the problem with sound bites

One sound bite that played a part in the recent council election, and still seems to be on the minds of some, is the notion that the current council is "deficit spending" because it is using funds from the budget stabilization fund to avoid raising taxes. A few observations.

First, it seems obvious (at least to me) that if we're not going to use the budget stabilization fund during the greatest recession in a generation then perhaps we shouldn't have it at all.  Government should not hold onto cash simply for the sake of holding onto cash. 

Second, the council has (or at least I have) been pretty clear that the use of the budget stabilization fund is not a long term strategy.  The challenge for staff remains to present the council with budgets which reconcile revenues with expenditures.  I have made that point every year during our budget discussions.  Staff has preferred to avoid cuts to salarires or service levels and has thus recommended use of the stabilization fund.  This has worked over the short term but will not work over the long term.

Third, I find somewhat ironic that two of those who seem most enamored with the "deficit spending" criticism are the very council members who initiated the practice back in December of 2005.  That's politics for you.

I fear that our economic recovery will be slow and that it will take quite some time for residential property values to noticably rise.  Accordingly, I think residents will remain sharply opposed to increases in the property tax and challenges for all cities will continue.

coffee with Max

Last week I had coffee at the local Caribou with Max. Well, actually I had coffee and Max had hot chocolate. 

Max is a third grader at Prairie View. His mom emailed me and told me that Max had a school assignment to report on "a day in the life of the mayor."  She asked if I'd be willing to meet Max and I gladly agreed.

When I met Max he was dressed in his Sunday suit. He missed his basketball practice for our meeting.  He had a list of questions and was as eager as he could be.

His questions were good. I hope the same for my answers.  When we were finished he stood up, extended his hand and gave a firm shake, and asked for a picture.

Thank you, Max, for taking time out of your day to spend time with me.  I really enjoyed it.

Young boys ring some bells

Cub Scout Pack 479 rang bells at Rainbow Foods in EP today.  Well, at least some brave scouts did. Terrible weather made it hard for kids to get out.

Sons Ian and Riley did a great job.

Two funny stories from today.

Story One--I actually wasn't going to go. But my good friend Ted (whose son is in Ian's den and was going to ring with us) shamed me into going....then Ted didn't show.

Story Two--Riley was holding the sheet of songs we were supposed to sing. A little irritated that he was just humming, I say to Riley "sing some songs; it's what people want to hear."  Son Riley responds "Dad, I can't read." 

WAMarchy rules

Last Saturday night Mona and I went with friends Rick and Gina King to the WAMarchy event at the Weisman down at the U.  Gina is on the Board of Directors for the museum and the event celebrated the closing of the museum (for a year) as it undergoes major interior renovations.

I wasn't sure what to expect of the event or the crowd but was pleasantly surprised on both counts.  I enjoy people watching and this was a good event for that. Plus, they had a nice bar set up so that was nice, too. A few chairs to sit on would have been a good idea, though.

Two bands were set to play. We listened to the first--i forget their name--but it was an all female band that did a modern/50s mix.  As the second band set up they started handing out ear plugs; we took that as a good time to go.

Last council meeting

Tuesday was my last Council meeting as mayor.  For the last eight years I've attended council meetings on Tuesday nights, usually a couple of times a month. I've only missed one meeting in all those years. 

I still remember my first meeting in January of 2003.  I didn't know what to expect.  I remember I was surprised at how little effort was made to get the new council member ready for the meeting.  In fact, the only council member to reach out to me following the November 2002 election was Sherry Butcher.  Sherry and I went on to have plenty of disagreements over our years on the council but that always held true; she was always a class act.

My youngest son Riley was born that first year on the council; he's now 7.  He and his brothers have seen a lot of change in Eden Prairie over those years. I tried to bring them to as many events in the city as I could.  They are especially fond of the Lion corn feed and the summer events at the senior center.

Eden Prairie is a great city. I am thankful for having had the opportunity to serve on the council.  It was harder than I thought to walk out of the council chambers for that last time.  I'm going to miss it.

Eight long years

It's been that long since Notre Dame beat USC. No other game means as much in the Young household. Indeed, we only have three football rules in my house-- 1) you don't cheer for the Packers; 2) you don't cheer for any team from Florida, and 3) you never, ever say anything nice about USC. 

I've forgiven violations of rule number 2.  I've thankfully never been tested on rule number 1. I don't know what I would do if one of my sons violated rule number 3. I don't even want to think about it.

Tonight's ND v. USC game was such a non-event that I had to watch in online; neither ESPN nor ABC would cover it on tv. But, it was the biggest game of the day in my house. And, I'm glad to say that the drought has ended.

I actually don't care anymore about the losses to Tulsa or Navy. Michigan? No big deal. Michigan State in overtime? Long forgotten.

No, my college football season ended just fine tonight watching USC lose at home to Notre Dame.

I'll sleep good tonight.

black friday for the Young family

We have our own black friday tradition and it isn't shopping. No, for the last three black fridays my oldest son and I have sold Christmas trees for his Boy Scout troop.  It's actually a pretty good day to sell trees as you get a fair amount of business and that makes the shift go by quicker. I noticed this year, though, that i'm not hoisting the trees on top of cars as easily as I have in years past.  The effects of age aside i actually enjoy this event quite a bit.  I get some good time with my son and you get to make nice chit chat with people. Yesterday a young couple with newborn in tow bought a tree and asked me to take their picture with the trees in the background.  It was nice playing a supporting role for someone's Christmas memory.

