Not online, but in the print version of the Friday, June 6, Anoka County Union, the higher IQ in Ham Lake than Ramsey, or the councilmembers there not having the right Sunday School teacher, something was behind the headline, "It's official: Ham Lake says no to sewer and water."
The Ham Lake city council in an untelevised April 16 worksession instructed the 2008 Comprehensive Plan consultant - giving "verbal direction" the council did not want "to partner with the city of East Bethel or the Metropolitan Council to bring sewer and water into the community."
Putting it onto the televised session agenda, to nail it down for certainty, the council voted 4-1, and wouldn't you know it it was the mayor that wanted to waffle on keeping the matter pending, but that 4-1 vote was the salute given by Ham Lake to Met Council.
The mayor "said he felt 'pogeonholed'" and "the council has not sat down with East Bethel or the Met Council to see what their terms would be and he felt more research was needed." In Ramsey we know Met Council terms. The Met Council gives grants that are Trojan Horse chances to have the Greeks come at night and get us.
We know it, but our James Norman and our Pattiann and our Town Center vision via our Town Center Task Force, the sad truth and it hurts me to say it, fell short of being Einsteins; although Pattiann did get a bundle of money in the land deal and was a Rockafeller seeing and seizing an advantage, if not an Einstein.
Councilmember Jolynn Erickson, a brighter light than her mayor, "was concerned that a draft of the comprehensive plan still included the possibiity of eventually partnering with East Bethel or the Metropolitan Council."
That was wise worrying, Ms. E.
"She wanted to make sure this was completely removed from the comprehensive plan and wanted it to state the city is not at all interested in sewer and water no matter the source."
"Councilmember Diane Theodorski said futher councils could amend the comprehensive plan to include sewer and water, but she said the majority of residents are now saying they do not want it."
How quaint.
Listening to what residents want.
What a total failure to be sufficiently paternalistic, telling them what they want, as was done in Ramsey. The big pipe is there now, so use it. Or with James Norman representing the city in discussions with Met Council, who knows what really was said, other than James Norman, and he told the city of the Met Council's demands and rejections. I never had one of those rejection letters in hand however. My understanding is people were "kept updated" by James Norman.
There's more.
My favorite reporting was on Ham Lake Councilmember Garry Kirkeide.
He, "said a sewer and water district would bring high density development to areas of the community and he feels the additional property tax revenue would not offset the increaed costs of providing city services," something simple enough to see, but avoided by the persons in Ramsey beating the drums and Task Forcing with the Crabgrass, husbanding the Crabgrass, to assure it prospered.
And, Bingo, here's Ham Lake handing it to the man who would be King, running on his record as King [ex-mayor actually, of Blaine, Elwyn Tinklenberg, and only really running for Congress, not King]:
Theodorski said she is glad that previous councils decided not to work with the city of Blaine on bringing sewer and water into Ham Lake. Theodorski said she does not want Ham Lake to become like Blaine.
"When you talk to our residents what they admire and what they want in Ham lake is just the way it is right now." Theodorski said.
Kirkeide agreed with this assessment.
"We're simply saying keep Ham Lake as it is," Kirkeide said. " If anybody wants to change Ham Lake, they should move to the city that they think it should be like and then they'd be happy. If you want it to be like Blaine, you should move to Blaine, and if you want it to be like Coon Rapids, you should move to Coon Rapids."
And their mayor, small mayors, mayors of small towns that is, think un-Einsteinian, such as presuming false inevitabilities, or on hearing different constituent voices when they resent a majority's will opposed to their will, they resort to North Metro Mayor-babble, e.g.,
"I just think growth is going to happen, development is going to happen, commercial growth is going to happen in other communities and every one of our residents is going to drive to that area to get whatever they need and we're going to be supporting their infrastructure because every resident that we have is going to be driving over there," [mayor] Meunier said.
The man should, per the advice of Kirkeide, move to Ramsey.
He obviously wants the "Town Center Tom Gamec vision" and worldview, and, hence, should seek it out. He then can enjoy the booming success that is Ramsey Town Center, it's vast open areas, it's Legoland, it's commercial node where "For Lease" by far is the major tenant, "For Lease" occupying multiple storefronts, without inventory to shop from, all of that down the road in Ramsey, for this other mayor to move to and enjoy. And if he sees higher taxes with all of the "For Lease" storefronts than he was used to in Ham Lake, well, it's Ramsey.
I guess if you drink enough of the Ramsey water, at some point you cannot comprehend why the residents of Ham Lake, would want what they have, and not the sheer magnificence and stupifying beauty of
THIS.
The Town Center is our naked emperor, with many saying, "Wow, nice threads."
But that's Ramsey, ready for one more resident, Mr. Meunier.
And when that mayor, Meunier, is worried about the Ham Lake taxpayers, continuing to pay low property taxes but shopping elsewhere, he can tell it all to Ben Dover the Ramsey taxpayer, forever smiling on his pedestal across the street from Ramsey's legendary Norman Castle.
