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While I appreciate Peter McLaughlin's information
about his work, he fails to respond to the criticisms raised by his
opponent. The willingness to respond to legitimate questions is what
makes the difference between issuing PR statements and showing true
accountability to voters. In the hope of starting a genuine dialogue,
I pose the following questions for commissioner McLaughlin:
1) Why have you appeared to consistently support
public funding for a private sports stadium?
2) What was your role in the decision to have
Highway 55 fly over Lake Street while causing a much larger delay in
the traffic lights at that intersection?
3) Why did you sign your names as one of the
co-authors of an op-ed piece in the Star Tribune on March 27, 2001, in which you
appeared to denounce the Minnesota Attorney General's investigation of Allina
Health System's unethical practices?
4) How do you justify your consistent
past support for the Highway 55 reroute near the Mississippi river which
was destructive to the environment, the community, Native American culture, and
has actually led to more rather than less traffic?
5) How do you compare or distinguish your political
agenda from your allies in the city of Mineapolis' DFL leadership who were
defeated in last year's elections?
Thank you in advance for taking the time to
respond.
Jordan Kushner
Powderhorn
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 4:23
PM
Subject: [Mpls] Posting
David,
Please post.
I have often commented on how
difficult it is to catch the attention of the voters when you are runningfor
County Commissioner. My hat is off to the issues list and those of you who
participate in it for paying attention and providing the opportunity to
present information. Thank you to those of you who have written words of
support.
Please excuse the length of this posting, but I have been
busy, have gotten a lot done and have a lot more that I want to accomplish.
During the time I have been privileged to serve on theHennepin County
Board of Commissioners, we have accomplished remarkable things. In 1992,
no one gave Light Rail Transit much of a chance, and yet, at the end of
2001, the HiawathaLine was more than 30% completed! During the past few years,
I have helped bring, for the first time,significant Hennepin County resources
to the fight for affordable housing. In 2002 alone, the Hennepin
County Affordable Housing Incentive Fund will provide $4 million
for projects throughout the county,adding to the hundreds of units we have
already helped create in the last two years. And the Midtown Greenway
has gone from an abandoned trench to a multi-use trail that will soon be
built to Hiawatha Avenue, and in the years to come, all the way across the
Mississippi River.
As hard as we have worked and as much as we
haveaccomplished, there are challenges that remain. I am excited about
the work ahead and the opportunities that wehave to make Hennepin an even
better county in which to live and work.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
During the past three years, Hennepin County has dedicated millions of
dollars to developing affordable housing. But the County alone cannot
spend enough to solve the problem,and we must be creative in our efforts. I am
working with local and state veterans and housing organizations to secure
State bonding money for the Fort Snelling Veterans Housing Project –218
units of efficiency housing. We have used County bonding to turn over 1000 new
market rate units into critically needed affordable units. I also
authored a resolution providing funding to support development of a land
trust for affordable housing in Minneapolis. And County Sentence
toService crews (men and women) are rehabilitating boarded properties and
getting them back into productive use. These are the kinds of creative,
effective projects I will continue to fight for on the County Board.
ENVIRONMENT:
The picture on global warming is clear
and frightening. I am doing all I can to make Hennepin Countya partner
in reducing dangerous emissions and an innovator in new and greener forms of
energy. With my leadership,Hennepin County’s capital plan calls for
investing in a large gas turbine atHennepin County Medical Center and in
gas turbines and experimentalfuel cells at the County
Home School, making us less dependent oncoal- and nuclear-fueled electricity.
Hennepin County has also distributed thousand of below-cost compostbins
to reduce solid waste volumes. And, perhaps most new and old all at once, I am
working on the development of a Community Energy Coop in the Phillips
Neighborhood. If successful, this would be the first urbanelectric coop
in Minnesota and the first new coop statewide since the late1930’s. The
coop would organize consumers to more effectively purchase electricity, manage
use through conservation and explore the potential for neighborhood electric
generation.
HUMAN SERVICES:
At Hennepin County, our main
job is to provide health care and human services, from emergency assistance
and medical assistance to childcare and Level 1 trauma care at Hennepin County
Medical Center. I am leading efforts to make these services work better
for individuals and families and to keep costs down. Collaboratives like
the Hennepin/PowderhornPartners move workers into the community and
break down bureaucratic barriers. As Chair of the ServiceIntegration
Policy Committee, I am working to spread the lessons of the Powderhorn
partnership to the rest of County operations. And as Chair of the Youth
Coordinating Board, I am working to improve youth recreation
opportunities and to create a true early childhood development
system in Minneapolis.
TRANSIT: The first Light Rail Transit line is
an enormous accomplishment, but only with a multi-modal transit system
throughout the region will we fully combat the congestion, pollution and
sprawl that the Republicans’ highways-only approach creates. I am working hard
on Northstar Commuter Rail, which will extend transit service from
downtown Minneapolis to St. Cloud and beyond. And the Central
Corridor LRT linewill connect Minneapolis with the Capitol and downtown
St. Paul. I have also worked to advance busways like the
Northwest Corridor (downtown Minneapolis to Monticello). We need all of
these pieces and more to create a system that allows transit to be a true
alternative to the automobile.
BICYCLES:
I spend a lot of
time on my bicycle. I am spending almost as time trying to make this the
decade of the bike trail. In 30 years, I want people to
look at this time as pivotal in thedevelopment of a high quality, much-loved
and heavily used system of biketrails. I authored a resolution devoting
County financial and staff resources to filling gaps in our current system.
We will soon be getting a blueprint for how to proceed. At my
urging, Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority just purchased the
43-mileDakota Rail right-of-way. This corridor, from Wayzata through
Carver County to Hutchinson was in danger ofbeing sold off piecemeal. Now it
is preserved for transit and trail use.
These are only some of the
projects I have been, and hope to continue, working on as County Commissioner
in the next four years.
Peter McLaughlin
Hennepin County
Commissioner, 4th District
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