Is Forest Hills failing its students?

I find the Eden Prairie boundary controversy pretty interesting to watch.  There are a lot of lessons there about how NOT to make a community decision.

As to the merits of the issue, I really don't know what the right answer is. But, it seems to me that a fundamental question (and one which I haven't heard anyone address) is whether Forest Hills is failing its students. I think the answer is "no," but assuming that to be true it is very unclear to me why the school district intends to make such drastic changes to the elementary boundaries.

If students at Forest Hills, despite changes in teachers, lower class sizes, and extra after-school homework opportunities, were failing to make AYP then I would at least understand why the school district would look at other options.

But, as I understand it Forest Hills is NOT failing its students and has actually improved on standardized tests over the past few years. If that is true, then why is the school administration continuing down this path?  What is it exactly that needs to be fixed?

honey or vinegar?

I've always subscribed to the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. The point being that a polite, persuasive argument is usually more effective than simply taking shots at someone.

You'd be surprised how many times, though, that a seemingly smart person comes to city hall with a request and actually choses vinegar over honey.  I've never understood it.

I saw a little bit of vinegar in last week's Star Tribune by someone who I thought was a little more savvy. It appears I overestimated her.

I don't miss the snow

Mona and I just got back from a long weekend in Phoenix. It was nice to get away.  Weather was great.  Played golf at the Phoenician on friday--beautiful course. Then on Saturday Mona took a Hummer tour of the desert with about half of our group while I and the others in our group went on an atv tour.  It was a lot of fun. One friend rolled his atv going up a rocky part of the course; luckily no serious injuries.  I'm in the red shirt below.

No trip to Vegas for Phil

It's a good thing I'm not a gambler. Were I then I might have wagered on Tuesday's election returns. I can't believe to tell you how wrong I was in my predictions. In fact, the only one more wrong than me was the Star Tribune.

Which brings up a point I've made before but will make again--how many times does the Strib get to undercount GOP votes in the famous "Minnesota poll" before they simply admit that they do it on purpose? 

Indeed, is there now anything which is more predictable than the fact that the Strib will claim that (fill in the blank GOP candidate for major MN office) trails by 10 percent a week before the election. 

And, perhaps in no other year has this undercount been more important.  Let me tell you why.

I've had a few people come up to me and say that they initially wanted to vote for Horner; then decided to vote for Emmer because they didn't want to "waste their vote" and far preferred Emmer to Dayton; but ultimately voted for Horner because they assumed that Dayton had a lock on the race and thus wanted to vote for Horner to send a message to the GOP about moderate candidates. 

Now, clearly my anecodotal information is totally unscientific. But, it at least illustrated to me how the Strib's poor polling can influence a tight race which they claim really isn't tight.

Pump it up!

Long gone are the days of simple children's birthday parties.  Today's parties are far more elaborate and expensive.  The idea of goodie bags for the attendees was a nice piece of salesmanship by some creative novelty vendor.

Pump It Up is one of the more popular venues for the 4-9 age group. It is a lot of fun, I'll admit.  But it's a racket, especially for parents who wait until the last minute and thus have to buy the up-to 25 attendee package for about ten kids. I still don't understand why they wouldn't sell the time slot I wanted to a smaller group...but I clearly was in no position to argue.

Youngest son Riley had his a party this past weekend. My wallet is shockingly lighter, but a great time was had by all.  I guess that is what's most important.

Picture of guests below, absent cousin Josie who was probably tired of all the squirrely boys by photo time.

election night jitters

For the first time in eight years I am (primarily) a dis-interested observer in a local election.

I remember well my first election in November of 2002.  I spent the evening Camp Edenwood with Jerry McCoy, Harry Davis and a bunch of their supporters.

Election 2006 was a night I’ll never forget.  I reserved the back room at Biaggi’s.  I was not predicted to win, evidenced by the fact that neither of the local papers even asked me where I was going to be on election night.  Guess they had to leave the party at Ron’s house earlier than expected.

In 2004 and 2008 I was busy helping other local candidates seek office.  That, too, was a lot of fun.

I don’t know how to describe how I feel about it.  It’s an odd mixture of emotions.  It’s been a privilege serving the residents of Eden Prairie for the last eight years and in a few hours it will be official–my successor as mayor will be revealed.

and the next mayor of Eden Prairie will be....?

I honestly have no idea.

I have no particular reason for saying so, but I have to believe the race is pretty tight.  Neither candidate, it seems to me, has delivered knock-out punch.  I think they've both done all the predictable things--debates, yard signs, door knocking, etc.,  but all of those are primarily good for establishing your base of name recognition.  Voters don't really pay much attention to local races until the last ten days or so before the election. Life is simply too busy.

This is the time to distinguish yourself from the competition. Make a final argument, preferably in a manner that doesn't give your opponent a chance at rebuttal.  I've said it before and I'll say it again--for a local race nothing is more effective than a compare/contrast mail piece the week before the election. 

One of our current council members tried this two years ago, labelling himself the "low tax guy."  It was a nice piece but he mailed it too early; the target of the add had enough time to do a last minute mailer of his own.

