Scott board candidates spar over farmland, spending

The plan to acquire a key plot of land for a transit station and the degree of ferocity needed to fight the mighty Metropolitan Council are among the issues in dispute as two men seek to represent the rural southern parts of Scott County.

Challenger Jerry Kucera is taking the county to task for being willing to spend nearly $1 million for the site of a transit station that won't even be used right away. And veteran incumbent Joe Wagner is dismissing his opponent's plans to stand up against the Met Council as a naïve attempt to take a bow and arrow to an opponent armed with guns.

A debate last week at New Prague city hall was mostly good-natured but turned more than a little testy at times as Kucera's jabs drew exasperated growls from his opponent. And it revealed countless differences of approach.

Here's a quick rundown of some of the issues raised, and a condensed version of the candidates' responses:

The former auto dealership at Hwy. 169 and Marschall Road to be acquired at what the county calls a rock-bottom price, paid for mostly by the state:

Kucera: "You talk about [over-]spending, but you vote to spend along with the rest of 'em." Case in point: "A million-dollar purchase on a transit station we won't use for three years."

Wagner: "Now is the time you need to buy something - it's phenomenal how low the prices are. Down the road, you bought something - if you made a mistake you can sell it. We're not buying a lottery ticket. These are good, prudent investments."

Wagner: "The Met Council is an unbelievable bureaucratic dysfunctional machine, in my opinion. But how you change it [or get rid of it] is a legislative question. For Scott County to go to war with them -- that's a bow and arrow against guns."

Kucera: "Provided you have enough people on your side, bows and arrows can take down those with guns. We need to distance ourselves from the Met Council."

Road maintenance:

Kucera: "Some are suggesting our roads are in need of immediate, urgent maintenance. If we're going to attract businesses, we need good roads."

Wagner: "Our county roads are fine. The problem comes in when a car leaves county roads."

Wagner: "This is an example of a job we didn't need years ago and are now paying someone a large salary plus benefits and pension to tell us our roads are underwater. How long can you prepare for an emergency? We have a sheriff, we have police -- we'll deal with it."

Kucera: (Smiling) "Does anyone have [the emergency manager's] phone number?"

Develop county parks?

Wagner: "If the choice is developing a park [the county now owns but isn't using] and using our money, and grant money, to buy more land, let's protect the land now and work at developing it down the road. Once it's developed by someone else, it's gone. It's not coming back."

Kucera: "We have the parks -- we may as well use them. We have beautiful parkland - let's develop it. Let's not pursue more and chase more land off the tax rolls with money we do not have."

Kucera: "To say that these are all 'social groups' is almost insulting. If we don't have our voice heard, when is it heard? I think it's shameful, I really do."

Wagner: "These subcommittees, there's a laundry list of 'em, and it's a lot of per-diem pay for county commissioners. Ninety percent are not worth the paper they're printed on."

Protection of farmland:

Kucera: "Ag isn't being protected. We're seeing the future of Scott County being changed without the consent of the people. I want to change that."

Wagner: "We've got to make sure people are allowed to farm as long as they conceivably wish to. But there comes a time when people pass away and things change."

Kucera: "We can do better and I'm willing to do better."

Wagner: "I'm here in District 1 [with his business]. Mr. Kucera is in Shakopee. I'm here. Thank you."

David Peterson • 952-882-9023