As we wish Ramsey County Commissioner Sue Haigh all the best in her new position, I was sort of looking forward to not having anything to do with the election to determine who will fill her shoes. Good people are coming forward to run, and it was clear that the voters would have great choices. Watching from the sidelines was going to be fun. My kids are too old for me to be very familiar with Toni Carter's work on the School Board, but the other candidates I know have good records of public service. I worked with Jim Mogen this last fall on a well-organized voter protection effort where the very tangible results were a gain for voters throughout the state. And Ken Iosso's the man I bother most on county issues, as he's been the capable aide to my county commissioner. So I figured I'd watch from down the hill on this one. But as always seems to happen, things change. An old friend, Joanne Mooney, sent me an email telling me that she was running for the seat, and things came together. Joanne's a project manager in social services for the state, dealing at the highest level day in and day out with the delivery of services that makes up that safety net we as Democrats value, and she's a phenomenal fit for the challenges that the county faces these days. Her career is one that has taken the perfect path for a seat on the Ramsey County Board. She started over twenty years ago with involvement in the delivery of social services for women and children, administering an agency that continues to receive funding from the county for adolescent health. From there she went on to manage larger single programs and projects, eventually taking on jobs coordinating a variety of programs in a manner that assured that not only were services delivered in an efficient and cost effective manner, but also that the people intended to be helped were truly getting the help. From there, she moved to the state level, where she works to make sure that those agencies that spend our tax dollars do so appropriately. I read her resume and saw the bureaucratic explanations that sort of wash over those of us who work in the private sector, but she explains that what she does is to make certain that when public funds are spent on social services, two things happen: The people who spend it aren't wasting the money on programs that duplicate others or don't show good results and that the people who we aim to help aren't falling through the cracks and not getting help we fund. We all know that it is at the county level where we confront the inevitable fallout as the social safety net is slowly torn apart by Republicans at the state and federal levels. Our public health, our welfare delivery systems, our child care assistance, and even our jails and juvenile justice system will continue to feel the effects of cuts enacted by the "no new taxes" crowds at the state and federal levels. Having someone in office who knows what service delivery models work and which ones don't is essential when programs designed to help the people who are most vulnerable are cut and squeezed and forced to do more with less. I think Joanne is the best-suited person to take on that job I've ever seen. So those of you in District 4 have some great candidates to choose from, and some are very experienced politicians. While Joanne is not that, she is something else - a candidate who brings unbeatable credentials to the table, credentials that match exactly the challenges of a county board in these times. Take a look at her. Diane Gerth I really live in the West End _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [email protected] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul
Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