If I were in the mayor's race I would mail a mailer tomorrow--Wednesday. Mail it bulk and most residents will receive it Friday or Saturday--perfect.

Crunch time for Tom Horner

It's a week to the election and Horner's numbers don't look so hot.  The Strib tried to help him by issuing their endorsement a week earlier than usual--I guess if  you're gonna pick a candidate you might as well do all you can to help him win. But, there's been no bounce.

The problem, it seems to me, is that a fair number of those who picked Horner in the earlier polls did so because they thought he was the best candidate; now, some of those former supporters want to get behind the best candidate with a chance of winning.  Horner hasn't done anything wrong.  But, he hasn't inspired anyone, either.

I don't exactly remember how Ventura pulled it off 12 years ago. I know that a lot of people were turned off because it seemed that both Coleman and Humphrey were busy playing defense--they didn't seem to take a stand on anything.  But, how Ventura took that disdain and turned it into votes for him I don't recall. I remember shock at how many of my family members actually voted for him.

Can Horner do the same?  I think that ship has sailed, if ever it was docked.  Now it seems the real question is how low will Horner's numbers be on election night.  Will he sink below 10%? 

sideline chatter

I was at my third grader's last football game about a week ago. I noticed a group of parents talking feverishly.  All of a sudden a mom comes my way--"you're the mayor, aren't you?" she asks.  Very few good conversations start this way.

Luckily, she didn't have a complaint about the city. She was upset about the school district boundary changes. She lives in Bearpath and explained that although her kids don't attend Cedar Ridge, she is worried that property values in Bearpath will fall if kids no longer go to a neighborhood school. She wanted to know from me whether it was easy to find out how much property tax is generated by Bearpath. 

This school issue is very curious.  It won't go away.  Parents are angry.  That's not good for anyone, except maybe the local newspapers. 

endorsements on the prairie

Two quick points about this week’s endorsements from the local paper.

First, why do local papers endorse for political office?  Why should their opinion matter? And what exactly does it mean for a candidate to have a newspaper endorsement?

If a candidate is endorsed by a political party, most would understand that the candidate shares the views of that party.  If a candidate is endorsed by a labor union it again is easy for voters to understand how that candidate feels about certain issues based on logical assumptions from the endorser.  In either case voters have information about what the endorsement means and can use that information to decide whether to vote (or not) for that candidate.

I submit the same does not hold true for local newspaper endorsements. I submit that voters don’t really know what that endorsement means.  I believe local newspaper endorsements are less valuable to voters than either political party endorsements or even union endorsements.

Second point–the Eden Prairie News is biased in favor of liberals.  None of the three GOP members of the city council has ever received an endorsement from that paper–that’s 0-6 in my book.  The highest vote getter ever for a council seat–no endorsement. The most votes ever for mayor–no endorsement.  Either the voters are wrong, or the newspaper is. Which do you believe?

Our current state senator is running for his third term.  He is one of the most intelligent and honorable public servants I’ve ever met.  He’s never been endorsed by the News.

Sure, the News has endorsed candidates for House seat 42B.  And these candidates have deserved to be endorsed–we’ve always had great people in that seat. But, it’s also true that 42B is one of, if not the, most Republican seats in the state. And, the DFL has had a hard time putting up decent candidates for what is really a hopeless cause. I’m convinced that if the DFL had better candidates for that seat that our local paper would endorse them, too.

I think that’s what I like least about newspaper endorsements–they pretend to be unbiased, but they’re really not.  At least come out and say that you prefer liberal candidates.  Then at least voters will know what to do with your endorsement.

city liquor

I've always had mixed feelings about city liquor.  I think our enterprise is well run, fairly priced, and friendly.  And, it generates money which the city uses for capital expenditures.  But, I don't like that we've shut private business out of selling liquor in town.  If the city wasn't in the liquor business I would not support us getting into it for that very reason; but getting out of the business is a harder nut to crack.

We recently remodelled our liquor stores and I was not a fan of how we decided to do that. Too much space in two of the stores. And, expensive finishes.  If our niche business was $50 wines, then sure--use all the granite and mahogeny that you want. But,that's not our niche.

At the end of the day most people want convenient stores and low prices. That's how you make money in the liquor business. You don't need tasting bars or unneeded space.

I went to the new Haskells in Chanhassen today.  No fancy finishes there. And, plenty of boxes on the floor; no square inch left open.  And man was it packed. 

I find the same thing at Trader Joe's. Tiny stores.  But, they move a lot of wine.

Know your customer.  Configure your stores accordingly. 

Kid gloves with Dayton

I read the Strib's story on Dayton yesterday. As predicated they softened the blow on virtually any fact which could be used against him.

A week ago the Strib found a lawyer who practiced with Emmer in the early 1990s and who was critical of Emmer's work ethic and ability to work files.  They offered no positive comment from any lawyer who has more recent experience with him.

Yesterday, the Strib discussed what it simply couldn't ignore--Dayton's fearful closing of his senate office. But, rather than let readers draw their own conclusions about the reasonableness (or lack thereof) of this act they softened the blow by getting former (and Republican) U.S. Attorney Heffelfinger to defend it. 

This distinction in treatment may not seem significant to more casual readers of the Strib, but I think it speaks volumes.

Horner for Governor?

Well, at least so says the Star Tribune.  Predictable endorsement if you've been following the Strib coverage of the governors race.

