One More Photo

Miscellaneous I made a trip to Edinburgh Castle today and took the tour. It is a fascinating place with three museums and amazing amounts of history. This statue greets you at the entrance.

Sir William Wallace

'Brace Yourself' Minneapolis

Minneapolis I have been meaning to do a similar post about Richfield based on a Sun Current article, but I guess this one is coming first because it is on the front page of the Red Star site today. I'm in Scotland, but nothing changes back home for my friends in the northern part of SD63.

Minneapolis school board sets 9.9% increase in 2006 levy Steve Brandt, Star Tribune September 28, 2005 MPLS0928 Brace yourself for a sharp increase in school taxes if you own property in Minneapolis. The school board Tuesday set a preliminary levy for 2006 that's up 9.9 percent, and it's expected to use all of that when it sets the final amount in December. That's because most of the increase is replacing aid the state once paid but is shifting to local taxpayers. This year's levy dropped 2.48 percent. The typical single-family homeowner will pay one-third more in property taxes next year once the increase in market value is figured in. That's $160 more for just the school portion of the tax bill, which accounts for about one-third of the total bill. A public hearing on the levy is scheduled for Dec. 6. That higher tax will generate an additional $11 million, pushing the total levy to $122 million. One factor adding $1.7 million is a built-in per-pupil escalator contained within the class-size limitation approved by voters. The district also plans to levy $327,000 that will help it gain $900,000 in state aid for performance-based teacher pay. The median limited market value for a Minneapolis single-family dwelling is rising to $168,000, or a 14 percent jump. Between that increased value and the levy increase, the school tax on that property jumps from $488 to $648. The board's preliminary levy would raise the school tax on a $500,000 commercial building by 11.3 percent. But if that building's value rose $75,000, the school tax would jump by 31 percent. This year for the first time, local governments are permitted by the Legislature to include a limited explanation when "truth-in-taxation" statements containing estimated tax bills are mailed. But the decision on whether to include those explanations is up to county boards, which mail the statements. Hennepin County has not decided whether to do so. The other major components of a Minneapolis tax bill are the city levy, which will increase by as much as 8 percent, and the Hennepin County levy, which will rise by almost 4 percent.

Source: Star Tribune, September 28, 2005

Scotland Photo Blogging

Miscellaneous I am in Scotland for a conference for a few days and on my first day here I took a walk to fight the desire to sleep due to jet lag. I found many stores blaring bagpipes and full of cheap kilts, rugby shirts and even replicas of William Wallace's sword.

Here are some photos for you.

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle View from Castle Hill I have no idea, but it was impressive.

Ciresi

2006 Elections, Federal According to this, Ciresi is going to announce a run for Senate. All or most expected this, but this is the first word of an announcement. If true, MN Pub's scoops the all knowing MDE and beats KvM on their home turf. UPDATE: OK G-Money, you were not scooped. I knew you posted items about him, but thought most of them were rumors. Nice to know you read my blog thought.

Umm, did you happen to catch this 10 days ago? http://www.kennedyvmachine.com/?p=684 Gary Homepage 09.24.05 - 2:19 pm # Or the corresponding national coverage 9 days ago? http://www.kennedyvmachine.com/?p=685 Gary Homepage 09.24.05 - 2:22 pm #

Sidebar Change

I added a new section to my sidebar, just links to the local print media the talks about SD63. If you know of more to add to the list, please let me know. SD63 Media Bloomington Sun Minneapolis Observer Red Star Richfield Sun Southwest Journal

MDE Friday

Miscellaneous Starting last week (until I get bored with it) I will have a MDE post each Friday. Why? Because I owe so much to MDE. Here is a list:

1. Being "outed" as MDE accounted for my largest hit count ever.
2. Offering further comments on one of his posts landed my name in the Red Star Metro section thanks to my friend Conrad Defiebre.
3. I now know how NOT to design your blog. Sorry MDE, but your current color scheme is hideous. Go back to the all black background please.

So to honor MDE, I offer this link about anonymous blogging. MDE will either find this helpful or say that he already knows all the tricks. UPDATE: MDE listens.

Do People Really Believe This Will Help?

Federal I couldn't believe what I was reading here. (H/T to MDE)

Almost half of Minnesota's congressional delegation -- all the Democrats but one -- have lined up in support of the campaign, which calls for a cabinet-level secretary to develop an array of policies from international conflict-resolution to reducing domestic abuse and violence against animals.

