Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire

Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire

John Charles Wilson

Email: jwilson@enp-news.org

Web site: http://www.enp-news.or

Endorsements: Edgertonite National Party

R.T. Rybak

Email: info@rtrybak.com or call 6122279189

Website: www.rtrybak.com

Endorsements: Minneapolis DFL, Service Employees International Union, Operating Engineers Local 49, Teamsters Local 120, Teamsters Joint Council 32 DRIVE, Unite HERE!, Minnesota Nurses Association, Regional Minneapolis Labor Federation AFL-CIO, Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades, African-American DFL Caucus, Latino DFL Caucus, Stonewall DFL Caucus, Feminist DFL Caucus, Sierra Club, ACORN, TakeAction

Bill McGaughey

Email: 2wmcg@earthlink.net or call 612-374-5916

Website: www.newdignityparty.org

Endorsements:   New Dignity Party

Joey Lombard

(Did not respond to questionnaire)

Papa John Kolstad

Email: kolstadformayor@gmail.com or call 612-722-6649 (day) 612-321-2007 (eve)

Website: www.papajohnkolstad.com

Endorsements: Independence Party of Minneapolis, Republican Party of Minneapolis

Dick Franson

Phone: 612-721-6752

Web site: www.dickfranson.com

Endorsements: None listed

Al Flowers

(Did not respond to questionnaire)

Tom Fiske

Email: tcswp@qwestoffice.net or call 612-729-1205,

Website: www.themilitant.com

Endorsements: Socialist Workers Party, Young Socialists

James R. Everett

(Did not respond to questionnaire)

Christopher Clark

Email: hazeleyes1973@yahoo.com

Website: No Campaign web site

Endorsements: I chose not to seek any Organizational endorsements since this is a non-partisan position.

Bob Carney Jr.

Phone: 612-803-9084

Website: www.republicancontract.com, leased sub-site at that site address

Endorsements: None

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

Wilson: Resentment at society's demands that people "conform to the norm." I am an advocate for personal freedom and sovereign dignity for those who are "different."

Rybak: Families are hurting right now in the turmoil of our economy. Minneapolis must continue to be a place where we create jobs and grow businesses.

McGaughey: We need to rein in the ability of City Council members to take property from private parties which has inspired expensive lawsuits against the city. 

Kolstad: The city is in financial trouble. The city has been mismanaged fiscally and organizationally. Things are only getting worse now that Rybak is running for Governor and Mayor.

Franson: Citizens must defeat all 13 City Council members and the present R.T. Rybak for neglecting proper maintenance of our bridges, sewers, parks and building. .

Fiske: Unemployment and underemployment, now over 16% nationally. I stand for a crash program of public works to create millions of jobs at union scale wages.

Clark: I chose to run for mayor because of all the additional tax burden by the current mayor and City Council. There is no fiscal discipline.

Carney: If elected, move over Tim - I'll run for president - a "Moderate Progressive Republican" Minneapolis mayor, reminding people what "Republican" actually means.

Since 2003, the city has increased the amount of property tax it levies by 8 percent annually. Do you favor continuing this policy, or do you favor a lower of 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)

Wilson: I oppose the idea of a rigid annual rate of property tax increase. The property tax should be set at whatever level is necessary to provide the essential services the city provides. If there are city expenditures for things which don't benefit the people, I support cutting them.

Rybak: To handle the combined impact of the recession, state cuts, and skyrocketing pension costs, my 2010 budget recommends a balanced approach of spending cuts, reforms and revenue increases. There will be cuts to every city department. To preserve Police, Fire and Public Works, their cuts will be half the size of cuts to others. There will be over 200 positions eliminated and a 6.6% tax impact on the average home. Over 60% of new tax revenue will go just to pay pension costs. We must do more to reduce the growth of property taxes including pension reforms at the Legislature.

McGaughey: I'd need further study of the city's financial data to cite a specific number but would generally try to keep property-tax increases to a minimum. Rybak's proposed budget calls for a 15% increase. I would try to get under that figure by cutting expenses.  We need to avoid lawsuits brought on by bad decisions of city officials.  For instance, the mayor refused to veto a recent decision by the City Council to deny permission to construct a building of any size at 600 Main Street. Calling this a "taking," the developer, Steve Minn, has promised to sue.

Kolstad: I do not favor a property tax rate increase. I also object to the forcing up of property values for commercial and residential to generate more tax revenue. This helped produce the housing bubble. I oppose the current policy. It has harmed many people and severely harmed small business, the economic engine of the city and state. The first thing to do is look at wasteful or unnecessary spending. Most families and small businesses have had to cut spending, why not the city? I'd also take a careful look and see if there is some inequity in who is paying these taxes. University United has several studies showing the inequity between strip malls and skyscrapers compared to free standing properties. Taxes should be based on ability to pay.