I've said before Horner seems a decent guy. But, I found the Strib endorsement lacking.  I've never been a big fan of the argument that (fill in the blank politician) will either "reach across the aisle" or "end gridlock," etc.  Not because I don't think those are laudable goals--I just think it's an easy sound bite which no one has really delivered on (or really tried for that matter).

I still remember all the soundbites from then-candidate Obama--e.g. "we are the change we've been waiting for."  Huh? But people lapped it up.

But, with the endorsement now in hand, let's see if Horner can grow in the polls. He's slipped a bit, to 14%. He'll need to be in the 20s, I think, pretty soon if he has any chance of winning this thing.

damn Yankees is right

I turned the tv off last night with some measure of satisfaction as the Texas Rangers were beating the New York Yankees 5-1 late in the game.  The wound of the third post-season sweep by the Yankees of the Twins was still raw and I smiled to myself as it appeared the bats of the Yankees were failing them in Texas.  Not nearly the same as a Twins ALDS victory, but it would do.

I should have known better. I awoke this morning to the sad news that the Yanks shelled the Rangers for 5 runs in the 8th inning.

You can never count those Yankees out.

eden prairie school boundary change

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about the new elementary school boundaries.  And I don't mean as a parent--even though my first and third graders will move from Cedar Ridge to the "new" Oak Point elementary school next year.

No, what I'm struck by as I continue to read about this issue is the lack of any comment from the school board, or its individual members.  Now I understand that the school board has divergent opinions on this issue and I tend to agree that its members shouldn't rehash the debate in the media. But, when parents/voters are protesting, I think elected officials should be heard from. 

I understand that some parents will simply never accept these new boundaries.  But, it is also my sense that a fair number of parents are upset because they felt that this was a pre-ordained outcome into which they had no real voice.  Inviting comment after a map has been disclosed simply isn't the same. 

a protest in Eden Prairie

I attended the Money Take Charge Live event in Eden Prairie tonight.  Money sent its publisher and editorial staff out to host a personal finance event to America's Number 1 City. It was a nice event and the people from Money were very friendly. I think they gave some good advince and input to the residents who showed up with questions.

I had to drive past at least 60 protestors in order to get into the parking lot.  Some residents were protesting a recent elementary school boundary change.  I was very surprised at the number of protestors who showed up.  The city had advance notice of the protest and when the Money publisher asked me about the issue yesterday I told him I would be surprised if 10 people showed up. Boy was I wrong.

The protestors were very polite.  They did not disrupt the Money event. 

I remain struck by their passion, though. I've seen the occasional protestor around town before. I've never seen a crowd, though.  Sending emails or making phone calls is one thing; it's another altogether for people to give up their dinner hour holding placards--that's commitment.

I don't know whether the boundary decision is good or bad for students. Protests, though, are not good for elected officials.

Fall fun at Staring Lake

Cub scout pack 479 had a fall event at Staring Lake today.  Boy scouts from Troop 479 gave demonstrations on “leave no trace” and building a fire.  The cubs then made apple cider, took a hike, and then made some smores.

It was a great day at a great location.  Scout on.

unfair charge against Emmer

I read today's Strib piece on Emmer with some anticipation. I knew that the Strib couldn't help itself--it couldn't possibly write three pages on Emmer without some slam.

I found it on page three. The Strib quoted a lawyer for whom Emmer worked in the early 1990s and who was critical on his work ethic and his ability to work a file to conclusion. 

I would be very curious to know how this part of the story came about.  Did this lawyer contact the Strib? Did the Strib contact every former employer or law partner of Emmer's until they found one who would dish some dirt? 

More importantly, will the Strib go to the same length in its coverage of Dayton and Horner? Something tells me Dayton will get a pass.  Care to wager?

Eden Prairie colors

No, I'm not talking about the marching band event or the changing of the leaves--I'm talking about campaign signs.  Signs are popping up everywhere and never have I seen such a wide variety of colors.  In addition to the usual blue and red, of various shades, I see purple, brown, yellow, green, and even one with a hint of orange.

And, in follow up to a post of a few weeks ago, today I saw two Mark Dayton signs in Eden Prairie.

Most people ignore campaign signs. I enjoy them.  I look at them as I drive down city streets, trying to see trends and patterns in sign placement.  Often all of the DFL or GOP signs are placed in the same yard. But, not always.  Sometimes I'll notice unusual patterns and I enjoy trying to guess at how the pattern was determined.

I remember four years ago when I ran for mayor I got a call in the last couple of weeks before the election from someone wanting a sign.  That was a rare treat as most of my sign locations were developed the hard way--by me asking at the door.

I drove to his house and had waited for five minutes in my car wondering if I was at the right house as the yard had a single sign in it--for Mike Hatch. 

He had a great location on Duck Lake Trail that I really wanted. I finally mustered up the courage to ring the bell.  Sure enough, it was the right house.  I introduced myself, shook his hand, thanked him, all the while hoping he would shed some light on why he decided to call.  He gave no hint.

And in this corner...

Today's Strib story about a lawsuit against Emmer reeks. Four weeks before the election? Come on. This is simply a tawdry follow up to the piece a few months back which made it seem that Emmer sued everyone he's ever met.

Is he aggressive? Maybe so.  Maybe that's what we need right now.