MDE Identity Update

As mentioned here, I took a little vacation Labor Day weekend. Well, I reported that I had a good time, but I that was not the whole story. (I needed to wait for approval from my lawyers before I put this up) As you can see here, there are still some who believe the rumors about me being MDE. They did not cause any bodily harm, just embarrassment and temporary incarceration. I had to digitally hide the identity of my attackers until they are formally charged.

When Young DFL Thugs Attack

Klassen v. Nordstrom

Bloomington The stage is set for "at-large" city council seat in Bloomington. New comer Klassen gained an impressive victory in the primary. Loren had the support of Vern Wilcox from Ward IV and Nordstrom had support of the mayor and outgoing incumbent.

Next Governor of Pennsylvania?

Miscellaneous (A bit off topic, but as a huge NFL fan, I have to say something.) How often will I link to ESPN website for a political post? Answer, at least once.

But that's getting ahead of the game. Way ahead. Officially, Swann hasn't even decided to run for governor yet, but those close to him say the announcement is likely to come at the beginning of 2006. It is likely to be a three-man race for the Republican nomination that also features former lieutenant governor William W. Scranton III and state Senate majority whip Jeff Piccola, who is considered less of a threat. The winner would then take on incumbent Democrat Ed Rendell -- an unabashed Eagles fan.

Klassen Wins In Bloomington

Bloomington I will update this post more later hopefully, but here are the results with all 32 precincts reporting.

Loren Klassen        1,966  41.62% Karen Nordstrom      1,758  37.21% Heather Harden         686  14.52% Steve Haes             314   6.65%

Hohmann Out of 13th Ward Race?

Minneapolis It appears that the two Democrats running for the 13th Ward in Minneapolis have ousted the lone independent. With 80 of the 131 city precincts counted here are the results for the 13th ward city council seat:

Betsy Hodges     1476 58.59% Lisa McDonald     533 21.16% Mike Hohmann      510 20.25%

UPDATE: Hohmann is out as McDonald pulled away a bit. It also looks like McDonald has her work cut out for her against Hodges.

Betsy Hodges    2,702 57.10% Lisa McDonald   1,102 23.29% Mike Hohmann      928 19.61%

Can McLauphlin Pull It Off?

Minneapolis For the mayoral race Rybak and McLauphlin came out on top, but there was a full 10 point spread (2149 votes) between the two. With 80 of 131 precincts in:

R. T. RYBAK. . . . . . . . . .   9,529 44.83% PETER MCLAUGHLIN . . . . . . . . 7,380 34.72% FARHEEN HAKEEM. . . . . . . . .  3,026 14.24% MARK KOSCIELSKI . . . . . . . .    385 1.81% DON JOHNSON. . . . . . . . . .     267 1.26% GERALD JAMES SAVAGE . . . . . . .  164  .77% "DICK" FRANSON. . . . . . . . .    144  .68% TIM NOLAN . . . . . . . . . .       89  .42% GREGORY A. BROWN . . . . . . . .    72  .34% GREGORY GROETTUM . . . . . . . .    60  .28% DAVID A. ALVARADO. . . . . . . .    50  .24%

With the numbers as they are now, the obvious question is where do the Hakeem voters go? I have no clue. With Hakeem a Green Party candidate, I have a hard time seeing how any of her supporters are real excited about Rybak or McLauphlin. You also have to consider the only people voting today are the political activists and the rare group of citizens who fullfil their civic duty at every opportunity. UPDATE: The percentage numbers didn't change too much. All but one precinct were reporting.

R. T. RYBAK. . . . . . . . . .   14,753 44.54% PETER MCLAUGHLIN . . . . . . . . 11,696 35.31% FARHEEN HAKEEM. . . . . . . . .   4,577 13.82% MARK KOSCIELSKI . . . . . . . .     584  1.76% DON JOHNSON. . . . . . . . . .      418  1.26% "DICK" FRANSON. . . . . . . . .     267   .81% GERALD JAMES SAVAGE . . . . . . .   239   .72% MARCUS HARCUS . . . . . . . . .     147   .44% TIM NOLAN . . . . . . . . . .       140   .42% GREGORY A. BROWN . . . . . . . .    107   .32% DAVID A. ALVARADO. . . . . . . .    101   .30% GREGORY GROETTUM . . . . . . . .     93   .28%

KVM on Klobuchar

2006 Elections, Federal I suspect most of my readers are also KVM readers, but in case you are not. Go check out Gary's post about Klobuchar.

