I was waiting to read more of the introductions to see who the other members are, but there seems to be a lull. I guess it is my turn. I just joined after the DFL caucus, so I am a little new to this forum, although I have been active in other areas of St. Paul civic life.
My name is Jacob Dorer, I have lived in St. Paul for most of my life, first in St. Anthony Park and now in the Mounds Park neighborhood of Dayton's Bluff. I joined our local Mounds Park Neighborhood Association as a way to get involved locally. Then, after a year, I was elected to the Dayton's Bluff District 4 Community Council. This year, I was elected its' President. I am also the chair of our District Plan committee, which is working to rewrite our city planning document to replace the out-of-date 1986 plan. I am active in issues related to preservation of existing housing stock, greenspace, and parks. I enjoy volunteering for cleanups and also the home tour. I am a believer in the responsibility of citizens to participate in their society. Professionally, I work in Computer Support at Macalester College.
In terms of the campaign issues which concern me most, I am unable to come up with a numbered list of priorities. I want to be sure that the next mayor is someone who will work WITH neighborhood groups, not against them, as the current and previous mayor have done. I also would like our next mayor to be a booster for all of St. Paul, not just the chamber of commerce. I agree that business is important to our city, providing taxes and jobs, but does business always come first? I think that our experience with the dike shows that sometimes compromise means that business should take a back seat to quality of life issues for the residents of the city. We know that a vibrant city cannot be purely an industrial zone, nor a bedroom community, but has to be a balance of the two. Our next mayor needs to know that as well. Finally, I also want a mayor who is respectful of differing opinions. Our current mayor takes a my-way-or-the-highway approach (in the case of ayd mill my way IS the highway) that discourages and disenfranchises the people of the city. At a recent Streetbeat meeting the Mayor told me that "the dike is going to be built!" and that no amount of complaining by constituents would stop it. He also said that the difference between his ideas and those of City Councilmember and President Lantry (who is my Councilmember) was that "his ideas are grounded in reality". Being rude and abrasive is not a way of demonstrating leadership. Our next mayor needs to understand that on a fundamental level.
Thanks for having me in the group!
Jacob Dorer
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