I still remember back when Dayton announced that he wasn't going to run for re-election for the U.S. Senate.  One of the best jobs in government and he was just going to give it up.  Why?  Because he didn't think he could raise money for re-election. I couldn't believe it when I heard it.  Rather than try to fight (or spend the money which he is happily spending this year running for governor) he just picked up his sticks and went home.  That was more embarassing than when he closed his office in the Senate. 

I think Minnesotans want a fighter in the governors office.  I hope we get one.

Primer on property tax

We are almost to that part of the year where the County sends out a mailer indicating what tentative 2011 property taxes will be.  The mailer breaks out taxes for county, school, city, and "other."  The city portion of the mailer will be based on the preliminary levy established by the city council in September.  One of the reasons I argued for a lower preliminary levy (in response to those who argued that it could simply be lowered later) is that we will receive calls and email from residents who will respond to that mailer with some displeasure. 

Property taxes are related to value.  But, the important figure isn't just absolute value but also relative value.  Thus, it is possible for someone who's property value declines to actually see an increase in property taxes if their property value declines less than that of their neighbors. 

When property values were increasing residents paid less attention to the impact on their taxes.  But, with declining values they pay far greater attention. They assume that if values go down that taxes will, too. Again, that's not necessarily true.  If the city budget doesn't change and all properties decrease in value by the same percent, taxes will remain unchanged. That poses a real problem for all cities as I think that residential values will continue to fall over the next few years and people want to see property tax relief.

The next few years will be interesting and challenging for cities. It used to be that the matra from residents was "do more with less."  It seems that the number of people who are saying "do less with less" is increasing.

Yes, I had to look up "quisling"

It seems to me that if "quisling" was such a terrible word then the media could prove that point without using dictionary defintions.  The implication that the GOP party chair was intentionally using a word with nazi connotations is just silly.

That said, I disagree with the "special place in hell" comment made by our party chair.  That comment is all to reflective of the quest for purity which I do not think benefits us in Minnesota.  If we were in an actual red state then sure--throw the moderates under the bus.  But, in Minnesota we need them. So, if former or current moderate Republicans endorse Horner, that seems to me to be a pain best suffered in private.

no more classroom pets

I don't know what it is about elementary schools and pets.

I remember years ago that I "adopted" some gerbils which had been in my school during the school year.  When the two "boys" actually bred a litter my family was pretty surprised.

A few years back one of my sons wanted to "adopt" some ducklings which had been hatched in class.  I dodged that bullet when he didn't win the class "lottery."

Last year, my youngest came home with a frog which had been in his class during the year. I don't recall being asked about this, but that's another story.

Anyway, it appears this frog was one that wasn't native to Minnesota so it couldn't be released into the wild at the end of the year.  We bought a tank, frog food, all that stuff...

Well, apparently this species of frog is prone to "bloat," which is a grotesque disease which ultimately kills the frog.  My children watched the frog suffer, all remedies not working.

Maybe they should just stick with the pet rocks.

the politics of taxes

Horner's impact on the governor's race continues to intrigue.

Yesterday, a number of former GOP state legislators announced their support for him.  I only hope that a similar initiative is underway with DFL legislators.

More tellingly, Horner was subject to some shots at a GOP fundraiser...that only reinforces that some are worried about his ability to siphon moderates away from the GOP.

How should one react to his proposal to broaden the sales tax?  Is it truly a "tax increase"?  What if, as promised, the sales tax rate is lowered? Then how should it be considered?

The real danger, it seems to me, is that if the sales tax is broadened that any reduction in rate will be short-lived. 

A few years back I was at a Minnesota Chamber dinner event where the Governor actually mentioned the very same idea--broadening the tax but lowering the rate. I was very surprised that this was never reported by the media.  It was clearly a trial balloon on the part of the Governor as the issue came up again a few weeks later and he quickly distanced himself from it.  The feedback must not have been positive.

no turning back

I have mixed success with home improvement projects. Bathrooms have proven especially difficult for me.

Six years ago I decided to change some knobs on our jacuzzi tub. Forgot to turn the water off.  Ensuing geyser ruined the ceiling. Scared the daylights out of my then one year old who was nearby.

Four years ago I managed to cut my leg with the remnants of an old porcelain toilet during a bathroom remodel.  Fifteen stitches.  You can still see the zipper on my leg.

Hopefully today's the day my luck changes. I rented a chipping hammer and chipped up the old tile floor in one of our bathrooms.  So far so good. 

Land use changes

The most common issues for city councils to deal with involve land use.  Most issues are pretty routine but it's not uncommon for a land owner to request permission from the city to do something which falls outside of the governing land use rules for their property.  Cities across Minnesota consider, and grant, such "variances" all the time.

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled on a case this past summer which fundamentally changed (and restricted) a city's ability to grant variances. I'm not going to bore you with the legal details of the decision, but I do think this decision will have huge impact on future developments, especially in the metro area.

A phenonemon which has been controversial for at least the last decade has been the increase in "tear downs" in certain of the first ring suburbs. Many 1950s era ramblers have been torn done to permit the building of huge houses.  The city which has received the most press for this trend has been Edina.

The issue for Edina, as I understand it, is that virtually all of these tear downs require some sort of variance.  Thus, the as-yet unanswered question is whether the Minnesota Supreme Court has killed this segment of the real estate market. Or, can enterprising developers find some way to keep this segment of the market alive without requesting variances from the  city?

