Questionnaire responses for candidates in the Fourth Ward Minneapolis City Council race:

Barbara Johnson

Email: johnsonvolunteercommitte@yahoo.com or call 612-522-7873

Website: www.barbjohnson.org

Endorsements: AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Minneapolis Building Trades, Teamsters, Minnesota Nurses Association, SEIU, DFL Feminist Caucus, Stonewall DFL, Fourth Ward DFL

Troy Parker

Email: tparker4thward@gmail.com or call 612-242-0892

Website: www.troyparkerforcouncil.wordpress.com

Endorsements: none

Marcus Harcus

Email: marcus@marcusharcus.org or 612-600-0155

Website: www.marcusharcus.org

Endorsements: Green Party

Grant Cermak

Email: cermakforchange@gmail.com or call 612-293-5552

Website: www.grantcermak.com

Endorsements: Independence Party of Minnesota and Republican Party of Fourth Ward, Minneapolis

What's one burning issue that's prompted you to run for this position? (25 words)

Johnson: One burning issue that has prompted me to run is my desire to continue to work for the betterment of the Fourth Ward. We are in a unique time, having been heavily impacted by foreclosures. We have a chance to turn around the wave of speculative investment and increase home ownership, which stabilizes neighborhoods.

Parker: Incumbent's failure to engage/work with the community, incumbent and family's 40-plus years in office despite the residents' desire for someone new.

Harcus: Housing: Overcome foreclosure crisis through prevention; reform rental housing regulations, protect tenant rights and neighborhood health; prevent homelessness, increase home ownership; protect property values; fair taxation.

Cermak: The decline of locally owned and controlled small businesses operated in Minneapolis. We must promote a local, sustainable economy to ensure liberty and freedom.

Since 2003, the city has increased the amount of taxes it levies on property by 8 percent annually. Do you favor continuing this policy, or do you favor a lower or higher amount of property tax increase? What specific increase would you support, and what budget adjustments would you make in light of your choice? (100 words)

Johnson: The current 8 percent tax policy is unsustainable and the mayor has proposed changing it for the 2010 budget. I believe we have to look year by year, seriously scrutinizing spending and look for efficiencies and opportunities for cost-sharing. Our library merger with Hennepin County will save us millions in the long term. There are other places where we interact in the same areas of work, and they offer opportunities for collaborations. The council will delve into the mayor's budget, and I am sure there will be changes before final passage.

Parker: I am in favor of a lower increase, because our residents are having a hard time. Home values dropped sharply in the past few years and their tax burden has steadily increased, forcing some of our lowest-income homeowners out of the neighborhoods. If the City Council makes more sound choices, eliminates some of the wasteful spending due to campaign promises and tries to eliminate some of the costly lawsuits we have had, we could move forward without cutting jobs and/or services.

Harcus: An 8 percent annual increase is unsustainable. Most people cannot afford the ever-rising cost of living. Local Government Aid (LGA) continues to decrease annually in recent years. City government needs to make difficult sacrifices like struggling taxpayers do. Reduce city bureaucracy; focus on core services; stop unjust and ineffective policing that violates rights and wastes millions of taxpayer dollars; reform pensions; legalize and tax marijuana; compete better at state and federal grant-seeking. I don't support property tax increases exceeding the annual rate of inflation. I support creative, equitable taxation with progressive, income-based caps for vulnerable property owners.

Cermak: Eight percent increase annually means that in less than a decade (about nine years) the total property tax collected would double. That's simply outrageous, and I would never support such a high rate of increase. Budgets are tricky animals. It's almost impossible to say what rate I could support disconnected from associated budgetary adjustments. What I certainly don't want to have happen is what happened in Chicago, where the mayor and City Council mortgaged off all the parking spaces and stoplight cameras for 80 years to a private company to plug a huge budget gap.

With state aid declining and property taxes rising, should the city diversify the taxes and fees through which it derives income? If so, how? (100 words)

Johnson: I think our No. 1 priority at the Legislature should be to keep more of the sales tax we currently generate. The state is the level of government where spending is out of control. The state takes six and a half cents of every dollar a conventioneer spends in Minneapolis and the city keeps one-half cent. With that we pay for the convention center and fund the group that sells Minneapolis and the state. The state has taken more and more from the cities and returned less and less. LET US KEEP WHAT WE RAISE.

Parker: Sure, and new business development in the Four^th Ward and north Minneapolis would also generate a new source of taxes for the city of Minneapolis.