Franson: I favor lower of higher amount of property tax increase. In 2010, no tax increase, but all city departments must decrease their budgets by 12 percent. If elected the next mayor, I will call in top-notch CPAs to aduit all departments to see where city government can be reduced..

Fiske: I favor eliminating all taxes on working people, who already bear the brunt of layoffs, slashed wages, speed-up, and home and farm foreclosures in the capitalist economic depression which has just begun. I stand for a single tax on the wealthy, a steeply graduated progressive income tax. Elimination of taxes on working people would give us breathing space to fight for other measures we vitally need such as a law that mandates a shorter workweek with no cut in pay for all workers, raising minimum wage to union scale, and a halt to all home and farm foreclosures.

Clark: I do not favor the continuation of the 8 percent annual property tax. Its becoming difficult living in this city with the extra taxes from city, county and state. The amount of tax per household should be based on a flat tax system. You pay based on what you earn if that's the direction given. It's a fairer way of figuring out who can afford what. During this economic downturn, I'd put any "special" projects on hold. The city should be more concerned with home foreclosures, public safety, job production outside city hall.

Carney: For many citizens an 8 percent rate of increase (about $30 million per year) is unsustainable. Let's compare Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The Minneapolis population and city budget are larger by ratios of 1.31 and 2.18 respectively. If we spent the same per capita as Saint Paul, our city budget would be about $800 Million. That's $500 Million less per year than Mayor Rybak's proposed $1.31 Billion budget. A $500 million/year cut won't happen - but if we cut spending by 3% we can have no property tax increase and $9 million to start building the "Sky-Bi" transportation system I'm proposing.

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

Wilson: Yes, the city should diversify its income stream. I propose municipal ownership and operation of profitable businesses such as an electric utility to offset property tax needs. I also believe that fees for optional city services should be set for optimal revenue capture.

Rybak: 75% of city revenues are dedicated to specific services: water fees for water, sewer for sewer, etc. These cannot legally be raised to pay for other services. The challenge is with our General Fund; which goes mostly to Police, Fire, streets and streetlights. To decrease volatility here, it is smart to further diversify revenue streams. But the City has very few options under current state law. To hold down property taxes, we are working to get the Legislature to allow us to use our existing sales tax (currently dedicated to the Convention Center) to pay for Police, Fire, and streets.

McGaughey: You have asked this question in a way so as to exclude the approach that I would take. I do not favor aggressive pursuit of fees which creates an atmosphere of fear and drives people and businesses away from the city.  Property-tax increases are an onerous and unfair burden on many people.  My preferred alternatives:  1. Expand the tax base by working with and not against local businesses.  2. Make needed cuts in city expenditures.  3. Try to restore local government aids by improving Minneapolis' relationship with state government. A change in administrations might help.

Kolstad: I think the city needs to stop this cowardly taxing program of using fees, fines, assessments, and surcharges, in addition to property taxes. These are all regressive and put the burden on the poor, people with fixed income, lower middle class and small business. Meanwhile the wealthy get sports palaces built for them, and no property taxes and no assessments. We should increase revenue by growing small, independent business, where over 50% of jobs are provided and 90% of new jobs by the last study by the MN House Research Service. Also, Minneapolis should look at harnessing St Anthony Falls to generate electric power and selling it to the whole greater metro area. Residents would get cheaper power and the City a great deal of revenue. This would only take a small change to the city charter that now prohibits Municipal power.

Franson: I would cut all departments by 10 percent and the salaries of mayor, City Council, and all department heads and all professionals.

Fiske: Again, I stand for no taxes on working people and a steeply graduated progressive income tax on the wealthy. Eliminate all other taxes. The offensive by the bosses against working people - including layoffs, cutbacks, speed-up, foreclosures - is sharp, harsh and radical. It can only be met with a revolutionary solution. Above all, workers and farmers need to organize a revolutionary movement of millions of us to take political power in this country. Our interests would be to use this power to organize production for human needs, not to maximize profits for the ruling billionaires as under capitalism.

Clark: With state aid declining and property taxes increasing, the city spending is still out of whack. I am tired of all the fees and taxes proposed. Priorities need to be made. With all the lawsuits, the taxpayers have been forced to pay for all the mistakes of the current administration. We need to attract new businesses from the outside to Minneapolis. Make it easier for smaller businesses to establish without all the red tape. As a homeowner, taxes are not always the answer. The quality of life for us deteriorates who cannot afford to pay for their mistakes.

