[Winona Online Democracy]
Perhaps this cartoon may aide many in understanding the mood of Winona and about the Referendum. Change the actors from Middle East States to represent the Winona Area and it seems fairly accurate from my comfortable arm chair.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/coates-16-5-2003.gif
To address one item Paul did not... the Mayor's Race.
I would note 1800 Winona voters choose not to vote for Miller or Double in that election. (Based on information from the Winona Post website and the SOS Office.) I was one of those people. I wrote my self in...
Of those that voted in that race 68% Miller 32% Double
Of the votes cast 60% Miller 28% Double 12% Did not vote or Other
While 12% or 1800 voters seems small, I would note that portion also represents 2.5 times the amount of voters in Wilson Township. It would have been interesting to see how they would have voted.
********************************************
David Dittmann
In 2002, less than one thousand persons, worldwide, died because of terrorism; while in India, ten thousand persons died from venomous snakes.
On Nov 8, 2004, at 20:47, Paul Double wrote:
[Winona Online Democracy]
Eric, I am delighted to see that city hall still believes they still speak
for the rulers of the land.
Now to reply to Eric's remarks
On Behalf Of Eric Sorensen
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 2:06 PM
Just a few comments on Paul's letter:
1) You are right Paul-the public overwhelmingly thought Mayor Miller's
message was the right one; in fact, Mayor Miller had the highest victory
percentage of Winona local/State candidates. It was a landslide in
anyone's spin;
Answer: A redundant point and as I have already stated I wish he and the
council great success in bringing new employers and families to our area.
_______________________________________________________________
2) Past School Boards set the stage for the current one. Paul, is it
conceivable that as a School Board member, the granting of such Charters
helped to create the decline in student enrollment at #861? Did you
support any building maintenance funding when you were on the School
Board? Mayor Miller publicly supported the referendum, did you?
Answer: Charters compliment competition and should cause the standard for
all schools to rise to the occasion. Charter schools don't cause birth rates
to fall or families to not move to Winona, lack of job opportunities do!
I have always supported a 2% sinking fund dedication off the top to insure
building maintenance and replacement. It was the state who removed the
requirement of schools to set aside those funds in a year when the districts
had more money in their bank accounts than the state did thus the state
enabled them to raid their sinking funds.
I supported the referendum publicly, in a letter to the Chamber, as a Chamber Member, and by my vote. ___________________________________________________________________
3) Between 2000 and 2002, 47,000 jobs were lost in the State of Minnesota. From 2002 to January 2004 the Winona labor force increased from 14,701 to 14,897 jobs. Apparently, we are doing OK in our attempt to maintain and create jobs in Winona, despite rumor.
Answer: 1/2 of 1 percent per year increase in jobs wow! Name a public
corporation that would boost that sales record at the stockholder meeting
and call it impressive? OR AS Donald Trump would say "you're fired".
___________________________________________________________________
4) The City/Port Authority of Winona has helped to create many
industrial jobs over the past few years, examples include Digicom,
We-No-Nah Canoe, Quality Sheet Metal, River Valley Tool; Gleason
Engineering (moving from California); etc. We are currently working on
several other possibilities. World and national issues have shaped much
of our potential for industrial growth, which continues to occur, but we
are not aware that the City was responsible for NAFTA. Tell us if we are
wrong Paul;
Answer: You fail to count the losses and downsizing from Winona Knitting
Mills, Sprint and others resulting in substantial job loss over the last 8
years? Sorry the companies you list don't match the good jobs we, as a
community, have lost over the last 8 years.
_______________________________________________________________________ _____
5) The 35,000 population number is meaningless. What is important is the
type and, we believe, the diversity of industrial growth;
Answer: 35,000 is a realistic population Winona can achieve and still retain
its character. It would also serve as a goal for those who do not which to
be accountable over a 5-10 year time frame as it requires performance on the
key players or their replacements. Since you knew the number you must also
know the job focus was not on tourism and retail.
_______________________________________________________________________ _____
6) Why should we discriminate against the elderly that want to retire in
Winona, from local residents to regional residents? Many of them often
bring sizable financial portfolios with them;
Answer: I am a senior, so why would I discriminate against myself, but I
know that someday I want younger blood to run or buy my companies, raise
families and fill the schools and churches that we and those before us build
and paid for. It is not I who has had problems at the Senior Center.
_______________________________________________________________________ __
7) Paul, have you thought about the major expansion at the hospital? We have lended Community Memorial our bond rating, saving them millions of dollars in order to create more facility in order to create more jobs;
Answer: Will it lower the costs of medical services, prescription drugs?
Will it provide a level of care that will keep the 300 million dollars our
area will spend on healthcare in Winona or will we still drive to LaCrosse
or Rochester? Will it lower the cost of healthcare for employers?
As I see it --- it should enable us to attract younger doctors to our
community and allow our current doctors some relief from the long dedicated
hours they provide. It can also provide some consolidation of some area's
reducing costs and increasing efficiency. I will also create some
interesting legal issues as we co-mingle our non-profit hospital with our
for-profit clinic and pharmacy operations.
I may even enable the big boys Health Partners, Blue Cross or Medica the
opportunity to move into a vacant clinic and create some real cut throat
competition or to make our new facility "out of their network"!!!
_______________________________________________________________________ ___
8) It would be nice if WOD could concentrate more on some factual gathering on issues, rather than the continued Chat Room opinion approach. Eric Sorensen
Answer: It would also be nice if City Hall would provide more not less
public input on the future direction of our city or they can continue to
follow their past practice of making the decision first; since they have all
the answers and we are just the spectators who get to pay the bill.
________________________________________________________
Paul Double
_______________________________________________
This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy
All messages must be signed by the senders actual name.
No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list.
To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit
http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona
Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at
http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