Harcus: City revenue streams need diversification, but I don't support charging fees for services that were previously covered by property taxes. I'm glad that the proposed street-lighting fee was voted down. Gradually charging fees for every city service adversely affects low-income households. We must study, plan and implement progressive government finance to preserve the incentives of living in Minneapolis. Our taxation system must be equitable: Don't tax, fee and fine people into food insecurity, foreclosures, evictions, or homelessness! Furthermore, Minneapolis needs to capture a larger share of property, income and sales taxes collected by the state to offset LGA reductions.

Cermak: No, I would rather see us grow our economy through the promotion of small business. This would result in higher tax collection and allow us to lower taxes overall. I also strongly disagree with calling things fees which are really taxes. I will be honest with the citizens and business owners of Minneapolis and call a spade a spade, not try to dress it up or hide it.

The council is considering how to use the property taxes from its older development districts. This tax increment by law may only be used to pay for Target Center debt and for neighborhood revitalization, or alternately, the tax base in these districts can be returned to the general tax base. What percentage would you allocate to each of these three purposes? (100 words)

Johnson: The mayor's budget recommends a 50 percent decertification of the old tax increment districts. I think that is a reasonable suggestion. The property tax has become an onerous burden for Minneapolis citizens, and they deserve relief. Target Center debt repayment acceleration produces property tax relief, and putting half of the districts back on the tax rolls does the same. This would produce a continuous revenue stream for neighborhood revitalization activities and neighborhood association support.

Parker: We would return some to the general tax base to minimize the tax increase, if any, on homeowners. A huge portion can be used to revitalize the neighborhoods in north Minneapolis that have not received the attention and/or support of the city of Minneapolis. If any smaller portion remains then we will pay for Target Center debt, but the homeowners and residents deserve to be our first priority.

Harcus: The law passed to authorize TIF districts didn't require all properties to be activated, but I propose activating all of them. Fifty percent of the tax revenue should be allocated to pay off the Target Center debt, which would save taxpayers money in the long term on interest payments. The other 50 percent should be allocated to neighborhood development investments, ideally low-interest loans and grants for home improvements, first-time homebuyer purchases and small business development. Ultimately, I'd love to see TIF district funding community economic development that directly benefits resident taxpayers much more than private development corporations.

Cermak: [No answer.]

Council members may collect up to $400 monthly as a car allowance. Would you do so or collect a lesser monthly allowance (how much?) or collect only per-mile payments for actual miles driven? Explain your choice. (50 words)

Johnson: My car allowance request will depend on the amount of use of my car for city business.

I would rather use a flat request as the record keeping for mileage based reimbursement is cumbersome.

Parker: I would be in favor of a per-mile payment for actual miles driven, if you are using your personal vehicle, if it does not exceed the $400 monthly car allowance already in place.

Harcus: [No answer.]

Cermak: It seems that both the Legislature and the Minneapolis City Council get huge per-diem payments on top of their salary. This seems like an excessive amount of money. For this much I could lease a car and pay for the gas for a month! What a racket...

What are three specific things that you'd like to accomplish in your ward by the end of your four-year term? (50 words)

Johnson: The three things I would like to accomplish by the end of the next four-year term are: 1. Increase home ownership in the ward. 2. Reduce the number of property crimes. 3. Increase the number of restaurants and small businesses.

Parker: I would gain support at City Hall to rebuild the Fourth Ward and north Minneapolis, support our small business owners and encourage all businesses to work with us to employ the large segment of our communities that are repeatedly denied job opportunities. Remain active in the lives of our residents.

Harcus: Build a North Side community coalition, a vast network of residents interested in actively holding City Hall accountable, promoting good neighborliness and working together to improve socio-economic conditions.

Reform the Minneapolis Police Department to hold police accountable, improve community-police relations and increase safety.

Champion a successful North Side achievement zone.

Cermak: 1. Refocus the Minneapolis Police Department on community interaction. 2. Encourage new business development and expansion. 3. Reduce the tax burden on city residents.

What's one specific citywide accomplishment you'd like to make happen by the end of your term? (25 words)

Johnson: One citywide accomplishment I would like to make happen in the next four years is another consolidation of services like the library merger.

Parker: I would work with Cit Council members and others to put our residents' needs above the interests of any outside influences.

Harcus: Help develop a system to aggressively help people keep their homes, increase home ownership (habitable vacancies occupied), protect equity, improve rental conditions and establish fair taxation.

Cermak: Sustain the independent Board of Estimation and Taxation.