Role reversal

I mentioned last month that my wife has returned to the work force.  And I, temporarily (I hope), am charged with the kids and household.

This change has been interesting.  A few weeks back, my wife called during the day to ask that I make sure we had some snacks for her game group that evening--"and make sure the house is clean." 

It took until the third week of school for me to realize, contrary to what my boys told me, that Mom never let them have a sweet snack when they came home from school.

I've enjoyed the extra time I've been able to spend with my sons. But, it is clear that I couldn't do this job long term.

A good smoke

I do not consider myself to be a smoker but I do enjoy a handful of cigars every year.  Today is a perfect day to sit outside with a beer and a good cigar.  But, no matter how much I'd like to I am not able to enjoy a cuban cigar. 

I have long questioned the embargo.  It is a perfect example of special interest politics.  Especially now that Florida has taken such a critical role in presidential elections neither party wants to do anything to risk angering cuban voters.

My dad was in a bunker under mortar fire in Vietnam the day I was born. It sure seems to me that if we can trade with Vietnam we should be able to trade with Cuba.

Lions on the prairie

Eden Prairie has a very active Lions group which I've always enjoyed.  They're a great group of guys.  They're dedicated to service but are more informal than some of the other community groups.  They raise money for important causes and do it in a way which is fun--from a pancake breakfast, to Schooner days, the Corn Feed, the list goes on.  And if they're at an event you can count on one other thing--there's a keg which has been tapped.  They always serve beer.

I was at the Corn Feed this past August and spent time talking to three of my favorite Lions--Gary, Tom and Mike.  Mike was trying real hard to get me to shuck some corn.  I was trying real hard to drink my beer. We were at loggerheads.

I'm going to have time on my hands next year and I'm thinking real hard about joining the Lions.  I'm pretty sure they serve beer at their meetings, too.

Class warfare

This morning the Strib ran an article which addressed Dayton's proposal to increase income taxes on the "rich."  Their polling suggested that his proposal was more popular than Emmer's to cut spending and Horner's to broaden the sales tax.

Dayton's supporters continue the cry that the "rich" don't pay their fair share of taxes.  I reject this argument. And, i'll go one step further and bet that most of those who claim that the "rich" don't pay their fair share don't fully understand the "facts" behind the argument--they just repeat the rote phrase.

Let's begin with a statement which I think is uncontroversial--the income tax is progressive.  This means that the more you make, the higher rate you pay.  I think everyone agrees this is true.

But, if this is true, how is it that some argue that the "rich" pay a lesser percentage of their income in taxes?

Simple--they mix and match taxes and make certain assumptions which are impossible to prove but which raise interesting policy questions about what exactly it is that government should tax.

I know, that explanation is vague. So, let's go a step further and explain how this works.

Other than the income tax, all other taxes (sales tax, liquor tax, gas tax) are based on a fixed percentage of the VALUE of the item you buy.  So a "rich" guy buying a keg of beer pays the same amount in taxes as a "less rich" guy buying the same keg.  You can add the property tax into this mix as well as it, too, is based on value and is not intended to be based on income.

These "flat rate" taxes have what economists call a "regressive effect," in that the "less rich" guy has to spend a greater percentage of his income to buy the keg of beer than the "rich guy."

So, to make the argument (that the "rich" don't pay enough) work liberals make various assumptions about consumption, lump all of the various "flat rate" taxes in, and then argue that the rich are paying less than their fair share.

I hate this argument by liberals for a number of reasons. First, because it lumps a bunch of taxes which have different purposes together and treats them as though they were all intended to be income taxes. Second, because it ignores the choices that people make when they buy items which are taxable. And, third because most of these "flat rate" taxes were either enacted or increased by liberals.

Think about this last point for a minute using liberal taxation logic. When the liberals increased the gas tax--a tax with a "regressive effect"--a few years back they actually increased taxes on the middle class and poor and further increased the gap by which the "rich" don't pay their fair share. Kinda ironic, isn't it?

No diving allowed

If you visit the pool at the Eden Prairie Community Center you will notice "no diving" signs everywhere. That's not unusual for a pool.  What's terrible, though, is that our pool doesn't allow diving from blocks for competitive swimming. The high school league changed the minimum depth a few years back and ever since the best swim program in the state has had to compete across town at an intermediate school.

As a former competitive swimmer I feel the pain.  I remember all-too-well how a 5th place showing by my high school's hockey team in the state tournament received more recognition than a state championship by the swim team I was on.

The wound still hasn't healed.  And that was over 25 years ago.

It's not realistic in today's economic times for our city to build the pool which EP swimmers deserve. But, I wonder how much it would cost to simply deepen the pool which we have. 

What is a godsmack?

That was the question my wife posed to me when i told her I wanted to see Godsmack at the Roy Wilkins in October.  Well, actually, she ignored me the first time I mentioned it and only began showing interest when I told her that i wanted to take our 14 year old along.  I then made what proved to be a fatal mistake--I took her to the Godsmack website and without really thinking clicked on the first audio clip I saw so that she could hear the music.  Well, in retrospect "Crying like a bitch" probably wasn't the song I wanted her to hear.

