SENATE DISTRICT 42
REPUBLICANS BLOG
REPRESENTING EDEN PRAIRIE AND SOUTHERN MINNETONKA

Young earned victory
By: Ellen Hoerle, Eden Prairie

In the article, "Tax issue swayed EP election" (Eden Prairie Sun-Current, Nov. 23), both Ron Case and Paul Wendorff, co-founder of the PAC Eden Prairie Taxpayers for Change, give too little credit to the incredible amount of dedication and focus Phil Young demonstrated during the campaign, specifically his willingness to knock on more than 10,000 doors on his road to victory.

Let's face it. If a majority of Eden Prairie voters were against all tax increases, then none of the park referendums would have passed in 2005.

To me, it was never the amount of tax increases Case did or didn't approve through the years that swayed my vote; it was Case's attitude toward his job as a steward of the public's money. He appeared to use the public's money to support agenda items that he personally favored, with little regard for what was beneficial to the community as a whole. Also, he used scare tactics to attempt to convince people the community would collapse unless his pet projects were approved.

As far as Case's concern about "negative campaigning," he really has only himself to blame. By responding to the campaign signs, "Case's Record, Higher Taxe$" with signs saying "Case's Real Record, Top Ten U.S. City," Case demonstrated a level of arrogance that planted a seed of doubt in people's minds about his level of sincerity and his ability to give credit where credit is due -- to the regular citizens and business owners who have made Eden Prairie what it is today.

Why Phil Young won
By Bruce Alvino, Eden Prairie

Ron Case wants to blame someone else for his re-election defeat (Eden Prairie News, letters, Nov. 16). I do not know anything about PAC money but here are three reasons why I believe you lost the election to Phil Young.

First, you lost because of your voting record of higher taxes. Property taxes increased 100 percent in the last 11 years you were on the council. I just received my tax bill and it increased another 4 percent!

Second, the attitude that the city can do whatever it wants with the taxpayer’s money. I still am waiting for an answer to my letter of over a year ago concerning the rainy day fund. It still has not been explained what the plan is for the rainy day fund  and when will there be enough money in the fund so in the future that money can go to tax relief. Also, everyone does not believe in spending millions of dollars on old houses and barns instead of reducing our taxes. I believe historical preservation is a good thing but the dollars should come from private donations.

Finally, the park referendum shell game that the city played to ensure it would pass. The referendum was for $6.65 million, (using outdated figures) then after it passed the city staff recommendation to spend $8.1 million to add staff offices, a day care center and other extras that were not approved by the voters. Even eliminating the extras, the real cost of the referendum is going to be around $7.6 million (Where is the extra $1 million going to come from?). I wonder what Money magazine would think about Eden Prairie if they knew that the city manipulated a tax referendum to insure a yes vote. I doubt we would be in the top 10.

12,696 voters were right
By Barney Uhlig, Eden Prairie

Mr. [Ron] Case, from the sounds of your letter published in the Nov. 16 Eden Prairie News, you need to get a grip.  There are three reasons why you lost the election to Phil Young.

First, you lost because of your voting record of higher taxes. However you spin it, property taxes increased 100 percent during the last 11 years that you were a council member. Can’t you hear the 12,696 voters all saying: “Lower our taxes!”

Second, you lost because of your elitist attitude. The attitude which led you to believe that you somehow deserved to be mayor of this city. The attitude that Eden Prairie is somehow a “small town” when it is the 11th largest city in the state. The attitude that everyone craves spending millions of dollars on old houses and barns.

Finally, you lost because of your arrogance. The same arrogance that led you to take credit for the city being ranked the 10th best city to live in. That’s what cost you the election. Your 12-year reign on the City Council is over.

That’s right, Mr. Case, 12,696 voters were right to be mad about the high cost of living in Eden Prairie.  12,696 voters were right about escalating spending by city staff. 12,696 voters were right about the need to stop tax increases. 12,696 voters were right about voting you out of office. If you listen carefully, you can hear their collective voices saying it’s time for a change here in Eden Prairie.

Disappointed in comments
By Bob Fleagle Jr, Eden Prairie

I read with some disappointment the rather bitter post-election comments made by candidate [Jeff] Strate in your paper disparaging one of his opponents and the supporters of that opponent in our City Council race. Strate lost that race, and he’s chosen to blame that loss on the ignorance of the voters.

I can only speak for my one vote, Mr. Strate, but I do not cast votes, as you directly suggest, based on which candidate puts out the most lawn signs. My vote went for Jon Duckstad because, after review of the candidates’ positions, he most closely represents my values and desires.

Strate’s position seems to be that his loss must be direct proof that we are an unthinking constituency. I submit that he has it backwards: that, instead, this patronizing attitude might be why he garnered so few votes.

Case thanks voters
By Ron Case, Eden Prairie

I want to congratulate Phil Young on becoming Eden Prairie’s ninth mayor and wish him the best as he leads this great city into a bright future. I also want to take this opportunity to thank my wife, Kathie, the most caring and sensitive person I know, and my children, Kierstin, Jenny, David and Sam for being so supportive of me over the past year. Additionally, I want to thank the people who voted for me, the many who worked so hard on my campaign, especially my leadership team, as well as the 180 people who gave campaign contributions and the 400 homeowners who graciously allowed me to display my sign in their yards. Over the last few days the outpouring of support through cards, flowers, e-mails and phone calls has been overwhelming and my family and I will be forever grateful for the kindness and compassion extended towards us.

Regardless of what outcomes elections produce, American democracy is always strengthened by the participation of our citizens in the electoral process. Nonetheless, the mayor race here in Eden Prairie went down a path that will forever change the look of what had been generally small-town, relationship-based electoral face-offs. Heretofore, candidates who had become the most integrated into our community, who had given the most of their time and energy, and who had the broadest support of the current and past leadership of the community typically won. But never before has Eden Prairie seen a $13,000 PAC surface or negative signage and campaign literature containing distortions and half-truths thrown at one candidate in the final days of an election. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I fear that every campaign in the future will become PAC infested and partisan divisive as Eden Prairie candidates for elected office battle each other in a downward spiral of negativity that formerly had been reserved for state and national campaigns.

I chose to run a traditional, grass-roots campaign of honesty and integrity based upon my record of hard work and servant leadership. I’m proud to have been part of councils that represented all of the people rather than a party or an ideology. Nancy Tyra-Lukens and I are leaving the council with the city experiencing record low taxes, award-winning confirmation of our successful leadership and the best municipal staff in the state.

Finally, I wish to thank the people of Eden Prairie for allowing me the honor of serving you these past 12 years. Eden Prairie enriches the concept of “Minnesota nice” and I have been privileged to experience the neighborly warmth of our residents. I plan to continue as I have for 27 years to care about preserving Eden Prairie’s past, enriching its present, and safeguarding its future. So much is at stake in the years to come that if we are going to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren then we all must stay vigilant in the pursuit of good government.

Ruud and Strate sweep precinct three
By Jeff Strate, Eden Prairie

I won only one precinct in my campaign for a place on Eden Prairie’s City Council. That was Precinct 3, my home precinct, the rich man/poor man part of town set on a forested quilt of small lakes, a creek and Birch Island Woods. My colleague Maria Ruud also won the most votes in my neighborhood and went on to win all the Eden Prairie and Minnetonka precincts in Minnesota House District 42A. Two years ago she failed to win a single precinct in Eden Prairie. Ruud and Strate: Number 1 in Precinct 3. I clutch what glory I can.

I was roundly drubbed in all other EP precincts by candidates McKay, Stevens, Nelson and Duckstad. My only phone call of congratulations, however, went to Larry Piumbroeck who came in dead last despite his splendid, to the point and substantive answers in the candidate forums. “Larry,” I said, “this is Jeff, I concede to you the basement.” We laughed.

But no cigars for Larry or myself. With Peter Hutchinson, voters have given us the key to a non-exclusive club hung with the portraits of Al Gore, Harold Stassen and Pat Paulsen.

This was my second, failed run for elected office. In 1958 when Dwight Eisenhower was the nation’s hero president, I stood for election to be president of my homeroom at Edina Junior High School. Being a shy Lutheran, Scandinavian kid, I voted for my opponent and lost by a vote. This time, I voted for myself but captured less than 13 percent of the vote, a level that Mr. Hutchinson or Dr. Phil could cheer about.

Seriously, the winners deserve respect for running effective campaigns. The rest of us and our supporters, I hope, understand that the city doesn’t rise or fall with or without any of us.

Democracy is only jump started by the vote. We need to remember that our form of government, especially at the local level, is fueled by values, the public mood, showing up to meetings, asking questions and insisting on good, honest answers. Democracy needs lots of those proverbial squeaky wheels – knowledgeable ones.

I’d like to thank the scores of people who helped me on my campaign and apologize for starting late and under-estimating the power of yard signs. I suppose that if the highest ratio of the number of votes cast per the number of yard signs a candidate shows off was the basis for selecting winners, Mr. Piumbroeck and I would be telling you how smart we are. As it is, we’ll turn the cellar light off when we climb the stairs and look around in a few weeks.

Elections are about the future
By Phil Young, Eden Prairie City Councilmember

“Elections are about the future.” Never has that statement been more true for the residents of Eden Prairie than this year.

City leaders 30 years ago planned the vision which later city councils and staff have faithfully implemented and which deserves much of the credit for making Eden Prairie a tremendous city in which to live, work, and raise a family.

Eden Prairie has received many accolades over the years most recently being named a Top 10 city in which to live my Money Magazine. These awards are a testament to the foresight of those city leaders 30 years ago and a reflection of the hard work by many other elected leaders, residents, and business owners since that time.

Yet, it is also true that Eden Prairie has now completed the original development plan and the next City Council will be the leaders who will largely create the second long-term plan for our greatest city.

The mayor and two council members chosen at this November's election will have a wonderful opportunity. The job will not be easy and will require addressing challenging issues such as declining non-tax revenue to the city, a changing population demographic, stagnant commercial property taxes, increased competition for residents and businesses with neighboring communities, transportation congestion, and increased upward pressure on residential property taxes.

In many ways, Eden Prairie is in a time of change. The challenges it faces today are different and some are more complicated than those it faced in the last decade. If its elected leaders do not recognize this then, as some concerned residents properly recognize, it is “time for a change.”

Residents and businesses love Eden Prairie and do not want to alter its fundamental character. At the same time, though, they recognize that property taxes are rising at an increasingly higher rate. The first challenge for the next City Council will be to continue providing quality services while controlling the growth of property taxes.

