in revitalizing Downtown St. Cloud. $50 million worth of private investment is really the heart of the revitalization. That private investment will strengthen St. Cloud's tax base, which will stabilize our property taxes.
The new ING building is soon to open downtown adding over 400 new jobs to St. Cloud. The new Centre Square Parking ramp has opened. This 525-stall ramp provides capacity to support the parking needs of the new ING building and other area businesses. But stay tuned, FIFTH AVENUE LIVE, a mixed use development to become the gateway to the downtown and St. Cloud State University is in the planning stages. And thanks to our success with the state's bonding bill, that project can go forward, over $50 million dollars in private investment, what an exciting rebirth!
The bottom line for me is that St. Cloud is in good hands. Mayor Kleis is putting the right people together to keep investment high and taxes stable. We have challenges but they're challenges that present opportunities. Like Mayor Kleis told me, reforms don't happen until just before a problem becomes a crisis. I agree. As long as you stay calm, cool and collected, things work out well.
Based on his track record during public life, I'd say that Mayor Kleis is one cool customer. That's why we're heading in the right direction.
Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2008 11:55 PM
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Tarryl Answers My Question
Last Friday, I said that I'd like to ask Tarryl and Pogie what their instructions to Keith Langseth were. This evening, Tarryl gave me the answer to that question in her weekly e-letter. Here's what she said about the Capital Investment bill:
The Jobs and Capital Investment Act was signed into law yesterday by Governor Pawlenty. I know you are aware I worked very closely with Senate Capital Investment Committee members and Chair Keith Langseth, the House (particular thanks to Reps. Haws and Hosch) and the Administration to make sure all of these important projects remained in the bill. Together with many of you and the hours you put in (special thanks to the crew at SCSU, Mayor Kleis, and Teresa Bohnen and the Chamber), we saw success.In admitting that she "worked very closely with Senate Capital Investment Committee members and Chair Keith Langseth", she's attaching herself to the architect of an irresponsible Capital Investment bill. In so doing, that means that she's just as fiscally irresponsible as Sen. Langseth.
It's also worth noting that she ignored the influence Steve Gottwalt had last weekend with Gov. Pawlenty while trumping up the role that Larry Hosch had in St. Cloud's getting awarded in this bonding bill. I'm not criticizing Rep. Hosch. It's just that I don't know what role Rep. Hosch had in the bonding bill beyond voting for it.
In all likelihood, those mentions likely have everything to do with election year politics and little to do with who does or doesn't deserve credit. It's obvious that Tarryl didn't praise Steve to give Joanne Dorscher a better shot at defeating Steve.
As for Rep. Hosch, I don't know if there was anything in the bill that affected his district. There might've been but I don't recall it. Here's an outright Tarryl whopper:
Lawmakers had very tough choices to make as more than three-fourths of all the proposed projects were rejected in drafting the final bill. The final bill passed by the Legislature was passed on a bipartisan basis and ensured the bonds would stay within state financing guidelines, including keeping borrowing within 3% at all times.That's hogwash. Gov. Pawlenty's liberal use of his Taxpayer Protection Pen is the only thing that kept the bill under the 3% limit.
Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2008 11:52 PM
No comments.
A Religious Public School?
Kathy Kersten has a great article in today's Strib on a charter school in which religion isn't just taught, it's mandatory. After reading the article, I have numerous concerns. Here's the heart of Ms. Kersten's article:
TIZA has many characteristics that suggest a religious school. It shares the headquarters building of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, whose mission is "establishing Islam in Minnesota." The building also houses a mosque. TIZA's executive director, Asad Zaman, is a Muslim imam, or religious leader, and its sponsor is an organization called Islamic Relief.First off, it's troublesome that TIZA's executive director would directly lie to Ms. Kersten. That's clearly meant to hide something from the taxpayers who fund the school. That's really just the tip of the iceberg, though. I just googled Islamic Relief to find out more about them since IR is the school's sponsor. Here's what I found :
Students pray daily, the cafeteria serves halal food, [food] permissible under Islamic law, and "Islamic Studies" is offered at the end of the school day.
Zaman maintains that TIZA is not a religious school. He declined, however, to allow me to visit the school to see for myself, "due to the hectic schedule for statewide testing." But after I e-mailed him that the Minnesota Department of Education had told me that testing would not begin for several weeks, Zaman did not respond, even to urgent calls and e-mails seeking comment before my first column on TIZA.
Now, however, an eyewitness has stepped forward. Amanda Getz of Bloomington is a substitute teacher. She worked as a substitute in two fifth-grade classrooms at TIZA on Friday, March 14. Her experience suggests that school-sponsored religious activity plays an integral role at TIZA.