Carney: I see little here by way of flexibility or options. Beyond the general fund, spending and revenue is typically restricted. Within the General Fund the three main categories are: property tax, state aid (largely beyond the city's control), and "user fees". I am generally disposed against increasing "user fees", and am strongly against establishing new categories of "user fees". It seems to me the resentment against "government" triggered by these fees has a much greater negative impact than the net revenue generated after collection costs. I prefer to concentrate on ways of saving money.

The City 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)

Wilson: As a member of the Whittier NRP Steering Committee, I would like to see restoration of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program at the same percentage it was in the past. I currently have no opinion on what proportions should go to the other two things mentioned

Rybak: My 2010 Budget would keep at least 50% in the tax base. This would slow down paying off Target debt and reduce NRP from $8 to $6.5 million. This is a controversial reduction, but it's necessary to reduce the growth of property taxes. The decision of how much to fund NRP cannot be separated from property tax impacts. NRP has added much to the City and should be maintained, but it must be balanced like any other service.

McGaughey: Again, you're asking me to give hard numbers without having adequate information on which to base my decision. That said, let me throw out some numbers:  15% each for Target Center debt and neighborhood programs, 70% for general fund.  My general attitude is this:  We are all facing economic hard times.  Therefore, cut back programs to what we can afford.  The sunny days of expandable wish lists are gone. Money is tight. The bills have come due.

Kolstad: Renew all 100% of the Tiff districts and use the money to fund needs and revitalization in the neighborhoods, including streets, sidewalks and boulevard repair, etc. Even police and fire departments. This is another attempted power grab by the City Council and the Mayor. The more money they control, the more power they have and the less power the neighborhoods have. I think this is why they are trying to get rid of the Bd. of Estimate and Taxation. The council wants to audit themselves. Bad idea. This could turn Minneapolis into an Enron type mess.

Franson: I would abolish the NRP and give their share of the budget to Target Center for debt reduction. As the new mayor, I would propose replacing NRP with CLIC (the Capital Long-range Improvement Committee), which would be composed of City Council members and business leaders.

Fiske: This question assumes that lowered taxes are counterposed to fulfilling the needs of the people. Cheap government is possible, but only if working people take the political power and participate directly in the use of political power for human needs. The largest current government expenditures are based on the needs of the ruling rich to stabilize their system of capitalism. This explains the massive budget items for imperialist wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, the massive expansion of prisons in the US, the ballooning of interest payments on the national debt, and the growth of federal police agencies.

Clark: I'd allocate 50 percent to neighborhood revitalization, 30 percent to general tax base and 20 percent to Target Center debt. The city should really try to find new innovative ways to create revenue for the City of Minneapolis. Making homeowners and the same small percentage of businesses pay the majority is getting old real quick. Let's attract more high-tech companies with a more favorable tax regime to Minneapolis. The future is now, not ten years down the road after missed opportunities. What about all these opportunities for green technology? I am still waiting!

Carney: I favor lobbying the Legislature to allow up to $5 million per year to be put towards funding my proposed "Sky-Bi". I would support money invested in the Target Center if a positive ROI can be shown, but other than this unlikely case, I favor only minimal Target Center maintenance. Homeowner centered Neighborhood Revitalization efforts are a high priority - they offer the potential of higher tax revenue not through higher rates, but from increases in property tax value. Given the housing crisis, remaining "Old TIF" dollars should go towards helping people keep and improve their homes.

Do you support or oppose the charter referendum proposal that would shift the powers of the Board of Estimate and Taxation to the City Council? Why? (100 words)

Wilson: I oppose it. However, if it passes anyway, I support transferring ownership of the parks to the Three Rivers Park District and abolishing the Park Board, too.

Rybak: Yes, I agree with the League of Women Voters' position, which said, "In the interests of transparency and accountability, the transfer of board responsibilities to the City Council would be more straightforward and easier for citizens to understand." I already serve on the Board, but most Council Members don't. That's wrong. It's not open government to have a board few people even know about, and most don't vote for, make big decisions about taxes and bonds. Accountability and responsibility should go together. I hope voters will ignore self-serving arguments for the status quo. Please Vote Yes for open government.

McGaughey: I support this board's continued existence as an independent agency.  With their attitude of limitless power, the mayor and City Council need the checks and balances that an independent agency can provide.  