Fiscal discipline has been a hallmark of my council service. Two years ago, I focused on our city's rapidly growing cash reserves, which had grown to a high level not recommended by the Minnesota State Auditor. I pressed for and ultimately achieved reform of our “rainy day funds.” Last year, I proposed specific changes to our city budget which would not have affected city services at all but would have brought the growth in our budget in line with inflation.

The next City Council must involve all stakeholders -- residents and businesses -- in the long-term plan of our city. And, the City Council must listen to what those stakeholders say. The City Council cannot, as it did but five years ago, poll its residents in a survey and then spend hundreds of thousands of tax dollars contrary to the results of that survey.

I have consistently opposed spending tax dollars on council priorities such as historic preservation not because I do not value Eden Prairie's heritage (in fact I do) but rather because I believe we have spent too many tax dollars on it, especially when our most recent citizen survey ranked it as unsupported.

Similarly, I fully recognize the business community is our partner in the success of Eden Prairie. Businesses pay half of all taxes in town and thus subsidize many of the amenities which residents exclusively enjoy. I am proud of my involvement with the business community and my recent endorsement for mayor by the Eden Prairie Chamber Government Leadership Council.

The population of Eden Prairie is aging and the services which our city provides in the future must reflect our growing senior community. The recommendations from our Senior Task Force provide a good road map for our city to follow.

Transportation, too, will be a challenge for our next City Council. Some roads will need to be widened; others require improved turn lanes; many roads need more integrated signals. Regional groups, such as the Southwest Corridor Commission on whose board I serve, must continue as leaders for improvements to our highway system.

Eden Prairie will always be a strong and envied community. The challenges it faces are not unique to cities which have reached maturity and are certainly overcome with good planning and respectful stewardship of our tax dollars.

I am running for Mayor of Eden Prairie because I want to help plan Eden Prairie for its next generation of residents and businesses. I want Eden Prairie to be as special for my four young sons as they grow into adulthood as it is for my wife and me today.
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Phil Young is an Eden Prairie City Council member and candidate for Mayor of Eden Prairie

Choose Young as Mayor
By Tamra Matsuda, Eden Prairie

A recent letter to the editor stated that "Case spurred growth" (Eden Prairie Sun-Current, Sept. 28). I read that letter, and I thought yes, Case does spur growth - in tax spending and relationships that should be changed.

Recently, Case sided with two other City Council members to vote to maintain the current law firm to prosecute city traffic violations. This firm costs more than $360,000 more, over three years, than the lowest bidder. This firm has relationships with city employees, which Case may argue is helpful.

Supports Young
By Tamra Matsuda, Eden Prairie

Stop the rubber stamping - vote Phil Young for Eden Prairie mayor

We hear it often: "this election is the most important yet." And yet strangely enough, that mantra rings true every time. The race for Eden Prairie mayor is an important race for the future of Eden Prairie. We have two individuals seeking election. On the surface they both seem capable. However there are some major differences between them. And there is one that I believe separates them immeasurably.

First - If you are concerned about the city tax burden and keeping Eden Prairie a strong city that values nature, business, safety and happy families, then I encourage you to consider Phil Young for Eden Prairie mayor. I welcome all that he has brought to the Eden Prairie City Council since he was elected in 2002. Phil has done a tremendous job in reining in frivolous spending and bringing a solid fiscally smart voice to the City Council.

Second - Over the past three years on the council Phil has asked the tough questions about the city's budget rather than rubber-stamping a budget approval. Hey, anyone can rubber stamp a budget, but it is hard to stand up and ask "Do we really need this? Will it benefit our families and businesses located in our city?" I am so proud that Phil stands up and asks these questions.

Why just recently the City Council voted to "rubber stamp" an incumbent law firm to prosecute city traffic violations and other misdemeanors. With Councilmember Brad Aho, Phil voted against this law firm because it was the most expensive of the three bidding and change is worth exploring in areas such as this. However, three other council members, including Phil's opponent, voted yes.

Supports Case
Jan Heinig Mosman, Eden Prairie

In January of 2000, I found myself seated as the EP junior City Council member serving with Dr. Jean Harris as mayor, Council members Sherry Butcher, Ron Case and Nancy Tyra-Lukens. There were several priorities that we had agreed to focus on, and for the record I would like to note two of them here:

First: reaching out to the local business community. The resulting actions included the Meet and Greet program, where staff and elected officials went out to learn about individual businesses and to hear concerns. All council members made time to accompany staff at these meetings. Thus far, 157 companies have been visited, and the program is continuing. A redevelopment study of the Golden Triangle Area looked at ways to add housing, change traffic patterns, and give impetus for upgrading properties. The Major Center Area Task Force worked to identify ways to improve traffic flow and increase visibility. Communication with the city scored a 78 percent approval rating in the most recent business survey, appreciably higher than one taken three years earlier. Businesses are vital to the city, paying more than half of our local taxes and contributing to philanthropies and acting as sponsors of our city events. Residents can support them also by utilizing the Eden Prairie phone book, or looking at the EP Chamber Web site: epchamber.org. Residents and businesses all benefit when the community positively promotes from within, as a particular independent magazine rating has proven.

Another high priority for the City Council at the time was seniors and life-cycle housing. The city has effectively tripled the number of senior living options since that year. A council-requested Senior Task Force was hosted by the city in 1996. The results included improvements to the Senior Center, a shopping bus and passive parks such as the one on Lake Smetana that was designed with the help of seniors and is now additionally used by office workers and other residents. With the number of seniors increasing, another Task Force was sponsored by the city to look at whatever new issues have arisen, or had not been given response.

All components in a city are important for its success, from the business mix to the support of individuals of all ages. The council member who goes to "Meet and Greets," has supported business in his long history on the City Council, and requested the very first Senior Task Force as well as the most recent one is my associate and friend Ron Case. These are two of the many reasons I support Ron Case for mayor of Eden Prairie.
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Editor's Note: Mosman is a former Eden Prairie City Council member.

Support Young
By Patrick and Beth McCoy, Eden Prairie

We support Phil Young for mayor of Eden Prairie. We have known Phil for a number of years and have consistently been impressed with his approach to city issues.

Phil does his homework and provides meaningful, pertinent feedback on items that come before the City Council. He questions things as any family would when reviewing their budget and expenses. Can we find a way to cut our costs? Can we cut back without compromising our lifestyle? Can we find a way to eliminate or decrease some of our expenses? Can we find cheaper ways to provide the same services? We expect this type of analysis from our city leaders even when it flies in the face of some of the City Council members. We appreciate Phil speaking up for those who expect honest stewardship of our collective treasures.

Phil demonstrates the personal characteristics that we are trying to instill in our own children. He is a man of honesty, integrity, humility and character. We expect this of any elected official and deem it our responsibility to seek out the candidates that reflect what we believe in. This election makes it pretty easy since only one candidate matches our requirements.

Eden Prairie received a AAA bond rating, improved its relationship with the business community and was named a Top 10 City during Phil's tenure on the City Council. Yet, Phil doesn't try to take all of the credit for these accomplishments. Every taxpayer in the community has supported our school district. Every taxpayer in this community has supported the parks and trails. Every taxpayer in this community has had a hand in making Eden Prairie what it is today. We all deserve a pat on the back. The “unity”in “community”seems to have been forgotten by a chosen few.

Supports Stevens
By Lisa Toomey, Eden Prairie

I am fortunate enough to know Gary Stevens and his family quite well. They are all exceptionally generous and kind people. Gary is never one to rush to judgment, all of his actions are well thought out. He is a very patient man who is concerned about those around him. The residents of Eden Prairie would be lucky to have him help guide us forward on the City Council.

Part of the reason Eden Prairie is ranked the number 10 best place to live in the USA by Money Magazine isn't because of one man as some of the signs around town would have people believe. It is because of people like Gary Stevens. He, as well as many others like him that I am privileged to know, give of themselves without expecting anything in return. Gary has that great volunteer attitude that helps make this a wonderful place to live.

Gary has served and continues to serve on many nonprofit boards. He has chaired and will chair more in the future. Gary is committed to worthwhile causes that impact Eden Prairie. He truly cares about the residents of this city as is evident by his past and present actions.

Questions prosecution decision
By Dan Kitrell, Eden Prairie

Scott Neal, Eden Prairie city manager, recently recommended that the city of Eden Prairie spend $240,000 per year over the next three years to retain its current law firm to fulfill its criminal prosecution and legal needs. However, bids as low of $120,000 per year were submitted to the city. This translates into an extra $360,000 during this three-year period.

Although Mr. Neal offered several reasons why he recommended that the City Council pay 100 percent more than the lowest bid, the question that the City Council should answer is whether this was the best use of this $360,000 of Eden Prairie residents' money?

By paying a law firm an extra $360,000, the residents of Eden Prairie will need to forego $360,000 for police, firefighters, parks, recreation, city services and other potential applications. Whether you are for or against historic preservation, the expansion of park lands, the addition of recreation facilities, expanded road maintenance, or any of the other projects that are considered by the City Council each year, there will be $360,000 fewer dollars available to fund these alternative projects.

Money could have been used for police
By Paul Gallenberger, Eden Prairie

So let me get this straight. The same three council members voted the same again (what a surprise) to ignore $120,000 in savings during the selection process of the city's prosecutor. This savings could have easily added another police officer to the police force to patrol our streets and be there when we need them, with no overall cost increase.

The threesome said their decision was based on safety, and the competency of our current prosecutor. So let me get this straight. Fewer police officers is safer? The city manager indicated all candidates were qualified to do this work and they already do it successfully for other suburbs, yet a member of the threesome said we'd be switching to an "unknown."

Am I missing something, or am I just plain, old stupid? All I know for sure is that Ron Case has duped the people of Eden Prairie for 12 years, stating many, many times, that "radicals" want to cut our police force. Check the mirror Mr. Case, that is exactly what you and your threesome just did!

So let me get this straight. The threesome thinks that $120,000 is not a significant amount of money to waste. Go tell that to every man, woman, and child in Eden Prairie. Your decision cost them funding for something they needed. I'm here to tell you that it is significant, just not to you three.

So let me get this straight. We have an attorney and a businessman on our council, whose expertise is completely ignored by the threesome because they are the majority. In the business world, paying a 30 percent markup for the "best of the best" would be the absolute maximum. Anything over that is considered foolish and you approved 100 percent? I sure hope your prosecutor is a good person because then maybe she'll tell her company to voluntarily accept a lower contract as their fee is much higher than both the small firm, and large firm they were compared against.