Primary Day

Minneapolis, Bloomington If you live in Minneapolis or Bloomington you need to get out and vote today. In Ward 13 Minneapolis City Council I'd go for Mike Hohmann. In Bloomington, go for Loren Klassen for at-large City Council.

Guilty of Neglect

Minneapolis Here is the charge by a reader of my SD63:

I check out your web site every now and then. So far, you haven't had much to say about the mayoral race as well as the 13th Ward City Council race - which covers a good chunk of 63A on the Minneapolis side.

I confess, I have neglected my neighbors and fellow SD63 members to the north in Minneapolis. How, well as I mentioned here, '05 is still an election year for people. So let's start with the Ward 13 City Council spot. Barret Lane is retiring and leaving an open seat in this ward. Voters will see three names on the ballot for Tuesday's primary. First they will see the DFL endorsed Betsy Hodges, independent Democrat Lisa McDonald and independent Mike Hohmann. Here is an article just published today in the Southwest Journal. Read this at you own risk because this is the second article I have read in this publication. I also like this City Pages article which provides some good background and insight into the race. The article is from April 2005, but I think it is worth the read. If found these paragraphs from the City Pages article to be very intersting.

Yet the three campaigns largely agree on what issues are crucial for the city. All of them list fiscal responsibility as their first priority, given the city's ongoing budget shortfall. They give the obligatory nod to public safety, noting that the reduced size of the MPD is cause for concern citywide, and not just in beleaguered neighborhoods. And they all pledge to maintain a level of basic services that are highly valued in the area: snow plowing, street repair, and the like. The 13th Ward, which encompasses the western shores of Lake Calhoun and a good chunk of prime real estate around Lake Harriet, has one of the wealthier bases in the city. Because of this, the area can often seem disconnected from some of the urban problems other neighborhoods face. "The 13th Ward doesn't want to be like the rest of them," says Minn. "People who live there live there by choice. They could live in any of the affluent suburbs nearby, like Hopkins, St. Louis Park, or Edina, but they live there because they are committed urbanists." So, the question becomes, which candidate can best reach out to the independent-minded voters who see City Hall politics as an annoyance? As Minn notes, there hasn't been a Democrat representing the area for 25 years. (He and the outgoing Lane are both independents.) If the feel-good liberalism of Minneapolis ever had any ring of truth, it doesn't necessarily play well in the southwest enclaves.

The exiting councilman, Lane, has given the nod to Hohmann and endorsed him as the best choice to replace him. Here are some other links to read:

• SWJournal Letters
• Hohmann reaction on Pension issue pointed out here by State Auditor Pat Anderson in the Red Star

I've spent a few short hours reading everything Google gave me and I will share one final quote from the Red Star summary published September 6th [emphasis added].

Because stability and affluence remain a trademark of the city's far southwest, its council member often assumes a wider portfolio. Former 10th Ward Council Member Lisa McDonald, trying for a comeback after losing her 2001 bid for mayor, hard-working newcomer Betsy Hodges, the DFL-endorsed candidate, and business consultant Mike Hohmann are all capable and well-versed on city issues. Hodges and McDonald emphasize an environmental approach. Hohmann offers a thoughtful, fiscally prudent analysis of city problems but may lack Hodges' collaborative capacity and McDonald's experience.

I think Mike Hohmann would get my vote Tuesday.

Mixed Emotions

Since 2001, September 11th has been a day of mixed emotions for this family. On that horrible day in 2001 we celebrated two events and mourned a third. We celebrated the birthday of my beautiful bride and the news that our firstborn was one the way (two lines vs. one on the EPT), but we were heartsick about the tragic events on the east coast. We considered cancelling, but the hope that comes with the new life made us follow through on plans for a night out at Broder's Pasta Bar. We chose to celebrate life, while mourning with our brothers out east.