Arriving on a Friday, the Muslim holy day, she says she was told that the day's schedule included a "school assembly" in the gym after lunch.
Before the assembly, she says she was told, her duties would include taking her fifth-grade students to the bathroom, four at a time, to perform "their ritual washing."
Afterward, Getz said, "teachers led the kids into the gym, where a man dressed in white with a white cap, who had been at the school all day," was preparing to lead prayer. Beside him, another man "was prostrating himself in prayer on a carpet as the students entered."
"The prayer I saw was not voluntary," Getz said. "The kids were corralled by adults and required to go to the assembly where prayer occurred."
Islamic Studies was also incorporated into the school day. "When I arrived, I was told 'after school we have Islamic Studies,' and I might have to stay for hall duty," Getz said. "The teachers had written assignments on the blackboard for classes like math and social studies. Islamic Studies was the last one, the board said the kids were studying the Qu'ran. The students were told to copy it into their planner, along with everything else. That gave me the impression that Islamic Studies was a subject like any other."
IRW was established in England in 1984 by Dr. Hani Al-Banna, who remains its President to this day. Al-Banna is a former trustee of Muslim Aid (MA), a global charity based in London. While Al-Banna was associated with MA, the group was a "partner organization" to the Al-Salah Islamic Association , a Gaza-based entity that the U.S. Treasury Department designated as a " Key Support Node " for the terrorist group Hamas .That they're sponsored by a Hamas-related organization is troubling. What's worse is that they're associated with MAS-MN. Here's what I wrote about MAS-MN this June:
(MS Director Ahmed Al-Kurd was also designated by the U.S. government as a "terrorist.") Moreover, while Al-Banna was involved with MA, the group was a partner to organizations directly related to the Muslim Brotherhood of Pakistan, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
It should be pointed out that Keith Ellison was the keynote speaker at the MAS-MN 4th annual convention. AAH Chairman Joe Kaufman wrote this press release asking Keith Ellison to denounce the anti-semitic remarks on MAS-Minnesota's website or to resign:Let's tie this all together: TIZA is a taxpayer-funded school with ties to a terrorist-related charitable organization and an anti-semitic organization. TIZA also ignores the Supreme Court ruling that prayer must be student-led and voluntary. Is there any reason why this school should continue getting taxpayer funding? I can't think of a legitimate justification.
On the weekend of May 25th, Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison gave the keynote address in front of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota (MAS-Minnesota), at the group's 4th annual convention. While Ellison spoke, the group was actively spreading vitriolic hatred and violence aimed at Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims via its website.
The following statements are found on the MAS-Minnesota site, www.masmn.org:On Monday, June 4th, the Chairman of Americans Against Hate (AAH), Joe Kaufman, phoned the local and Washington, D.C. offices of Congressman Ellison to demand that he denounce MAS. Kaufman has received no response from the Congressman or anyone in his offices.
- "The Holy Prophet (and through him the Muslims) has been reassured that he should not mind the enmity, the evil designs and the machinations of the Jews!"
- "In view of the degenerate moral condition of the Jews and the Christians, the Believers have been warned not to make them their friends and confidants."
- "If you gain victory over the men of Jews, kill them."
- "The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say, 'O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him.'"
- " May Allah destroy the Jews, because they used the graves of their prophets as places of worship."
- "A Muslim must always worship Allah and wage jihad until death in order to reach his ultimate goal, Regularly make the intention to go on jihad with the ambition to die as a martyr."
Kaufman stated, "When Keith Ellison ran for office, he denounced the anti-Semitism of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam (NOI), a group that he was previously affiliated with. We demand that he do the same to the Muslim American Society. It is not only improper for a United States Representative to participate with such groups, but it is a danger to national security."
This is at least the second time Keith Ellison has spoken in front of the Muslim American Society. The other time was right after he was elected to office, in December of 2006. As well, the Executive Director of the MAS Freedom Foundation, Mahdi Bray, campaigned for Ellison.
For further information, read Kaufman's FrontPage Magazine article, " Keith Ellison's Dangerous Liaisons."
Joe Kaufman is available for interview. E-mail: info@AmericansAgainstHate.org.
TIZA's executive director, Asad Zaman, has truth issues beyond that opening whopper:
Why does the Minnesota Department of Education allow this sort of religious activity at a public school? According to Zaman, the department inspects TIZA regularly, and has done so "numerous times", to ensure that it is not a religious school.Given the difficulty that Zaman has with the truth, I'd say that there's alot going on there that we don't know about. What's clear is that TIZA's students are being indoctrinated in Islam's teachings and beliefs.