Young discusses vote on city prosecution contract
By: EP City Coucilmember Phil Young

A city committed to fiscal discipline must take advantage of every responsible opportunity to save tax dollars.

Last week, the City Council re-appointed its incumbent law firm to prosecute misdemeanor crimes (mostly traffic offenses) committed in Eden Prairie. I voted against this proposal, as did Councilmember Brad Aho.

Three law firms competed for the city's prosecution contract. Each had relevant experience. Each had good references. Each would have provided quality services.

But, the bids from the three firms were very different. Our incumbent firm bid $240,000 a year; another firm bid $195,000; and the third bid $120,000.

To me, and Councilmember Aho, the conclusion was obvious - choose the lowest responsible bidder. The arguments to the contrary were simply unpersuasive.

The incumbent firm certainly had the advantage of familiarity (and friendship) with Eden Prairie city employees, including our police officers. To some, this was a significant factor against making a change. To me it wasn't. I am a lawyer in private practice and I know from experience that clients change law firms far more commonly (and seamlessly) than they did even 10 years ago. Eden Prairie could certainly have made a change while upholding its commitment to public safety.

If I see an opportunity to save taxpayers $120,000 a year, I'll take it. Every time.
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Editor's Note: Young is a City Council member and mayoral candidate.

Case votes against saving $360,000
By: Thomas Briant, Eden Prairie

At the Sept. 19 council meeting, Ron Case voted to spend $360,000 more than was necessary [over three years] to hire an expensive law firm to prosecute mostly misdemeanor traffic and speeding tickets. He was joined in that vote by liberal spenders Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens and Sherry Butcher. Council Members Phil Young and Brad Aho understood that there was no need for this wasteful spending and voted not to hire the attorneys who have represented the city in the past.

By choosing the city's existing law firm for misdemeanor prosecutions over two competing and well qualified firms, Case, the mayor and Butcher squandered an opportunity to save $360,000 in taxpayer dollars over the three-year prosecution contract.

Case's claim that hiring a different law firm would endanger public safety is groundless. These "Chicken Little" arguments have no basis in fact. Both of the other competing firms have experienced prosecutors who serve other metro-area cities very well. Edina recently hired a new law firm for prosecution services and is saving $60,000 to $70,000 a year. Has that city become a haven for crime?

City Manager Scott Neal and Case both claimed that the extra "cost per household per day" to hire the expensive law firm wasn't enough to warrant choosing a lower bidding firm. As I testified last week before the council on this matter, it is clear that the top city staff have a mindset to spend all the taxpayer dollars they have at their disposal even when common sense dictates saving taxpayers $360,000.

It's time to reduce unnecessary and wasteful spending in this city and the approval of a different qualified law firm that proposed charging taxpayers $360,000 less for prosecution services would have been a great place to start. How much lower does a bid have to go before city staff, Case, the mayor and Butcher understand what fiscal responsibility means and start spending less taxpayer dollars?

Case showed his true colors with this vote. His actions are not consistent with his claims of being fiscally responsible. This squandering of $360,000 is a prime example of why residents need to send a message to city hall on Election Day and vote for Phil Young for mayor. Remember, the money Case keeps spending belongs to the residents of this city, not him.
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Briant is co-founder of Eden Prairie Taxpayers for Change

“Historic”claim farfetched
By: Ellen Hoerle, Eden Prairie

To those of us who have lived here for only a short time, the claim that historic preservation contributes to our current quality of life seems farfetched. After all, none of the city's historic preservation sites were included in the list of sites City Manager Scott Neal told the Money reporter to visit, so it is unlikely the sites contributed to the city's ranking in the magazine's Best Places to Live in America report.

To those of us like me who grew up in another part of the country (western Missouri along the Missouri River) where historical events had real and meaningful consequences for this country's expansion and survival (Civil War battles, Missouri River's importance for exploration and commercial development, path of Lewis & Clark, starting point of the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails, just to name a few), hype surrounding historic preservation in this city is excessive, mind numbing, and exclusionary. Sitting in an old farmhouse drinking coffee or staring at an "original wall" of a log cabin does not history make, because simply doing these things does not make the important part of the word history--story--worth remembering. The story of these old homes simply isn't memorable for anyone who didn't grow up in them, or around them, and with the population a transient 60,000, that is most of us. It's as if we are expected to supplant our own memories of a far more consequential and interesting history with an appreciation of Eden Prairie's inconsequential history, and pay more taxes to facilitate that process whether we want to or not.

Unlike other spending (preservation of green space), the city has shied away from allowing voters to determine if historic preservation spending is a priority for the majority of us and has instead chosen to obscure preservation and maintenance expenses in the Capital Improvement Fund.

Why did the city go to the voters to get authorization for a tax increase to buy four acres called Birch Island Woods for $800,000 if there was plenty of money sitting in the Park Improvement Fund (current balance, $6,355,600) to buy this property? Why did a previous City Council approve spending of close to the same amount of the Capital Improvement Fund ($675,000, for an eight-year payback from rent paid by Dunn Brothers Coffee) on renovations of the Smith-Douglas-More House without seeking voter approval, or renovations to the Riley-Jacques Barn ($784,000) or projected costs of renovations to the Riley-Jacques Farmhouse ($462,000) or Cummins-Phipps-Grill House (projected cost, $357,000)?

What future projects will the Park Improvement Fund money be used for besides cost overruns of improvements to the Community Center -- cost overruns due to significant design changes after voters voted? Ron Case has already voiced his support for preserving Bent Creek Golf Course (Aug. 3 letter). What other projects will taxpayers be asked to approve so that Ron Case and his supporters can spend money already in the PIF on their pet projects without the need to go to voters for approval?

Case: Tax numbers example of good government
By: EP City Coucilmember, Eden Prairie

I am a school teacher in the Eden Prairie public schools. I plan to retire within the next decade. Along with about everyone else, I worry about the impact that higher taxes will have on my ability to "age in place" in our 1880s Eden Prairie farm house. However, I'm just as worried about whether Eden Prairie will remain a "family friendly" community with all of the amenities that made me choose to live here in the first place.

Trying to understand the ins and outs of taxes in Minnesota is extremely difficult. Because it's the interpretation of statistics that gives meaning and not the raw numbers, it's easy to use statistics factually by the letter and yet still not be truthful in spirit. The property tax levy is a great example to use to illustrate how a fact can be misused in a negative sound bite when in actuality it's an example of really good government. While it is true that Eden Prairie's tax levy doubled from 1994 to 2006, one should conclude that if Eden Prairie's economy was healthy it better have doubled! Because during those same years our population grew around 50 percent, national inflation was up 28.3 percent, our community voted several times to raise its own taxes in referendums, and state government cut a million dollars a year from our state aid. The real "cost of government" is per capita spending and today, adjusted for inflation, we spend 23 percent less per person than we did a decade ago.

How does our growth in local taxes compare with other communities? According to information from the League of Minnesota Cities, from 1994 to 2006 Bloomington's tax levy went up only 65 percent but they lost 3 percent in population; Minnetonka's went up 79 percent but grew only 5 percent in population; Edina's levy was up 74 percent but the city grew only 1.5 percent in population; and Maple Grove, which experienced similar growth to Eden Prairie, raised their levy 235 percent during the same time period. Clearly, Eden Prairie is managing its budgets, tax increases, and growth in a fiscally disciplined and financially responsible process.

Finally, cities just don't win awards and commendations without a lot of planning and follow through. When Money magazine selected Eden Prairie as one of 10 best places to live in America, they chose us based in part on our sound fiscal management policies. That award joins the 2005 Parents Magazine naming of Eden Prairie as the "Best Suburban City to Raise Kids," inclusion in the book "50 Fabulous Places to Raise your Family," and Money magazine's selection last year of Eden Prairie as the sixth "hottest" city in the central United States.

We live in one of the finest communities in the state of Minnesota. We didn't get here by accident. I'm proud of Eden Prairie and fortunate to have been one of the architects that helped to create this efficient and well-managed community. My vision is to keep Eden Prairie on top by expanding on the thoughtful and balanced policies that have clearly been so successful!

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Editor's Note: Case is a City Council member and mayoral candidate.

Supports Case
By Molly Gilbertson, Eden Prairie

I have to take issue with the Sept. 7 letter to the editor criticizing mayoral candidate Ron Case for his support of, as the writer described, restoration of "…old barns and houses" in Eden Prairie.

As a recent past member of the Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation Commission, I have personal experience with the "old barns and houses" to which the writer is referring. I have personally attended community theater plays in the Riley-Jacques Barn - a barn restored with the community support of Mr. Case and many others. Among other applications for the barn, these plays provide opportunities for Eden Prairie young people to learn teamwork and the art and joy of acting, and each was presented to a full-house audience of paying customers. What "time for change" would the writer be suggesting here? Should we not have plays? Should the plays be done in a bare steel pole shed, instead of in an inspiring and culturally enriching part of our city's history?

How about the Dunn Bros. Coffee Shop in the Historic Smith-Douglas-More house in Eden Prairie? This is an "old house" that Mr. Case also supported. I drive by and visit this old house often, and the parking lot is usually filled with cars of patrons. The outdoor porch and patio typically have people happily sitting, conversing and doing business, as well as inside. I have never encountered an Eden Prairie resident who does not enjoy visiting this old house, that now has a new and valuable modern use, or who does not think the house is a truly valuable asset to the community. What "time for change" would the Sept. 7 writer be suggesting? Should the house be less popular? Should there be fewer user cars in the parking lot at all hours of the day? Should we have left this beautiful historic house to the pigeons and rot instead?

I believe in fiscal responsibility too.

However, I bought a home in Eden Prairie expecting that this city would be more culturally diverse and interesting than just another least-cost and unimaginative outer-ring suburb distinguished only by its connection via an asphalt strip to downtown Minneapolis, like so many others are. "Old barns and houses?" You bet.

Council often votes 3 to 2
by Richard Proops, Eden Prairie

The current mayoral campaign places the responsibility for taxes on the numerous votes of Ron Case. This raises the legitimate question, "Isn't Phil Young equally responsible, since he is also on the City Council?" The answer is quite simple: NO. Those primarily responsible for the annual tax increases are Ron Case, Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens and Sherry Butcher who usually vote as a majority block of 3 to 2.

