Again, that STRIB online link is: here.
In the prior post I looked at Ramsey's mayor candidates. I excerpted their submitted statements.
This post looks at the primary candidates for the at-large seat [Wards 2 and 4 are contested, but with two candidates each, they have no primary]. Here are excerpts:
In its entirety, Mary Ann Kiefer, a toolmaker and Blacksmith Guild member, says: "My greatest concern is with honest, ethical representation of the citizenship of Ramsey." It is unclear whether she contends it's been lacking with change needed, or whether she offers a continuation of what it's been.
Statements of the three other candidates are only excerpted below, so please read the complete presentation at the STRIB site.
Irene Anne Hedtke, with a background in operating an accounting business, says: "There is a great need in Ramsey City Government for common sense values coupled with a close look at finances. The Council must focus on spending and carefully set sensible budget priorities. City departments could benefit from some attention paid to time management. The Council should also work to foster business development and job creation in the community."
Jeff Lee Wise, a businessperson who operates and for the past several years has operated Wiser Liquor Store on Armstrong by the Amoco service station near the BNSF tracks, says: "Decisions based on what was done in the past need to have the common sense rule applied to them. My personal experience with the current administration's eminent domain laws and the challenges I faced with property owner rights has led me to believe that change is necessary and accountability for each decision is paramount. I will bring a firm perspective to the City Council, debate sternly when necessary and alway keep accountability and common sense in my sight."
Melody Hesselgrave Shryock, with experience in transportation and park planning and service on Ramsey's Park & Recreation Board [Commission?], says: "My only agenda is to create a better Ramsey in which to live, work, play and stay. I believe we need to work to unify Ramsey by developing communication methods and community initiatives that will reach ALL residents. I will work to make informed, responsible decisions, keeping in mind the good of the entire community. I bring a rational, yet creative approach to everything I am involved in; always being mindful of financial issues and alternative solutions."
It appears to me, (and this is only opinion so if you differ with anything I say please post a comment), that there are three credible candidates, with the Kiefer candidacy possibly a protest over their land use concerns and neighborhood yard-maintenance-related relations, down by the river on Rivlyn.
I have been assured by Shryock that she understands and is sympathetic to the neighborhood issue I am most concerned about, the risk/threat of there ultimately being forced hook ups to municipal services for the many, many 1+ acre homes in Ramsey existing for years on septic and well service - private services - with the fees faced being in the $50,000 range for a home with about 300 feet frontage.
It is not likely an immediate threat, but long-term the worry is real and consistent with Met Council goals. Moreover, in ten years the forced hook-up assessment price could be the same [in inflation adjusted dollars] or even higher - so that $50,000 in 2008 dollars could be a much, much more staggering amount in 2020 dollars.
The one time I have spoken to Jeff Wise, he emphasized that current spending is not as if these people now at city hall making the decisions were in business, where constraints on spending are more realistic. We did not discuss much about the forced hookup situation.
I have not spoken with Kiefer or Hedtke.
I can read that Wise and Hedtke both are concerned with the profligate spending that has plagued Ramsey under our present council make-up. Shryock's STRIB statement also notes the need for financial responsibility, although she gives it less primary emphasis than Hedtke and Wise appear to assign the spending problem.
Those now on council spend money as if it comes out of a Monopoly box, but they are real dollars, not Monopoly money dollars; and in that game there's no place for government waste either - all the players are private sector there.
You can even buy the waterworks when playing Monopoly, which, well, the spendthrifts on council now have an expensive waterworks in their arsenal of plans for taxpayer exposure, and it appears as if, in their view, it is part of a good future. At a price approaching that of City Hall! Hopefully, the waterworks will not come with the wood paneling, wasted foyer and hallway space, terra cotta tiling, and other luxuries citizens will be paying off for years and years. Hopefully it will have a form and furnishing fitting its function, only; without blatent showy opulent waste.
BOTTOM LINE: I could live with Wise, Hedtke, or Shryock, saying that fiscal matters matter, and with the hope that Wise and Hedtke, if elected, would have the sympathy and regard for the hook-up issue Shryock discussed with me.