Anyway... four years later and today we again celebrate the birthday of my wife and my kid's mother, but we will never forget the event that will most likely have a large impact on my children's lives. This image still haunts me and I hope it ALWAYS does!

photo courtesy Polipundit

Carey Delivering

Minneapolis, Bloomington, 2006 Elections For local government offices this is not an "off year" for Minneapolis and Bloomington. I have talked with several people involved with these local races and they are ecstatic about the support coming from the state GOP headquarters. I will not get into details here, but the point is that these grassroots activists feel like Carey is delivering on what he promised and what ultimately gave him the state chair over the other Ron. I also know that one of the races is even being used to test some specific new strategies that they hope to employ for the mid-terms in '06. One note of caution, it is easy to support and deliver to a small number of local race campaigns, what happens in '06 will be the true test.

Ready Larson?

MN House, 2006 Elections The last week I have heard rumors about candidates for SD63. I received confirmation of one rumor over the weekend.

Vern Wilcox of Bloomington (Not this one!) announces his State House Campaign for SD63B.

Wilcox brings a lot of experience with him in this challenge and he will most probably be the toughest candidate Larson has seen. He has been on the Bloomington City Council since 1993 and in the 2003 city council election he won every precinct in Bloomington's District 4, which includes the Mall of America. This district makes up a large part of district 63B. Wilcox should also have some strength and name recogniztion in the eastside of Richfield because of his work on the Metropolitan Airport Sound Abatement Committee.

In 2004 Larson faced a single, young (twenty-something) and hard-working Pat Kirby and won by a 62-38 margin, but Kirby started late and had a lot of ground to make up in a short amount of time. No offense to Kirby, but Wilcox's experience and proven election results elevates this challenge to a whole new level for Representative Larson.

Here is a short list of Wilcox's experience: Bloomington City Council Member, 12 years Deputy Mayor, 4 years Port Authority, 10 years Airport Zoning Board Member Metropolitan Airport Sound Abatement Committee, 9 years Chamber of Commerce Board Member Bloomington/Richfield Watershed Management Board Airport Zoning BoardHousing & Redevelopment AuthorityPlanning Commission, 6 years Decorated Vietnam Veteran, US Navy Seabees

Beer, Brewery, Brats, Wine, Winery and Wading Pool

Personal As noted here, the Miller and Plagge clans (plus a special guest clan) congregated in one of Minnesota's fabulous state parks to celebrate Labor Day weekend and the end of summer. All the items in the title were part of the weekend and I believe a good time was had by all. The weekend was only interrupted with one brief conversation about politics when Gary went on a coffee/bakery run on Sunday and upon his return dropped a paper in front of me with the sad news of our Chief Justice on the front page. I noticed Gary was back online earlier today with two posts regarding SCOTUS. Can you guess what state park (and surrounding area) could offer all the items in the title? Hint: the guys who run and own the winery and the brewery are brothers) I'm working on several other posts that should go up in the next day or two, but I need to put some final touches on them first.

Kudos to Corporate America

I am hearing of countless companies that are offering 100% match on donations by employees to relief organizations. I'm proud to say that my company is one of them. I feel almost too overwhelmed by the images coming from New Orleans to even comment. The video footage of a 3-4 month old baby in a dad's arms as he yells for help to the camera was too much. Since that could have been my kid just 10 months ago... it is a little too much. It makes you want to jump through the TV with a truckload of food and water. So we are praying and going to donate to the Red Cross (required to receive the match).

Me Supporting a MoveOn.Org Initiative?

HT to MN Lefty Liberal for this one. I'm sure no one who reads this blog can help, but here is something MoveOn.Org is sponsoring that I can support. I wonder if it will actually help? I'm guessing the people who need the housing don't have web access. Pray and donate here or at any agency listed here.

Disturbing Story from Superdome

HT to Bogus Gold for sharing this disturbing story. Photos that break your heart. Pray and donate.

Blegging You!

I have signed up for the Bleg for Katrina Relief and I'll start this as my first (and only?) post. All the other full-time bloggers will have this well covered. Go here for the list of blogs participating maintained by NZ Bear (of The Truth Laid Bear). I'm encouraging people to donate to Samaritan's Purse (SP). Why? Because I traveled to Honduras about 10 and 22 months after "Mitch" rolled through Honduras as part of mission/relief teams. The first time I was with a group that set up one-day clinics in villages where SP was helping rebuild houses. The second trip we actually spent time helping to build houses. So I have direct experience with SP in a relief effort.

Bridge 10 Months After Mitch

UPDATE: Check out Instapundit's Roundup.

Technorati's Flood Aid tag, and Hurricane Katrina tag.