The mayor is more interested in being remembered for what was done for the city, and not for the debt incurred by the city or the higher taxes paid by residents. Sherry Butcher, who the mayor endorsed for reelection, does not have much creative input to discussions and votes loyally with the mayor and Case most of the time.

Case has been campaigning for mayor for a long time; his campaign strategy includes responding positively to almost all requests for expanding city services and expenditures, regardless of costs. While responsiveness to residents is commendable, the council is supposed to be a sensitive filter for the interests of the entire community.

The current discussions of the community center rebuilding project are focused on the potential cost. The referendum vote last fall approved $6,650,000 for the project, while the current construction estimates are as high as $8,850,000 and I am guessing it could go to $10,000,000 after the bidding process.

Where will the extra funds come from? There is a little publicized Park Improvement Fund shown in the Dec. 5, 2005 Truth in Taxation Hearing, as $6,355,600. (This is not to be confused with the $6,650,000 approved in the referendum.) The majority of the Council, including Ron Case, strongly supports using the Park Improvement Fund to pay for part of the community center renovation. With this diversion of the funds, some planned park improvements will be canceled or postponed.

Has anyone explored an alternative for the community center within the $6,650,000 authorized by the referendum? The plan might include building a new lobby in front, with an adjacent child care center. The present lobby would provide space to expand the locker rooms. A second floor on the new lobby could provide for expanding the snack area or adding to the existing offices. New lockers, deepening the pool, and major redecorating might all be accomplished within the authorized amount. How will the vote go?

The City Council needs to have independent members making individual, informed spending decisions rather than continuing to vote in a block for all proposed expenditures.

It's time for a change.

Why Case would not receive GOP endorsement
by Peter Bozanich , Eden Prairie

Ron Case approached the Eden Prairie Republicans two years ago asking about their endorsement, according to my recollection and others. But Republicans endorsed Phil Young for mayor instead. Today Case sends out angry literature accusing Republicans of being "radical." He now vows that he is running as "everybody's mayor." In light of his earlier support of endorsements, this current tantrum seems hypocritical.

In 2004, Republicans unanimously endorsed two people for City Council, Brad Aho and Larry Kacher. Ron Case was a delegate at the time and participated in that unanimous endorsement. With his permission we even posted Case's personal endorsement on the SD42 Republican Web site. Yet, he later chose to write a commentary tacitly supporting their opponent, Sherry Butcher. I have had very low regard for Mr. Case ever since. I don't want someone like that to be my mayor.

The most outrageous accusation Case and his supporters make is that Phil Young wants to cut essential city services - police, fire, snow plows. Case's own literature accuses Phil Young of planning across-the-board budget cuts. These are lies, a smear designed to scare voters. Phil has never suggested any of these things. Controlling the growth of spending does not mean shutting down the city - that's ridiculous.

The truth and the real reason Case would not get Republican endorsement is because he is not a fiscal conservative. He voted to raise taxes in nine of the past 11 years. He voted to grant over $2 million dollars - more than any other surrounding community - to restore old barns and houses. He opposed the formation of a citizen task force, something that would give average citizens input into the budget process.

Political parties are not exclusive clubs. Anyone can join - all you need to do is show up at your precinct caucus. The Eden Prairie Republicans represent those members of the local community that desire limited government. The community members seeking smaller, more responsive government are supporting Phil Young for mayor.
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Editor's Note: Bozanich is the Senate District 42 Webmaster

Supports Young
by Nancy Arieta , Eden Prairie

Several weeks ago, one local paper published an ad from a Ron Case supporter. I quote, "Ron Case intends to be everyone's mayor without an extreme agenda or obligations to special interest groups." I take exception to this statement. I am convinced that Ron Case has a very specific agenda, an agenda that has the support of a number of tax and spend liberals who can never get enough of our precious taxpayer dollars for their special interests, aims and goals.

I am a resident of Eden Prairie and enjoy living in our lovely community. However, if people like Ron Case are in charge, I fear I will no longer be able to afford to stay here. I simply won't be able to pay for taxes on my home. Too often, tax and spend liberals forget about the ordinary citizens and barrel ahead with their agendas regardless of the cost.

Why do I think Mr. Case would ignore the concerns of his constituents? I have observed his behavior at council meetings …behavior that in my opinion is rude and dismissive of people with whom he does not agree.

Supports Young
by Nathan Grein, Eden Prairie

I wish to submit this letter of support for Phil Young for mayor of Eden Prairie.

Over the past couple of years, I have come to know Phil Young and found he is involved in the community in the many ways that a mayor should be. Phil is active in his church, coaches youth athletics, and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. He realizes that a city the size of Eden Prairie has many stakeholders whose interests occasionally conflict but all of which benefit from the continued success of our city.

Eden Prairie was recently labeled the 10th Best Place to Live by Money magazine. As Eden Prairie was not even in the top 100 cities for this same list in 2005, it seems fair to honor the entire City Council for their part in this success. I also agree that much of this honor is due to the residents and businesses which have chosen to locate to Eden Prairie.

Dorenkemper House opens its doors: Restoration of home nears completion four years after move to Riley Lake Road
By Karla Wennerstrom

"This is almost eerie," Ginny Dorenkemper said as she stepped into her childhood room in her parents' home.

"This was my room," she said. "Nice view, though."

Looking out of her bedroom window is a bit different today. Now it has a lake view.

The Dorenkemper House was moved in 2002 from its former location on Pioneer Trail near Settler's Ridge to its site on Riley Lake Road.

"This looked out toward the barn," she said of the window on the other side of the building.

"And now it still looks toward a barn," she said, gesturing toward the Riley-Jacques Barn. The home is on the city-owned Riley-Jacques Farmstead, with the 1928-built dairy barn and 1881 farmhouse.

One of Eden Prairie's oldest structures, the Dorenkemper log house will be open to the public for the first time at Sunbonnet Day on Sunday, Sept. 10.

The exact construction date of the home isn't known, city Historic Preservation Specialist John Gertz said, but he estimated it to be late 1800s construction. Eden Prairie Historical Society president Kathie Case estimated the home was built in the late 1860s, or early 1870s.

Dorenkemper's mother, Irene, was born in the house in 1910, she said. Her parents, Alex and Irene, lived in the house until their deaths in 1999 and 2000.

Restoration of the home is not yet complete, but residents will be able to see how far the project has come since the building was moved.

Developer Dan Herbst, president of Pemtom Land Co., is credited with saving the log dwelling from the wrecking ball. He donated the house to the city.

The Chanhassen resident said, "It goes back to when we were originally going to develop the Dorenkemper farm and the Peterson farm. We took the siding off and saw how well preserved and authentic - and those logs in there were in just unbelievable good shape. I was amazed by this."

He said it would have been a shame to bulldoze or burn it down - "but little did I know what was ahead of me," he said of the project.

"I would hope that everyone could come out and see what an authentic pioneer house looked like," he said of it finally being open to the public. "It's a piece of history, really, that I think is worth preserving."

"I think that was the purpose of it, you know, so people could come out and enjoy it and see it," Herbst said. "It took a lot longer to complete than we ever thought, but that's what happens when you do restoration."

Gertz said the restoration has been funded mainly through donations from Herbst. He said most cities have historic homes that have been preserved. " Eden Prairie is a little unique in that we have several," he said.

Gertz said the plan is to present the building basically as it was in the late 1800s. Accurate historical restoration meant that utilities would not be installed in the house.

However, the home will be accessible and electricity will power security and auxiliary lighting. Security was of particular concern to Dorenkemper, after two incidents of vandalism this year.

Remodeling and changes to the original home, like a living room window that had been added, were taken out. "That was like detective work," Gertz said, of restoring the home to its original condition. Clues were found in historic photos, he said.

Although "it's not going to be completely done," Case said, the Historical Society hopes to bring some historic items to the site for Sunbonnet Day, including historic photos of the Dorenkemper family.

"I think that they'll really marvel at the way that the place was built," Case said of visitors to the home. "There's a wall that was built to show how the original wall was built; I think they'll really enjoy looking at that."

Case said items the Historical Society has been gathering for the house include a cupboard found in Al and Abby Picha's home that was from an early Eden Prairie post office. "When you open up the cupboards there are names carved on the shelves," Case said. She said Andy Stika of Eden Prairie has been working on refinishing several pieces for the house.

The goal is for the Eden Prairie Historical Society to take over the house, Gertz said. Dorenkemper, a member of the society, said she plans to volunteer there. Some of her family's furniture, including a fainting couch, is in storage waiting to come back to the house, she said.

"The fact that we will have so many things that are original is a miracle in itself," he said. "We're lucky to have anything at all."

Gertz said the site would eventually include a functioning stove.

"We'll have demonstrations on cooking and baking," Gertz said. Visitors will be able to see how the pitcher pump worked in the kitchen, and see a functioning ice box. They will be able to experience "wash day" at the Dorenkemper house.

The hope is that the smell of baking bread emanating from the kitchen and the sound of children laughing as they try to get water out of the pitcher pump will bring life back to the house that has stood empty on the site since 2002.

"I want to be here when they pull that first loaf of bread out of the oven," Dorenkemper said.

Completion of the home's restoration depends on volunteers and funding. The city and Historical Society are seeking help with painting, wallpapering and other finishing touches, Gertz said. To help, contact Gertz at 949-8454.

Campaign against Case factual
by Paul Wendorff, Eden Prairie

If Ron Case cannot stand by his voting record of increasing taxes nine times since 1995, then residents should not vote for him. The Eden Prairie Taxpayers for Change, a group of concerned citizens who formed a political action committee, has placed lawn signs informing residents of Case's history of raising property taxes.

In an Aug. 17 article in this newspaper, Case makes several statements we disagree with. First, he says the signs which read "Case's Record: Higher Taxe$" are negative. The signs are factual and details of all nine Case votes for higher property taxes are posted on the EPTC Web site (www.eptaxpayers.com).

Second, Case claims that the EPTC signs are an "inappropriate part of local, small-town politics." Minnesota law allows citizens to form committees to support or oppose a candidate. The EPTC is educating voters about the facts. Informing voters about Case's record, which has led to a 100 percent increase in property taxes in the past 11 years, is very appropriate.

Third, the U.S. Census Bureau ranks Eden Prairie as the 11th largest city in Minnesota. The State Auditor ranks Eden Prairie as having the 18th highest property taxes per person. Eden Prairie is one of the largest metropolitan suburbs in Minnesota and the 2006 budget property tax levy approved by Case of $27,812,939 equates to a property tax burden of $456 for every man, woman and child.

