Sun-Current Endorses Klassen

Bloomington We are just 10 days away from election day and Loren Klassen's bid for the at-large council seat and he just received a nod from the Sun-Current editors.

Axtell, Klassen and Peterson deserve support Bloomington voters face tough choices when they head to the polls Nov. 8 to decide City Council elections. Races for two seats are difficult to call, as each of the candidates would bring valuable skills to the council chambers. Loren Klassen and Karen Nordstrom are contending for the at-large City Council post now occupied by Dave Abrams, who has performed admirably. Both Klassen and Nordstrom bring strong records of community service and both have shown themselves to be bright and thoughtful. Nordstrom can probably claim more credit than anyone else for passage of Bloomington's ordinance restricting smoking in the city. Even if one opposes the ban, one has to admire Nordstrom's tireless efforts in moving the city to protect residents and visitors from the effects of secondhand smoke. She's also an active patron and participant in the arts. Klassen, however, brings a business background to the table. He is well-read and has strong ideas about keeping Bloomington's spending down. The candidates have strikingly different backgrounds and styles. Both would serve the city well, but we lean toward Klassen. He has done his homework and has greater knowledge of the workings of city government. In any case, this election should not be a referendum on Bloomington's smoking ban, though some voters may see it that way. The ban is certainly a consideration but there are other critical issues the council must face in coming months and years. Source: Bloomington Sun-Current 10/27/05

I do take issue with the one statement about the smoking ban though. It says opponents of the smoking ban should admire Nordstrom's "tireless efforts", but if that is the best she can offer she is in trouble because Loren Klassen can match her tireless efforts while supporting issue we all should support like spending accountability, supporting the small business community and smalrt re-development project the still respect individual property rights.

Vote for Loren in 10 days!

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