I attended my first concert in 8th grade--ELO.  I couldn't name one of their songs today but I'm sure they were more tame. I guess we'll have to wait on that concert.

Who will take charge in Eden Prairie

The race for Eden Prairie mayor starts to heat up this week with the League of Women Voters "debate."  It's not a true debate, but it will be one of the very few opportunities for candidates to try to distinguish themselves. The problem, of course, is that you'll also have six city council candidates at the same forum; so 8 people trying to divide up 1.5 hours. 

I appreciate that the LWV puts on these events. But, in honesty they should call themselves the League of Liberal Women Voters as it is clear that liberals dominate this group.  This is important at the debate primarily because you'll have a LWV member screening the audience questions--that's a lot of power to have and pretty much guarantees that any questions about taxation won't be asked.

Recently, the LWV has always permitted the question "should party endorsements be a part of local elections," so all the GOP candidates should be ready for that question.  I reject the notion that party endorsements should be any less useful to voters that newspaper endorsements or former elected official endorsements.  In fact, I suggest that party endorsements are far more relevant to voters as voters will have a much clearer idea of what a party endorsement means than, for example, an endorsement by the local paper.  Knowing nothing more, a strong liberal will likely shy away from someone holding a GOP endorsement; but, they likely will have no real idea why the local paper endorsed a candidate. 

Football Saturday in Eden Prairie

Pat's 6th grade White Sharks and Ian's 3rd grade Orange Crush both played games today.

Pat's team won.  Pat had a pretty good game. He remains the best kicker on their team. He blocked reasonably well, but needs to drive his legs some more to keep the defender from making a play.

Ian's team lost.  On offense, Ian suffered a fumble and got pancaked.  Blue had a linebacker who shot the gap every play; the center couldn't protect Ian and Ian couldn't get rid of the ball fast enough. Not his fault.  He played well at linebacker.

The Big Stall

Local politics can be a chess game.  You need to think two moves ahead all the time.

Eden Prairie is about to begin a search for a new city manager. I say "about" because this process should have started three weeks ago--it didn't because the The Big Stall.

The process by which a new city manager is selected is important and I don't mean to imply to the contrary. But, we've been hung up for the last three weeks on which search firm to use for the process.

There are only a limited number of search firms which do city manager searches. Any of them would do a fine job, and the city and the council already has personal experience with three of the top firms.

Nonetheless, it was decided that the selection of the search firm be methodical. First, an RFP. Second, an interview.  Who knows what step three will be, but the result of the first two steps is DELAY. 

We won't know any more about any of the search firms as a result of this process than we do now. And the fact is that the city frequently hires professional services firms with no RFP and no interview.

So, why all the process?  Simple--the election.  A faction on the council is hoping for a change in direction as a result of the November election so they want the final decision on the city manager to be made in 2011.  And you know what-i'm starting to think that's a good idea.

My son the artist

My oldest son is 14.  He attends school in Chanhassen.  Unlike my other three sons, he is very undemanding.  He also has very different interests.

He has an amazing imagination.  In 2007 he wrote a science fiction novel. The plot and characters were pretty simple, but I still thought it was a pretty impressive feat.

This year, he decided to try out for the school play. He has a part in Sleepin Beauty, including a solo song.  I can't imagine having the courage myself at that age to sing in public. I'm looking forward to his performance. I'm proud that he decided to do this.

Orange crush, indeed

My son Pat's 6th grade White Sharks football team was demolished last night by the Orange Crush, 32-0. It was a complete domination from start to finish.

Sure, we're still at the level where one or two playmakers can have a huge impact on a football game. And, Orange sure had those. But football is about execution and Orange was phenomenal in that regard.  Players knew their jobs, held their blocks, didn't get out of position or overcommit...It was impressive for a 6th grade team. That reflects on their coaches who this morning must be pretty happy.

Watershed district expense project in Eden Prairie

Minnesota has too many forms of government.  One form which people don't given any thought to is watershed districts.  I don't mean to malign the work they do--it's important--but it seems to be that the work could be consolidated into the work that other governments already do.

Watershed districts operate off the radar. Residents really don't pay a whole lot of attention to them. Their budgets are small when compared to cities and school districts, but most still are a couple of million dollars--that's real money.

Tonight, the Eden Prairie city council granted a land use change to permit a watershed district to build learning center in Eden Prairie.  As a taxpayer I think it's a waste of money. But, as a mayor I'm not permitted to making a land use decision which second-guesses the way another unit of government spends its budget. So, I voted to approve it. It was a hard vote as I heard from many who wanted me to vote "no" because expenditure was unnecessary.  Even after the vote I think many don't understand that i couldn't make that decision based on that criterion.

Governmental envy

I've often been envious of those who serve in state and federal government. Not because of the issues they deal with or decisions they make. No, my envy is much more simple--I wish that those in local government had the same ability to caucus.

At the local level all decisions must be debated and decided in public.  That can, and does, make for messy government as council discussion are totally unpredictable.  Some messy discussions could be avoided if individual elected officials had a better sense for how their colleagues felt on an issue. And, arguments on one side or the other of an issue could better be crafted by the advocates.

Don't misunderstand--I do not question the need for local government to make its decisions in public; that is critical.  So, too, the ability of residents to address local government before a decision is made. But, the ability for a quorum of th elected just to meet and talk through an issue in advance of the public meeting sure would be nice.  This happens all the time at other levels of government and no one bats an eye over it. Why can't we do it at the local level, too?