Fourth, Case asserts that the city's property tax increase for 2006 was the "second lowest rate in Hennepin County." Data from the Eden Prairie Finance Director shows that the city's total property tax levy increased from $25,692,822 in 2005 to $27,812,939 in 2006, an increase of $2,120,117. Moreover, the general fund budget expenditures supported by Case increased by more than $2 million for 2006 and didn't even provide residents with an additional police officer.

What did residents get for paying $2 million more in property taxes? Case voted to continue paying a law firm almost $500,000 to act as city attorney rather than hiring full-time, in-house lawyers to save taxpayers $200,000 or more.

Case's vote gave 13 highly paid city employees personal car allowances ranging from $2,400 to $6,000 per employee for a total of $37,200 in car allowances this year. These 13 employees, all of whom are paid more than $90,000 in salary and three of whom receive total compensation of more than the $120,000 the state pays the governor, are given taxpayer dollars to buy or lease personal cars to drive to and from work.

Case's vote gave a company $65,000 to plow snow from the city hall parking lot when city employees could do the job for a lot less. Another fact, in a time that children don't have enough fields to play on or have to raise money to fund a third ice rink, Case voted to spend $2.3 million in taxpayer funds to refurbish old houses and a barn even though a citizen survey showed it wasn't a priority.

Taxpayer dollars can be better spent. It's time for a change.
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Editor's Note: Wendorff is a founder of Eden Prairie Taxpayers for Change political action committee.

Endorsements don't win elections
by Phil Young, Eden Prairie City Councilmember

This year's mayoral race provides Eden Prairie residents with two very different candidates. Yet, the public debate has been hung up on superficial issues which don't provide much meaningful information for residents to distinguish the two candidates.

For the record, I believe that any individual or group which wants to endorse for local office should do so. Past elections have included endorsements by both local newspapers, the Chamber of Commerce, political parties and countless individuals and elected officials. I expect this year's election to involve similar endorsements.

But, there's a more important point at play here - endorsements do not win elections. Candidates do. As I go door to door in Eden Prairie (4,200 houses so far), I don't talk about endorsements but rather about issues such as taxation, job growth, economic development, the size of the council, and the preservation of open space.

Every now and then, a resident whose door I knock on reminds me that we met either four years ago when I was running for council or two years ago when I was door-knocking on behalf of other candidates for office. I am especially pleased when I discuss issues with these residents and they point out that my position today on issues is the same as the last time we spoke. Consistent leadership. That's part of my promise.

Is the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance truly concerned about taxes?

Why haven't we heard their compelling arguments against school referendums, sales taxes for county stadiums and federal grants for airports?

These are all much bigger tax issues than the salaries paid to city employees. Eden Prairie's portion of your property taxes is much smaller than the school district or Hennepin County and for most EP residents, property taxes are dwarfed by income taxes. Why is the Tax Alliance focused on city taxes? Because it is the only issue it has if it wants to replace the leadership of the current council.

How can it complain about anything else? Eden Prairie was just noted as the 10th Best Small City to live in by Money magazine. The leadership of this city must be doing something right. Money magazine measures indicators across the board from what businesses want to what residents want and we came out number 10. It seems to me that past and current councils must have provided an excellent balance between the needs of the community and the needs of our local businesses to achieve this benchmark.

So how do we get to be number one?

I know that it won't be by cutting the salaries of a few city employees or by firing a policeman or two. It won't be by not fixing potholes in the spring and by not sanding our streets in winter. It won't be by ignoring the city infrastructure and putting off repairs and improvements for the next generation. And, it won't be by ignoring the school system.

It may cost a bit to be number one - but it costs a lot more to have the city cycle down and watch your property values erode, your schools fail, the crime rate increase and good businesses leave town.

Our community has a decision to make. To vote for someone who truly cares for the entire community or vote for someone who just sees the council as a stepping-stone to a higher office.My vote will be for Ron Case.

Questions mayor's criticism
by John Iverson, Eden Prairie

The criticism by [Mayor] Nancy Tyra-Lukens of the endorsement by the Republican Party of Phil Young for mayor would ring a little more sincere were she not such an enthusiastic and vocal supporter of Young's opponent.

Tyra-Lukens has every right to support the candidate of her choice. But, the residents of Eden Prairie have the right to expect her to do so with dignity and not to use her official office to promote any candidate.

Tyra-Lukens has no right to anoint her successor. Yet, she has shamelessly attacked Young and promoted his opponent during the few months of the mayoral campaign.

Moreover, her concern about cronyism is ironic, given the facts. Let's look at the last few city elections. In 1994 and 1998, Case and Tyra-Lukens ran largely as a team for City Council. In 2000, Case supported [Jan] Mosman, who was elected to the council. In 2002, Mosman supported Case and Tyra-Lukens and Case and Tyra-Lukens supported each other. In 2004, Tyra-Lukens, Mosman and Case supported the re-election of [Sherry] Butcher. In 2006, Mosman and Tyra-Lukens again supported Case.

The mayor has this elitist thinking of "do as I say, not as I do," that she is above it all, while all the time she's been in the thick of it for many years.

GOP’s Eden Prairie Mayoral Endorsement
by Stephen Bohlig, Republican Chairman, SD42

The race for mayor of Eden Prairie pits two sitting council members against each other. Council member Phil Young is endorsed by the Republican Party of Senate District 42 (SD42). Council member Case is not endorsed by SD42. This distinction was referred to in Ben Steverman’s July 26 article on the Eden Prairie mayor’s race.

However certain important facts were omitted from Mr. Steverman’s article. Here, as Paul Harvey would say, is “the rest of the story.”

In the Fall of 2003, SD42 resumed the practice of endorsing for local office, which had been done in Eden Prairie by Republicans through the 1980s and into the 1990s. The 2003 endorsement went to a candidate for the school board. This candidate won and SD42 announced that it would endorse for Eden Prairie City Council beginning in 2004. This became practical as Eden Prairie became contained entirely within SD42 through redistricting. Prior to 2004 Eden Prairie was part of several Senate Districts.

The SD42 2004 precinct caucus had a record turnout. Every member of the Eden Prairie City Council was elected either a Republican precinct delegate or an alternate at the caucus, including Mayor Tyra-Lukens and council members Sherry Butcher, Ron Case, and Jan Mossman. In addition, council members Phil Young and Ron Case were elected precinct officers.

Mr. Young’s election was not a surprise as he had been a precinct officer for some time before 2004. The election of Mr. Case was somewhat surprising as he had not previously sought such office within the party.

SD42 held an endorsing convention for Eden Prairie City Council candidates in September of 2004. Both Mr. Young and Mr. Case attended the endorsing convention. Both Mr. Young and Mr. Case supported and voted for the endorsement of Brad Aho and Larry Kacher at the convention.

SD42 held a fundraiser later in September of 2004 which bothe Mr. Young and Mr. Case attended. Mr. Case approached me at this fundraiser and told me that he wanted to be the Republican endorsed candidate for mayor in 2006. I expressed some skepticism because his voting record on the council did not reflect the small government message which is usual of Republican-endorsed candidates. We met at a later date to discuss his intentions further and I told him that his success in seeking endorsement would depend on whether his voting record reflected fiscal conservative values.

In October 2004, Phil Young announced that he intended running for mayor in 2006. Mr. Case abruptly stopped attending SD42 events and I have not heard from him since.

Endorsements are a way of providing information to voters. Maybe Mr. Case believes that the voters should have less information about their local city government elected officials.

This year the “non-partisan”Mr. Case has taken a different view of party endorsements than he did in 2004. Usually the only people who complain about party endorsement are the ones who do not have one.

Perhaps he has had a change of heart. Or perhaps he is just desperate to create an issue where none exists.

Personally, I think the voters of Eden Prairie would rather hear where both of the mayoral candidates stand on real issues such as property taxes, job growth, and preservation of open spaces.

A ruling 'elite' is the problem now
By Ellen Hoerle, Eden Prairie

In arguing against Republican Party endorsements of local candidates in Eden Prairie (July 26 Star Tribune West), Karen Anderson, a Republican and former mayor of Minnetonka, is quoted as saying, "There's a danger with the parties getting involved that the decision-making will be ruled by a small, elite group and no longer based on community desires."

This is indeed the current situation in Eden Prairie, a situation that evolved long before the Republican Party decided to endorse candidates. It evolved because the small, elite groups that currently rule Eden Prairie politics happened to be the most avid and consistent voters.

Personally, I would avoid affiliation with today's Republican Party, mostly because the new definition of "Republican" has as little connection with traditional Republican Party ideals as the term "gay" refers to being happy. But if Republican Party endorsement of local candidates encourages more citizens to vote, then we'll all be better off.

Maybe in Eden Prairie, Republican Party endorsement of local candidates can mean an end to small, elite-group rule.

I would like to clarify some comments I made recently in a Star Tribune West section article regarding party endorsement of local officials.

The question that I was asked was how do I feel about the party endorsement of candidates for local elections. I answered that it was asinine, irresponsible and insulting to voters. Unfortunately, the context in which my words were quoted implied that I felt this way about the endorsement of one particular candidate. That is not the case. I am vehemently opposed to the endorsement for any local office by any political party and, while I am a Republican, I personally have never sought the endorsement of a political party.

I have consistently opposed party endorsement throughout my 12 years on the City Council. Party endorsement of local officials has been the exception in the Twin Cities. Why? There are many reasons including the potential for cronyism and a candidate feeling beholden to the views of an extremely tiny number of voters who compose the endorsing committee. I would greatly prefer to never question whether a council decision is made because that is what the half dozen people on an endorsing committee want, rather than because it is in the best interest of all of us in the city. In addition, the way that redistricting occurred a few years ago puts Eden Prairie in the position that Minnetonka political activists could manipulate the endorsement of EP candidates!

It comes down to how much faith can you place in the intelligence of voters. I place great faith in the intelligence of EP residents to evaluate the commitment and experience of candidates. City operations are readily apparent to voters. We know what we are paying in property taxes and we know if we feel we are getting good value for those dollars. Take your property tax bill, divide by about one fourth, this represents the city portion, and then divide by 12. This is what we pay monthly for the city services that enhance our quality of life: the parks, police service, fire protection, courts and fields, senior center, roads, trails, street plowing, street lights, etc.

With all the recognition we have received nationally for quality of life in Eden Prairie, I would argue that we are getting great value for the $85 per household on average that goes to the city each month. Do we need a tiny group of party members to think for us in local affairs? Excuse me, but I would rather think for myself when it comes to choosing who I'm going to vote for in our city elections this fall. I think Eden Prairie residents are smart enough to vote for quality candidates without a political party telling them who to vote for and what to think.

Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens embarrassed the city of Eden Prairie when she used very inappropriate language in a Star Tribune story printed last Wednesday, July 26. The newspaper quoted the mayor as saying that the Republican Party's endorsement of mayoral candidate Phil Young was "asinine, irresponsible and insulting."

What kind of example is Nancy Tyra-Lukens setting for Eden Prairie citizens when she uses such offensive language knowing full well her words would be printed in the Star Tribune? She owes all residents a public apology for her mean spirited use of such language. If she has an opinion about political parties endorsing candidates, she can get her point across without demeaning this city and one of the city's current Council members.

I am not a member of any political party, but I respect the people that participate in our democratic process including obtaining an endorsement from the political party of their choice. The mayor has publicly endorsed a candidate for mayor, but so long as the mayor can remain a "non-partisan" elected official should she be able to make derogatory statements to the media to undermine Phil Young's campaign for mayor?

There's the old saying that "actions speak louder than words." The mayor needs to abandon her public use of improper language with an act of public apology.

In a July 26 article about the fall election for Eden Prairie mayor, the Star Tribune asked its readers, "Does party backing taint city elections?" Well, our current mayor sure seems to think so. Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens is quoted as saying the party endorsement for Eden Prairie mayor is "asinine, irresponsible and insulting." Wow, those are some strong words.

It's become a little obvious that some people in this fair city are making the Republican endorsement of Phil Young a campaign issue. The voters of Eden Prairie will surely look beyond this distraction and vote for the candidate that is best qualified to lead the City Council. A candidate that does not dwell on the past, but instead has a vision and plan for the future.

The rapid growth of Eden Prairie over the past several years has been a benefit to the city's budget, but that revenue source will decrease as the city gets closer to its full growth potential. A slower rate of increases in existing real estate values will also impact the resulting automatic tax hikes. The city council will have the choice of adopting more efficiency measures or increasing taxes even more to make up the difference. These very issues have generated some intense debate by council members over the past few years.

Actions of our City Council members speak much louder than their partisan rhetoric. Through his actions, Phil Young has demonstrated that he has a positive vision for the future of Eden Prairie and that is why he should be our next mayor.

Referendum would have failed
By Ellen Hoerle, Eden Prairie

I appreciate Councilman Brad Aho's explanation (July 13 Eden Prairie News) of his vote to approve further exploration of the costs associated with a new concept plan for improvements to the Eden Prairie Community Center (EPCC), even though the new plan is now estimated to cost $8.1 million, far and above the $6.65 million in bonding approved by voters in 2005. I also appreciate Aho pointing out that material and building cost increases have made the original estimate of the original, "approved" plan (the proposed plan for the election) obsolete, and that $6.65 million is no longer adequate to complete the original plan.

What I don't appreciate, however, is Councilman Ron Case (July 6 Eden Prairie News) justifying his vote to spend more than voters approved because of his assessment that the original EPCC and pool were under-funded in 1982 and 1989 and deemed inadequate from the beginning. Deemed inadequate by whom? It seems Ron Case, armed with his knowledge of history, ("Eden Prairie has a history of passing under-funded referenda.") should have known better and made sure the EPCC bonding question was sent to the ballot asking for adequate funds in the first place. It is extremely disingenuous to the voters to present a bonding request knowing that historically, under-funding has been necessary to increase the probability that voters will approve the measure.

And that is the crux of the controversy here. Would the ballot issue have passed if voters had been asked originally to approve $8.1 million in bonding? $10.5 million in bonding? Who knows? The issue passed by fewer than 250 votes out of over 7,500 cast, only one quarter of the margin of approval of the other two measures that did pass. Since voters failed to approve improvements to the EPCC pool, it is unlikely that taxpayers deem the current EPCC facilities as inadequate as Ron Case wants us to believe.

There are many reasons I think the bonding issue would have failed had the voters been provided with a more realistic estimate of the costs in the first place. The EPCC's location is inconvenient for residents in the southeastern part of the city, most of the proposed improvements are duplications of facilities already provided by the business community and private clubs, and the current facilities are sorely underutilized and no proof exists (beyond anecdotal) that the new improvements will attract additional members.

This controversy is likely to make passing future bonding issues more difficult, (if voters can be trusted to remember this incident) because we now know that our current City Council and city staff have little interest in being forthcoming with voters and little incentive to be cost efficient with proposed improvements. With another under-funded project approved by voters, taxpayers duped into footing the bill, and a source of additional funding readily available from the park development fund, where is the incentive for our City Council to be cost efficient or forthcoming with voters in the future? If Ron Case wins as mayor, there will be none.

Does party backing taint city elections?
By Ben Steverman, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

With Eden Prairie facing a heated mayoral campaign, the city's current mayor is strongly criticizing the local Republican Party's decision to get involved in what are usually nonpartisan city elections.

Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, who is not running for reelection, called the party's endorsement of one of the contenders "asinine, irresponsible and insulting."

ANALYSIS: Many believe Tyra-Lukens comment is “asinine, irresponsible, and insulting”

Though parties often get involved in elections in the big cities, they usually stay clear of smaller local races.

"I hate to see it trickle down to the smaller cities," said Karen Anderson, a Republican and former mayor of Minnetonka who fought for years to keep party politics out of her city's elections. "Potholes are not Democratic or Republican," she has said. "Snowplowing is not done in a Democrat or Republican way."

ANALYSIS: Fiscal responsibility involves much more than just potholes. Candidates bring with them a philosophy of government. Do they think that the government is there to serve the citizens -- or do citizens exist to serve the government?

Tyra-Lukens has endorsed City Council Member Ron Case's run for mayor, but Republicans at the party convention for the local state Senate district endorsed City Council Member Philip Young, along with two candidates for City Council.

ANALYSIS: So . . . It's okay for Tyra-Lukens to endorse, but not the Republicans?

Young said, "Party endorsements are primarily about information and making connections to voters." It's one way for busy voters to learn about who a candidate is. He said he's frequently asked his party affiliation when he campaigns door-to-door.

Young said he will be more aggressive than his opponent about cutting spending and keeping down property taxes.

"Republican candidates tend to be smaller-government, more-limited-government candidates," Young said. "Maybe that's what people are looking for."

Case, who was once active in the Republican Party but now says he's decided to "become more nonpartisan," said he is "running as everybody's mayor."

ANALYSIS: Case is an opportunist. He went to a Republican caucus once but what work has he ever done for the party? Once he discovered that the Republican Party was not going to help him, he suddenly decided to “become more nonpartisan.”

The party endorsement "is just exclusionary," Case said. "There's no reason to do that in a relatively small town." He has vowed to continue the "balanced decision-making" of previous Eden Prairie City Councils and hailed the selection of Eden Prairie by Money Magazine as one of the 10 "best places to live" in America as an indication that the city is well-run.

ANALYSIS: Is endorsement by Tyra-Lukens exclusionary? Is endorsement by local newspapers, the Chamber of Commerce, or Education Minnesota exclusionary? Why is only Republican Party endorsement exclusionary? At one time Case actually sought out the Republican endorsement. But now he suddenly decides that “there's no reason to do that in a relatively small town.”

It's hard to know who else will be running for mayor in Eden Prairie because filing for the office doesn't start until next month.

That's one of Tyra-Lukens' biggest complaints about the Republican endorsement, made this spring. "It's not as if [the Republican activists] looked at the pool of wonderful Republican candidates and selected the best ones," she said. In fact, Young was the only candidate to seek the mayoral endorsement.

ANALYSIS: Case did not officially seek the endorsement because he would have lost. He is a big spending, high taxing liberal. He has voted to raise taxes on Eden Prairie families in 9 of the past 11 years. He voted to spend over $2 million hard earned tax dollars on historic preservation projects alone, far more than any other neighboring city. Anyone who desires smaller, more fiscally responsible government will of course be supporting Phil Young over Ron Case.

Yet, Young said the party widely advertised the fact that it would be making city council endorsements. It previously had made endorsements for two council spots in September 2004.

Both Tyra-Lukens and Anderson give the same reason why they believe political parties shouldn't be involved in city government: It makes elected officials beholden to a small group of party activists.

ANALYSIS: That's exactly the situation Eden Prairie find itself in now. It is run by a small, tightly connected clique. That's exactly what has people like Tyra-Lukens and Case so terrified. They are afraid of letting go of their power.

"There's a danger with the parties getting involved that the decision-making will be ruled by a small, elite group and no longer based on community desires," Anderson said.

ANALYSIS: Unlike the “small, elite group”that currently runs the city? Contrary to Tyra-Lukens' and Anderson's claims, the Republican endorsement does not mean “decision-making will be ruled by a small, elite group and no longer based on community desires.”  Quite the opposite.  All one must do to get involved in the Republican Party is SHOW UP at the caucus and run for delegate.  The process is very open and welcoming. It is not elite, but rather a representation of the community that desire limited government. The community members seeking smaller, more responsive government selected Phil Young for Mayor. Their logic is flawed.  This is no different than any election or any endorsement.  No one should want any elected office to be “run by a small, elite group”nor should we seek to prevent any organization from stating who they believe is the best candidate. Do Tyra-Lukens and Anderson oppose endorsements from any other organizations? Do they oppose endorsements from local newspapers? Or is it just the Republican Party that they want to shut up? Note: These rebuttal commentaries were added by the SD42 Republicans webmaster and should not be construed to reflect the opinion of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. To reply to these comments (or anything else on this website), please send an e-mail to sd42webmaster@earthlink.net

Young pointed out that the Republican Party used to make endorsements in Eden Prairie in the 1980s and 1990s, before redistricting divided the city into several different legislative districts, making endorsement conventions less convenient. Now, all of Eden Prairie lies within Senate District 42, which endorsed Young at the same time it endorsed candidates for the Legislature.

While the party has endorsed Young, he said the party would not be helping him recruit volunteers or raise money for his campaign.

If voters want to make it easy on themselves as to whom to vote for in the Eden Prairie mayor's race in November, all they need to do is read the mayoral candidates' responses to Lyn Jerde's column (June 15). Ron Case's response (June 22) made me go, "Huh?", while Phil Young's response (June 29) made me go, "Wow!"