Kolstad: I support keeping the BET in its present form and if anything increase its elected members. Two City Council Members and Mayor Rybak on the BET have voted down an audit for 3 years. This is very dangerous. The Library Bd. also had a seat on the BET. This may be the reason the city gave our libraries to the county, right after building a large and expensive new library, and maybe the reasons they tried to get rid of the Park Bd. because they also have a seat on the BET and supported an audit the past 3 years.

Franson: I oppose this referendum, and I would hope the City Council places this proposal on the November ballot so the voters can turn down this terrible piece of legislation. For decades this board has been the "watchdog" for the public. Mayor R.T. Rybak and the City Council want to control the Minneapolis Park Board. What a disgrace!

Fiske: The organization of assessing taxation in Minneapolis can have little impact on working people. The right to a job is the most basic right of all workers. We need an emergency program of building and renovating schools, hospitals, bridges, and inexpensive housing that would provide millions of jobs at union scale wages. This would help lessen competition for jobs and give workers confidence to take the next steps, such as fighting for government-guaranteed, universal health care, defending women's right to choose abortion, and nationalizing the land and housing stock. Legalize all immigrant workers. Stop the raids and deportations.

Clark: I oppose the charter referendum proposal that would shift powers of the Board of Estimate and taxation to the City Council. The current City Council has too much power and their own agenda. I don't trust some of them. Preventing any more opportunities is good for the taxpayers. Keep the Board of Estimate and taxation as they are. They are more independent in a sense.

Carney: I oppose it - as a restraint on spending it's better than nothing - certainly better than shifting taxing power to the City Council. HOWEVER - the REAL charter issue this year is the Charter Commission's attempt to REPLACE THE ENTIRE CITY CHARTER, as a "housekeeping" change, WITHOUT a vote of the citizens. I have examined Article III, Elections, and the proposed changes are FAR from trivial. I will be demanding coverage by journalists of this stealth process -- and a "no" vote by the City Council until this receives a thorough public airing.

Should all city department heads report to a city administrator answerable to the City Council and mayor? Why or why not? (50 words)

Wilson: No. We don't need any more levels of bureaucracy or middlemen.

Rybak: The same day the Charter Commission voted overwhelmingly to approve the Board of Estimate & Taxation amendment, they overwhelmingly and wisely, rejected two other half-baked amendments. They rejected this amendment, which would have created conflicting lines of authority, and they rejected another that would have eliminated the independent Park Board.

McGaughey: Yes, it makes sense to me to have all department heads reporting to a city administrator - I'd probably reappoint Steve Bosaker - who, in return, answers to the mayor and City Council; and they, in turn, to the people of Minneapolis.  The buck must stop somewhere.

Kolstad: All department heads should report to the Mayor. We elect the Mayor not the administrator. This just gives the Mayor an excuse for not being responsible for what is going on in the city. Elections are about accountability. The Mayor is the executive, and needs to perform that function.

Franson: No! No! No! The voters of Minneapolis don't want more czars in City Hall. Department heads should only report to elected officials in my judgment.

Fiske: Reorganizing the structure of city government does not confront the most vital issues affecting working people. I call for an end to police brutality. Indict and prosecute the police who savagely beat Darryl Jenkins. Stop the FBI investigation of the Somali community. Guaranteed unemployment compensation at union scale.

Clark: I'd like to think all the city departments report to a city administrator who reports to the city council or mayor. If not, that explains all the chaos in city hall with lawsuits and misfortunes.

Carney: Not. This would redirect all organization chart lines to the city administrator, establishing a new, separate, and un-elected power center in the city. The question as stated begs the question: who would this new Czar would be answerable to? "You cannot serve two masters..."

What's one specific accomplishment that you'd like to make happen by the end of your first year in office? (25 words)

Wilson: To convince the public that requiring people to be "socially acceptable" deprives the community of useful talent in addition to squelching individuality and free choice.

Rybak: We will have worked harder than ever to ensure that Minneapolis continues to be a place where innovative businesses want to and can grow.

McGaughey: I think I could commit to abolishing the Problem Properties unit (which has become a nesting place for current and retired politicians) within one year.

Kolstad: Get fiscal house in order using an audit and review. Make taxes fairer and empower small businesses to be created or grow. Make this a friendly city again.

Fiske: I would like to help to strengthen the independent struggles of working people, the step that is most important to defend our interests.

Franson: Freeze real estate taxes for senior citizens to age 65 and freeze those taxes for all for five years until the economy improves.

Clark: It's impossible to make one great accomplishment happen within a year's time. I'd like to see the number of city council members decrease to 10.

Carney: Demonstrate with my proposed "Sky-Bi" transportation system that my political principle: "Moderate Progressive Republican" is a path to a better future for Minneapolis