But the department's records document only three site visits to TIZA in five years, two in 2003-04 and one in 2007, according to Assistant Commissioner Morgan Brown. None of the visits focused specifically on religious practices.
It isn't a stretch to think that part of those beliefs are anti-semitic in nature. Whatever the case, Minnesota's taxpayers shouldn't be paying for this school.
Posted Wednesday, April 9, 2008 12:37 PM
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BREAKING NEWS!!! BREAKING NEWS!!!
I just returned from the bonding bill ceremony at SCSU. While most of the even focused on the bonding bill, Gov. Pawlenty did say that MnDOT would be in St. Cloud tomorrow to make an announcement on the Division Street Bridge. He said that he couldn't release the details but did say that the state was taking "the most aggressive steps" in dealing with the bridge.
Talking with a number of people at the event, we all agreed that that likely meant that bridge reconstruction would start this summer. I'll find out where the announcement is going to be made from so I can cover the event.
UPDATE: Here's what Larry Schumacher wrote about the Division Street Bridge:
Gov. Tim Pawlenty this afternoon stopped just short of announcing that the state will begin building a new Minnesota Highway 23 bridge in St. Cloud next year. He was in St. Cloud today to ceremonially sign parts of a state construction borrowing bill that affects projects in this area.After the ceremony, I talked with Larry briefly, asking him what he thought of the event. Larry's first comment was "It sounds like we're getting a new bridge", something that I immediately agreed with.
"We will be taking the most aggressive approach in dealing with the situation," Pawlenty told a crowd of more than 200 gathered in the Brown Science Hall Auditorium at St. Cloud State University. "I think you'll like the announcement."
Posted Wednesday, April 9, 2008 4:49 PM
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DeSoto Bridge Being Replaced
Standing on the west shore of the Mississippi River, Acting MnDOT Commissioner Bob McFarlin announced today that the DeSoto Bridge in St. Cloud will be replaced immediately, setting Fall of 2009 as the finish date. The $35.3 estimated cost of replacing the bridge will be paid entirely by the State of Minnesota.
Commissioner McFarlin indicated that MnDOT would use the bonding authority in the recently passed Transportation bill to pay for the bridge replacement. McFarlin told me that "It's possible we would have made the same decision" even if the Transportation Bill hadn't passed. McFarlin said that they might've still arrived at this decision had the Transportation Bill not passed because "the economic impact the bridge has on St. Cloud's economy" is so significant. He said that the bonding authority in the Transportation Bill eliminated transportation department revenue from the equation.
Commissioner McFarlin and Mayor Kleis both talked about how the bridge replacement timetable fit into St. Cloud's transportation project timetable. Kleis said that replacing the bridge on the accelerated timeline worked well with the Division Street project from the bridge west to Washington Memorial Drive. Mayor Kleis also talked about how those projects would be done in the fall of 2009. He said that that was important in light of the planned 2010 replacement of the Tenth Street Bridge.
The bridge will initially be a 4-lane bridge with the capacity to be widened to six lanes in the future.
Dan Dorgan, the state's top bridge engineer, hinted that repair of the bridge wasn't seriously considered even though the repair cost would've been approximately $353,000.
Mayor Kleis said that 31,000 vehicles used the DeSoto bridge on a daily basis. He said that most of the trucks coming into St. Cloud going to downtown destinations, saying that they don't use Highway 23 much as a throughway.
The public library will be torn down when they move into the new library. That space will be used to replace the parking lost at the Kelly Inn. That parking lot will be used for staging construction supplies and equipment.
Posted Thursday, April 10, 2008 10:46 AM
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Whopper Files
In his statement prior to Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker testifying before Congress, John Murtha tells some whoppers. Here's a paragraph indicative of Rep. Murtha's truthfulness:
Look at the facts: oil production remains below prewar levels, electricity in Baghdad remains below prewar levels, unemployment is as high as 50 percent in certain areas, and the Iraqi Government refuses to take the political steps necessary for national reconciliation.When Rep. Murtha says that "the Iraqi government" won't take the "political steps necessary for national reconciliation", he's saying that his truthtelling ability is limited at best. Here's an exchange between Sen. John Cornyn, (R-TX), and Ambassador Crocker :
CORNYN: And that leads me to the, Ambassador Crocker, to the benchmarks. And I know there's been a lot of debate and I seem to recall some of your writing about whether these benchmarks that the United States government laid down in 2007, whether they were really the appropriate measures.Rep. Murtha says that the government won't take the steps necessary to make national reconciliation happen even though the Iraqi Parliament passed three major pieces of legislation that are widely seen at necessary for national reconciliation. The de-Baathification reform can't be highlighted enough.