The two candidates could not be more different in their approach. Ron Case appears to want to exploit his advantages as a member of the teaching profession, (since teachers are regarded more favorably among the general public than lawyers), and his past support of many special interest groups - mainly the "use any excuse that works (from historical preservation to maintaining quality of life to preserving green space) to spend taxpayer money."

It seems certain members of Eden Prairie's City Council have something to hide. As a result, Eden Prairie City Manager Scott Neal has asked the City Council to approve a new way of taking council meeting minutes so residents will not know who said what. That's right, the detailed minutes which have served as the permanent record of council meetings for decades and which have been taken by the city's very competent recording secretary for years would be a thing of the past.

Eden Prairie residents should be alarmed at Mr. Neal's proposal. Local government is supposed to be an open book so that residents can monitor what their local elected officials are doing. This proposal would cast a shroud of mystery over council meetings because residents would not be able to determine from reading their minutes which council member was responsible for a position taken on an item. That is the opposite of what local government is supposed to be.

At the June 20 council meeting, Mr. Neal presented his plan to change how the minutes would be taken. "Minutes will focus on the collective decisions and less on the attribution of quotes to specific speakers." That should shock residents because it means we won't be able to attribute a position to the council member who took it. Most importantly, we won't be able to hold a council member accountable for their position. Not only should citizens see through Mr. Neal's attempt to conceal the truth, every council member should reject the proposal as being undemocratic. Democracy requires openness in government and this proposal cuts that concept right to its very quick.

You have to ask yourself why this sudden change in how the minutes would be taken when the current method to record the minutes has worked well for so long. The answer is that some council members don't want what they say in a public meeting to be a part of a permanent public record.

The flashpoint for this undemocratic proposal was the council's budget retreat held this past January. The recording secretary prepared a detailed, five page set of "unofficial" minutes which local residents obtained from the city clerk's office. It was clear from these minutes that Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens and Council Members Ron Case and Sherry Butcher all opposed the formation of a citizen's task force to give input on the city's budget. The unofficial minutes provided the truest picture of how the mayor and these two council members felt about citizen participation in the budget process.They did not want it! Then, four months later in May, a one-page summary of the budget retreat became the "official" minutes of the meeting. This summary failed to accurately reflect Tyra-Lukens, Case and Butcher's position relative to a citizen's budget task force.

If this is any indication of what would happen to future sets of meeting minutes, the council should instruct the staff to discard the proposal immediately. However, the horse may already be out of the barn. The staff, at Mr. Neal's direction, has already developed a training program to indoctrinate the recording secretaries into how not to take detailed minutes. The city council should put an end to this absurd proposal now.

What kind of elected official wants to hide their positions and true feelings from the public they are supposed to be representing?

At the June 20 City Council meeting, the Eden Prairie City Council should call for the immediate resignation of Parks Director Bob Lambert because of a projected $2 million dollar cost overrun for the remodeling of the Community Center and due to his mismanagement of the parks referendum cost estimates.

During the May 16 council meeting, Mr. Lambert disclosed to the City Council that the $6.65 million cost to upgrade the community center approved last November had ballooned by $1 million to $7.65 million. Then, at its June 6 meeting, the City Council should have been shocked to learn from Mr. Lambert that the cost of the Community Center project had skyrocketed by yet another $1 million to $8.76 million.

The flier mailed by the Parks and Recreation Department last fall to all residents clearly explained to taxpayers that the cost of the additions to the Community Center would be $6.65 million. In fact, the flier stated that the referendum was being changed from one question to four questions to "Ask for less money, but improve our park system projects that were supported in the survey conducted last year."

However, contrary to staying within the $6.65 million dollar spending budget approved last fall by voters, Mr. Lambert and his Parks and Recreation staff proceeded to add more costly improvements to the Community Center remodeling project. Mr. Lambert should have held the line on spending to the amount authorized by voters and resisted the attempts by city staff to enlarge the scope of the Community Center project.

Moreover, the council was also informed by Mr. Lambert that he used construction cost estimates compiled in 2003 to determine the $6.65 million dollar price tag for the 2005 referendum question on the Community Center remodeling. Mr. Lambert admitted to the council last week that he should have updated the figures before voters went to the polls last fall. That decision calls into question the validity of the entire cost of all four referendum questions.

The taxpayers of Eden Prairie have every right to expect better management practices especially since Mr. Lambert's compensation package exceeds $122,000 a year which includes his salary, car allowance and cell phone allowance. In fact, the residents of this city also deserve better leadership on the City Council. During last week's council meeting, Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens compared the cost overruns to asking a taxpayer to pay 50 cents for a doughnut and then adding another nickel to the price for frosting.

What the mayor does not seem to understand is that the $2 million Mr. Lambert wants to take from the park dedication fees to cover the cost overrun is still city taxpayer funds. In effect, Mr. Lambert's proposal is robbing Peter to pay Paul by taking $2 million away from other scheduled park projects and using it to cover the errors on the referendum cost estimates and to subsidize the overzealous spending agenda of some park department staff.

The decision by Mr. Lambert to expand the remodeling project beyond what the voters approved and his failure to update cost figures may result in $2 million more in city taxpayer dollars being spent on the Community Center project. These actions seriously call into question Mr. Lambert's ability to properly and effectively manage his department and the City Council should demand his resignation or better yet, Mr. Lambert, tender your resignation yourself.

Last November, the City Council let voters cast their ballot on whether to spend taxpayer dollars for parks improvements. The Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance urges residents to once again speak out and be heard on this $2 million cost overrun by calling or e-mailing City Council members with their opinion on this project.
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Paul Wendorff of Eden Prairie is co-founder of the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance.

Case Drags Opponent's Children into Mayor's Race!

We have obtained a copy of Ron Case's attack letter on Councilmember Phil Young.

•His smear takes the Hillary Clinton approach, warning of dark "radical right wing" conspiracies.

•He accuses Phil of wanting to cut essential city services (not true).

•He even takes the elitist and despicable tactic of questioning why Phil sends his kids to Catholic rather than public schools.

The letter was sent to all EP teachers, raising the question of whether school lists or school resources were used.

The REAL story of the budget retreat

The January 2006 budget retreat by the City Council was a significant event for Eden Prairie taxpayers. However, the recent opinion letters on this subject have missed the real story.

The focus of the opinion letters has been on the accuracy of the minutes and the conduct of certain attendees at the meeting. The true importance of the retreat, however, was that the City Council had an opportunity to embrace change and improve its budget process and it chose not to do so.

Certain opponents of change prefer to characterize new approaches to the budget with such loaded terms as cutting services, underpaying city staff, purchasing inadequately equipped police cars and lowering the quality of life. Such talk is political posturing, pure and simple. Don't believe these gloom and doom predictions. The City Council can improve its budget process and control budget growth without any such consequences.

The need to look harder at the city budget is clear because new development and the revenue which it generates for the city is beginning to slow. The city's operating budget for 2006 increased by 6.9 percent and that increase would have been higher but for certain expenses which were deferred to 2007. The city used certain cash transfers from its reserve accounts to soften the impact of this budget increase on its residents. But, this practice simply cannot continue without better long-term planning. Our city's challenge is to recognize that we are entering a time of transition and react to it.

My background is in the private sector and this may explain why my perspective on budgeting is different than that of others on the council. In the private sector, budgeting begins with revenue projections and those projections determine the size of operating budgets. Revenue is never guaranteed and businesses in the private sector must be lean and flexible enough to adapt to decreases in revenue.

For local government the process is very different. Because local government has the ability to levy property taxes and property tax revenue is virtually guaranteed, the budgeting process begins with the creation of the operating budget. After the budget is approved the city then levies sufficient property tax (i.e. revenue) to cover the budget. In other words, the revenue side of the balance sheet plays a far smaller role in determining a municipal budget.

The local government budgeting model is not bad, it's just different. More importantly, I think it can be improved by taking lessons from the private sector where revenue is uncertain and efficiency and innovation are the keys to survival in the marketplace. I know our city's internal practices are good. But, I also recognize the value of outside input and different perspectives. Neither business nor government should suggest that they cannot improve themselves.

An advisory budget task force could foster new ideas for the City Council and a better appreciation by residents of the cost of city services. The idea for such a task force has been discussed a few times since I suggested it a year ago, but it was killed at the January 2006 budget retreat. This aspect of the retreat has received no attention in this newspaper but is the far more important story.

While a lot of interest has swirled around the content and tone of five minutes worth of notes recorded during a two-hour council retreat, the real issue that deserves attention is the budget discussion itself.

The budget in question is the council's planned use of tax dollars in 2007 to address the needs and wants of the residents of Eden Prairie. The current budget proposal reflects the desire of the majority of the council to continue programs and services in place in 2006 with additional increases for employee wages and benefits, the building and staffing of our new fourth fire station, and the voter approved expansion of the community center with its additional operating costs.

Most residents I speak with are quite happy with amenities available in Eden Prairie today as it has evolved into a full-service suburban city. I wonder how we ever could have achieved the quality we've come to appreciate by underpaying staff relative to neighboring cities or purchasing inadequately equipped police cars or building park shelters with inferior materials. There are many ways to save money and cut budgets, but the bottom line is that all cuts affect programs and services.

Clearly, local government in Eden Prairie must be doing a lot of things right as evidenced by the continued influx of new residents who have many other choices of places to live and the fact that our city portion of our property taxes has consistently stayed below growth plus inflation. In fact, last year our levy increase was one of the lowest in all of Hennepin County!

To put it another way, for most of the last decade, per capita spending in Eden Prairie has been going down; we have been truly doing more with less.

No one likes paying taxes. As a teacher and council member with four children I certainly understand the pain of tax increases. But I am also extremely aware of the reasons I chose Eden Prairie as the place I want to raise my family and to call home. If as a community we begin to misdirect our anger over high county, school district, sales or income taxes by attacking the investments that most closely benefit our lives, our families, our children and our futures, then we only hurt ourselves by negatively impacting our quality of life today and the value of our homes tomorrow.

I support a responsible budget process that in equal parts watchdogs budget increases even as it remains sensitive to our growing community. I support diligent work on the part of staff to keep costs down through efficiencies and savings. And most of all, I support council decisions that respond to the majority in Eden Prairie who demand a fiscal policy that is both balanced and responsive to their needs and wants.

Are the Notes from the City Council Retreat Accurate?
Eden Prairie Sun-Current Editorial

Regardless of whether it is defined as "notes" or "minutes," or whether it ever garners council approval as an official record, the summary document from the Jan. 21 Eden Prairie City Council retreat raises important questions.