Of the candidates, Shryock has sent email noticess and press release style mailings, the others, to my knowlege have not. Her most recent "Sept. 3 campaign update" noted:
I created the first known Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan for the Brown County/Green Bay area while under a consultant agreement with the Brown County Planning Department in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1994. This was included as a supplemental document in the County's Comprehensive Plan. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan I created was also thought to be one of the first complete Bicycle and Pedestrian Community Planning documents in the Country at the time.
I think the concern for trails in Ramsey planning has been a good thing, and I disagree with some on council who now believe that exploring a public-private Community Center effort at Town Center is a better idea than a focus on city-wide open space development and assurances. Open space is of value to everyone, a community center is for those in walking distance or wanting to commune with others. I would rather see wildlife habitat protected and trails, over a subsidy to Jim Deal's business aims and to those who bought townhomes in short walking distance to where the thing would be sited. We don't need a pool in Ramsey. Few would use it. We need to preserve habitat much more, for the good of hunters wanting migratory water fowl to not be pushed out and for those using the trails for relaxation and escaping the crowding Town Center and all the shared-wall growth is making others feel.
We need the right priorities, and my feelings on any Community Center - it can be whatever the private party financing it in its entirety wishes to make it. Just don't sink a penny of tax money into any such subsidy for unneeded things.
When the race narrows to two at-large candidates, I would be most interested in both of them abandoning vague feel-good empty utterances, and taking specific public positions on the forced hook-up question, on the citizen initiative question, and on the Community Center vs. open space priority question (which is best or of a higher priority to make Ramsey's future what we as individual voters might favor) and if they are specific that way we can vote accordingly, instead of by guesswork.
I am particularly concerned with each post-primary candidate not ducking one issue - if citizen petitioning is done to reform the City Charter, would you support having a ballot vs. quelling having a ballot go to voters over some technicality?
That is a point I shall emphasize in the future, ramping up to electing city officials this November.
And no BS, candidates. Take a stance, either for a liberal access to use of citizen initiated ballot questions to institute reform, or in opposition, as the present council was in unanimously stifling the effort to put sewer-water reform proposals to a vote.
Remember, the question is not whether you support underlying particular issues that instead would be for voters to decide, it is where you stand on the process - especially given that the legislature has written a citizen-initiated City Charter reform procedure which if followed was intended to lead to a ballot and a vote. However, even if sufficient voter signatures are attained a council wanting to call the shots and not wanting things to go to a ballot can vote to not put the matter to a citizens' vote, and then those supporting the reform would have to go into lengthy court proceedings to enforce the statutory right to a ballot.
I don't want a council that would stifle citizen-initiated charter reform. We have had that, recently, under Norman, Elvig, and the present mayor, and it is bad government, as bad as the wastefulness of opulent spending on city hall without any referendum where citizens would have had a say.
_____________UPDATE____________
Credit for the following item, again as always, click the image to enlarge it to read it, is to Amy Erickson, who I do not know but who emailed to the 4Crabgrass webmail account the scanned image, and has this website. In providing the scan of Jeff Wise's flyer, Amy said, "I though I would share the handout on Jeff Wise's platform for running for at Large Councilmember. I shared with him my disappointment in his not having a website, or that his name is virtually not found on Google. So, I stopped by Wiser Choice and grabbed the attached."
Finally, at Amy Erickson's suggestion, I again reference the candidate statements carried not only in Strib, but locally in Anoka County Union - ABC Newspapers, as their regular pre-primary candidacy feature, online for mayor and the at-large seat, here, and here. Please read the original articles since they present a lengthier commentary than the word limit STRIB specified. Thanks Amy. The links were buried in an item I posted about the Kiefer spousal candidacy, and should be independently featured.
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Check the comments. A few emails that merit publishing are included there.
Here is a Ramsey oriented link, the intent appearing to be to generate dialog-commentary on the site regarding Ramsey:
http://www.knowyourcommunity.com/
I presume the aim is to continue operating the site past the election, with that being the site's present focus.