But let's just set that argument aside for a minute and just talk about what sort of success the Iraqi government has had in meeting those 18 benchmarks that we identified in 2007. It's my recollection that they have successfully completed 12 of those 18 benchmarks. Can you either correct me or clarify and expand upon the developments in that area?
CROCKER: I think that's about right, Senator.
We're actually just going through a process now between us out in Baghdad and folks back here, in reevaluating the status of the benchmarks. But clearly they have gained some real momentum after an admittedly slow beginning.
Amnesty is a benchmark, for example. Accountability and justice; de-Baathification reform is a benchmark. Provincial powers, in its election dimension, is a benchmark.
So, in the space of just a little over one month, we saw them achieve three really significant new benchmarks.
Earlier this week, I asked Sen. Coleman if Maliki's leading the fight against the Sadr's militias in Basrah would help in sending the message that Maliki's government is a national, not sectarian, government. Sen. Coleman said that it was a positive step forward. Sen. Coleman said that the Sunnis and Kurds now have proof that the Maliki government is a national government.
Here's pertinent information on reconciliation from the 9010 report:
The record on "top-down" reconciliation remains mixed. Certain measures progressed significantly, such as the publishing of the Unified Retirement Law in the Official Gazette, the Presidency Council's approval of the Accountability and Justice Law and an amendment to the Flag Law. Iraqi leaders also demonstrated an increasing willingness to institutionalize power sharing by reconstituting the Political Council for National Security and formalizing the Executive Council-consisting of the Prime Minister, the President and two Vice Presidents. A critical political milestone was achieved on February 13, 2008, when the Council of Representatives (CoR) passed the National Budget, Provincial Powers Law and Amnesty Law in an unprecedented, Iraqi-orchestrated legislative bargain that saw major political groupings pursue their objectives through compromise, as well as alliance formation across ethnic and sectarian lines.It's impossible to take Rep. Murtha's assertions that "the Iraqi Government refuses to take the political steps necessary for national reconciliation" at a time when the Iraqi government is taking major steps in facilitating reconciliation. Here's more from the official report:
While progress continues to be hindered by competing interests, some gains in national reconciliation were made this reporting period. Four laws passed by the CoR are particularly noteworthy. First, the Official Gazette published the amended Unified Retirement Law (Pension Law) on December 27, 2007. This law has the potential to advance reconciliation by allowing former regime elements to retireHere's what the report said about oil production:
and draw pensions. Second, the Accountability and Justice Law passed in January 2008, if implemented transparently and impartially, could reinstate a larger number of former lower-level Ba'athists into the GoI. The third (Amnesty Law) and fourth (Provincial Powers Law) laws were passed as components of the legislative bargain on February 13, 2008. The Amnesty Law may further encourage reconciliation among ethno-sectarian groups, and the Provincial Powers Law is a first step toward provincial elections that may improve the representation of provincial governments.
These laws are tangible steps toward addressing core Sunni grievances related to their perceived marginalization from government and society.
The recent quarter's oil production averaged over 2.3 million barrels per day, of which exports averaged 1.8 million barrels per day. The price per barrel during December 2007 was US$84, significantly above the 2007 GoI budget assumption of US$50 per barrel. For the year, Iraqi oil revenues were US$64.52 per barrel. Oil revenue at the end of the year exceeded budget estimates by US$6.4 billion primarily due to higher than budgeted oil prices.It sounds like oil production is at a healthy level. The report also says that OPEC is reducing their production and that Iraq is following their lead. Here's what the report says about electrical infrastructure integrity and production:
Electricity Infrastructure IntegrityIt sounds like they had some difficulties but that they've also addressed those difficulties. It sounds like these difficulties might have been solved.
The electrical sector continues to suffer from a variety of problems. Fuel shortages, reduced water levels at hydroelectric plants, interdictions, equipment failures, damage to key power line segments, reliance on foreign sources of power and years of system neglect exemplify these challenges. Despite these challenges, there were four consecutive months of record post-2003 electrical output in 2007. However, the challenges eventually overwhelmed the system and electrical production fell in January 2008. Monthly state-provided electricity output for 2007 averaged 99,000 megawatt hours (MWh), which is a slight increase over 2006 output.
The GoI is working to alleviate these problems. The 46 electrical towers from Baghdad to Diwaniyah and the 85 electrical towers from Baghdad to Mussayib are now hardened. Actions such as these will make these critical distribution lines less vulnerable to attack.
It's time that Rep. Murtha started dealing with reality. It's time that he stopped playing fast and loose with the truth.
Posted Thursday, April 10, 2008 11:38 PM
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