Some of those questions are:

•Where, exactly, do council members stand on the process for drafting and approving the city budget?

•Do council members have a right to assume that the informal discussion at a "retreat" (which is open to the public, though rarely attended by anyone other than the council or city staff) allows them more leeway to speak frankly, without fear of public backlash?

Members of the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance have made much of comments included in the not-yet-approved summary notes -- mainly on issues of whether there should be a citizens' task force appointed to study the proposed budget.

Some council members who have been quoted (directly or indirectly) from the summary notes have objected because the notes are supposedly inaccurate, incomplete or misleading, and have not gained official approval.

In reading the document, which spans a little more than four pages and includes upwards of 2,600 words, we found little in the account of the various council members' positions that differs greatly from what they have said about these issues in the past.

Both Councilmembers Phil Young and Brad Aho have called for a citizens' budget task force; that the retreat notes show them reflecting those views again should come as no surprise to anyone.

And, Councilmembers Ron Case and Sherry Butcher, and Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens - who have come under fire from the EPTA for their reservations about a task force, based on quotes or paraphrases from the retreat notes - have expressed similar thoughts in other venues, including regular City Council meetings.

It's true that Case, at the December 2005 council meeting in which the budget gained 3-2 approval, expressed willingness to try a citizens' budget task force. But the reservations attributed to Case in the retreat notes are in no way inconsistent with concerns that he's raised before.

Maybe the council members' wording came off in the notes as more inflammatory or less tactful than they intended when they spoke at the retreat. That's a legitimate matter for consideration before the notes are approved; no council approval should be given to a document that is inaccurate either in hard fact or in tone.

But the pertinent issue now is, where exactly do the council members stand on who should oversee the city budget process, and how? And what is the thinking behind those views?

If council members believe that the EPTA, or anyone else, has unfairly or inaccurately characterized their positions, they are free - indeed, encouraged - to clarify where they stand.

But, while it might be advisable to re-evaluate the city's procedures for creating and publishing records of council retreats, it's time to shift the focus away from what was or wasn't said at the Jan. 21 meeting, and focus instead on the vital issue of budget oversight.

Are Eden Prairie City Department Heads Overpaid?
By Paul Wendorff

The Eden Prairie city manager and other city department directors have annual salaries, car allowances and cell phone allowances that exceed $100,000.

In response to a request by the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance, city officials provided us with the following 2006 city employee compensation data:

•The city manager's 2006 salary is $123,302 plus a $6,000 annual car allowance plus a $480 cell phone allowance for a total of $129,782. However, on May 1, the city manager's base salary for 2006 will increase to $132,333, due to a change in the law that allows local governments to pay employees more than the $120,000 annual salary of the governor.

•The compensation for the director of public works is $122,931 (salary $118,851, car allowance $3,600 and cell phone $480).

•The parks and recreation director's compensation is $122,043 (salary $117,963, car allowance $3,600 and cell phone $480).

•The police chief's compensation is $113,092 (salary $109,012, car allowance $3,600 and cell phone $480).

•The fire chief's compensation includes a salary of $101,795, a $480 annual cell phone allowance and a take-home vehicle.

•The community development director's compensation is $105,792 (salary $101,712, car allowance $3,600, and cell phone $480).

•In addition to the department heads, a number of other city staff persons are paid in excess of $90,000, with several employees also above the $100,000 mark in total compensation.

•The building inspections manager's compensation is $103,817. The city assessor's compensation is $102,060 The city engineer's compensation is $100,907. The information technology manager's compensation is $101,031. All these compensations include salary, car allowance and cell phone.

•The deputy police chief's compensation of $99,315 includes salary, incentive pay and cell phone. The finance manager's compensation is $92,658, and the manager of human resources receives $94,073 in salary and car allowance.

•The manager of recreation services is paid $93,919 for salary, car allowance and cell phone, and the city planner gets $93,559 (in salary and car allowance).

These employees also receive additional benefits including health insurance, dental reimbursement coverage, disability insurance, partial life insurance coverage and a public employee pension plan.

In 2005, the Legislature changed the law that previously capped a city official's salary at 95 percent of the governor's annual salary of $120,000, unless the city obtained a waiver from the Minnesota Department of Employee Relations. The new law allows local governments to pay a city employee up to $138,023 in 2006 without getting a waiver from the state.

According to additional documents produced by the city, the city manager sent a letter to Eden Prairie's three state legislators on Jan. 27, 2005, informing them that the City Council endorsed the 2005 legislative agenda of the Municipal Legislative Commission, which supported the repeal of the local salary cap.

However, the city manager then sent numerous e-mails to these legislators urging them to support a change in the salary cap law. These successive e-mails were sent in January, February, March and May of 2005.

In addition, the city manager wrote to Gov. Tim Pawlenty asking for a personal meeting with him to discuss modifying or eliminating the salary cap provision.

It is one thing for a city manager to inform legislators about a City Council's position on legislative issues, but it is another for that same city manager (who does not live in Eden Prairie) to e-mail Eden Prairie's legislators numerous times using the city e-mail system on city time to lobby for a law that would allow him to request a large personal salary increase.

The impact of city staff salaries and benefits on the city's budget was highlighted by the city's finance manager at a City Council workshop meeting held in March. The manager stated that compensation and benefits account for 64 percent of the city's general fund budget expenses, and are responsible for almost 59 percent of the projected spending increase for the 2007 budget.

Undoubtedly, a response to this letter will be issued by the city and claim that these high salaries are justifiable to retain quality employees, remain competitive and to keep up with other suburbs.

However, it's ironic that the governor, who oversees a $32 billion dollar budget, is paid $120,000, and Eden Prairie's city manager, who oversees a $32 million dollar budget, will be paid $132,333.

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Paul Wendorff is cofounder of the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance.

Case should practice what he preaches
By Randy Foote

Council member Ron Case needs to practice what he preaches. Last week, he had a letter printed in this newspaper and stated, "I will do all that I can do to instill a positive atmosphere of mutual respect among all candidates in every race."

It is no secret that Mr. Case is running for mayor and that Council member Phil Young is also a candidate for mayor. The problem is that Ron Case does not show "mutual respect" to other candidates.

At a council budget workshop meeting this past January, Phil Young was questioning the budget process.

Case was quoted in the summary notes of the meeting as saying "if Young is looking to change the three other council members, then he is under a delusion." That comment shows a great amount of disrespect toward another member of the council. The summary notes show Ron Case's true colors.

Mr. Case needs to demonstrate the respect he claims to have toward others. While he claims he does not want the upcoming campaign to turn negative, Mr. Case has already set the tone for the campaign by being negative toward another candidate.

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Randy Foote is an Eden Prairie resident and member of the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance

Whitewashing the truth?
By Jim Tucker

Our City Manager Scott Neal would like citizens to believe that the "summary notes" of a council budget meeting held in January and made public through the efforts of the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance are not accurate simply because they have not been officially approved by the council.

Is Mr. Neal claiming that the mayor never said she would rather hire a consultant to review the budget rather than allow citizens that right? Is he alleging that Sherry Butcher did not say she is totally opposed to a citizen's budget task force? Or, is he saying that Ron Case never referred to Council Member Phil Young as being delusional because he questioned the budget spending levels?

If he is, then Mr. Neal is trying to whitewash the truth. The summary notes are very clear in recording what council members said during the budget retreat in January. If Mr. Neal is now claiming that these council members never said these things, then is there a cover-up at city hall? Mr. Neal now has an obligation to tell our citizens if indeed these summary notes are accurate.

Approved or unapproved, the summary notes are the clearest indication of council members' opinions on the budget process. Openness in government is a good thing until city staff people like Mr. Neal try to whitewash the truth.

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Jim Tucker is an Eden Prairie resident

Support the Taxpayer Alliance
By Richard Proops

The residents of Eden Prairie need to consider supporting the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance. Finally, a group of citizens has the energy and dedication to question the mayor, Ron Case and Sherry Butcher and fight the higher spending they approve year after year.

As a member of the EPTA, I can honestly say we are not an ultra-right-wing group bent on cutting the city's budget at all costs. Last fall, the EPTA gave the council a list of more than 10 ways to trim $1 million from the budget. One of those savings would have been to have city employees plow the city parking lot rather than hire a contractor to do so. What is so radical about having city employees use city snowplows to clear snow from the city hall parking lot and save about $65,000 in taxpayer dollars in the meantime?

The residents who wrote letters last week and claimed that the EPTA and Tom Briant are offering "fiscal policies practiced by the Bush administration" clearly are not members of the EPTA and don't understand the list of cost savings that were provided to the council.

Last fall voters approved $13,345,000 in a referendum which included $6,695,000 (question 3 and 4) for parks and trails. The Truth in Taxation handouts show another $6,355,600 available in a Park Improvement Fund. Citizens were never informed of this fund availability before the referendum, nor were inquiries about it answered.

Before residents criticize the EPTA and its activities on behalf of taxpayers, perhaps they should step up and ask the mayor, Ron Case and Sherry Butcher the hard question, "Will you approve another tax increase for the 2007 budget?"

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Richard Proops is an Eden Prairie resident and member of the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance

Mad about the budget workshop
By Barney Uhlig

Taxpayers have every right to demand more input in the city's budget process. After all, it's our taxpayer dollars the city is spending.

When I read the letter a couple of weeks ago from the Eden Prairie Taxpayers Alliance about Council member Sherry Butcher claiming in a budget meeting that "citizens are never at the level of understanding to assess the budget," I was outraged. Every household has to have a budget and live within its means, why can't the city?

The real issue, the one Council member Butcher, Mayor [Nancy] Tyra-Lukens and Ron Case want to avoid talking about, is that they voted for a huge spending increase of more than $2 million in the 2006 budget. The city's budget this year is $32 million dollars.

The mayor thinks the city should hire a consultant to review the budget. A highly paid consultant is only going to tell the majority on the council what they want to hear: keep spending and keep taxing. Ron Case said at the meeting that he doesn't want another member on the council to question the voting power of the mayor, Butcher and himself. Who does Case think he is?

I like living in Eden Prairie as much as the next resident, but raising taxes year after year and making statements that taxpayers will never have the brains to understand the city's budget should make residents stand up and be heard.

I remember a great line from the movie "Network":

"We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore."

Residents should get "mad as hell" about the statements from Sherry Butcher, Mayor Tyra-Lukens and Ron Case and tell them we're not going to take it anymore.

Let the battle over the 2007 budget begin.

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Barney Uhlig is an Eden Prairie resident