At whose expense?

I watched a funny clip last week about the President’s proposed middle class tax cut.  Apparently, the White House no longer likes the word “stimulus” as I think everyone now understands that “stimulus” was code for “boondoggle” in far too many cases.  So, that word was conspicuously absent from all of the talking points about this package.

A reporter asked the President if this was a “stimulus package.” He smiled and made some comment about how all of his programs are intended to grow the economy, add jobs,  etc.  He’s far to smart to be caught using the most recent forbidden word.

Soon more Americans will realize that most of the so-called “stimulus” programs were entitlement programs paid for at the expense of the taxpayer.  And the problem with entitlement programs is that ending them is very hard to do.

Are the Twins for real?

Minnesota sports fans are used to having their hearts broken. Last year it was the Vikings; one errant pass in the NFC Championship game and it was all over.

This year, the Twins have one of, if not the, best record in baseball since the All Star break.  Barring an incredible collapse they should win the division.

But, in recent history they've not gotten very far in the playoffs. Last years' series against the Yankees was brutal.  Will this year be different? Can they compete against the other AL divisions? This fan hopes so.

Pat can cook?

My son Pat spent the weekend at Shooting camp for Boy Scouts. He got to shoot a 20 gauge shot gun, bows, and some other weapons.  He had a great time.

He found out last week that he had to prepare a meal for his group of ten scouts. The meal had to be approved by the scoutmaster in advance and had to include protein, grain, and vegetable. 

Pat's first idea was hot dogs.  No go said the Scoutmaster--too easy.

Pat's second idea was grilled cheese.  Barely an improvement was the response.

On the morning of the camp out Pat decides on "chili mac surprise."  Fine, except we had none of the ingredients at home. Guess whose problem that was...

Long story short, Pat's meal was a big hit.  He even received praise from the (kinda picky if you ask me) Scoutmaster.

Finally, a skill learned that I may be able to take advantage of.

Vikings stadium redux

I see that gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner is going to announce a Vikings stadium plan this morning before the game against the Dolphins. 

Its hard to justify public dollars an a venue which could be used by the Vikings no more than 10 times a year. Sure, they could stage some additional events there, but not nearly as many as at the Metrodome.  That really is the beauty of the Metrodome--lousy for pro sports but great for other events. 

Favre's errant pass against New Orleans cost more than the ballgame; it cost the best chance the Vikings had to build momentum for a new stadium. Everyone loves a winner. 

Can they still do it? Maybe.  I think their odds would improve if they played up the nostalgia of Vikings teams past.  Not recent Vikings, but of the 1970s.  People love Bud Grant even though its been thirty years since he coached the Vikings. If I owned the Vikings, I'd have called Bud a long time ago and asked him to be a pitchman for a stadium drive.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign...

Love that old song.

I am one of those few who actually looks at campaign signs as I drive through town.  Pretty observant...or, so I thought.

I was picking my oldest up from school today when an odd sign caught my eye. Funny colors.  I looked closer and saw my first Tom Horner sign.  In Chanhassen no less.

I thought about the sign a few seconds more and it suddenly struck me---I haven't seen a single Mark Dayton sign. Not a one.  Maybe i'm too focused on local politics but I still should have realized earlier that no one apparently wants to put Mark's sign up.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe he intentionally hasn't put his signs up yet. That would be a mistake of a different proportion.  It's mid-September. Signs gotta be up or people will start to talk.

Horner's at 18%, I heard today. That's pretty good for a guy with no dough.  He needs that number to slowly increase--people love a bandwagon.  And he needs to start raising and spending some money.

I like Horner. He seems a decent fellow. And he might make a good governor. But, I abandoned my party only once--1992 when I voted for Ross Perot. I never forgave myself for that.

Gary for parks superintendent

Two things came to mind as I read today’s story about Speaker Kelliher being a finalist for Mpls parks superintendent.

Point One–she might be the best person for the job.  Who knows? A big part of those jobs is politicing and engaging with the public. She has those skills in spades.  I’m sure the parks board is full of bureaucrats who know the nuts and bolts of running park systems.  Maybe they don’t need another one.

Is there some political patronage going on here? Sure. But, let’s face it–both in the private and public sectors, connections matter. If Eden Prairie had a park system which operated separately from the City i’d do all that I could to get my friend Gary appointed to the job.  He has his fingers on the pulse of the city, as they say, and I trust his judgment.  Those are important factors which shouldn’t be minimized.

Point two–why exactly does Minneapolis have a separate parks board? That’s the far more intriguing issue as I bet most taxpayers in Minneapolis don’t think of the duplication of administrative staff, police (yes, Mpls has park police) and equipment.

A few years back I used to run around Lakes Harriet and Calhoun in the winter.  No matter how bad the snowfall the night before, if you could get the to Lakes on the city streets (which often proved very difficult) by 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning the paths around the Lakes were snow-free.  As a runner, I sure appreciated that luxury, but it seems kind of silly in retrospect that those resources would be spent on paths when streets were still a mess.

Another tiger scout

Riley is our youngest.  Last night he joined Cub Scout pack 479 as a tiger cub. He was pretty excited to receive the orange neckerchief and slide.

It's hard to believe that we've been involved in scouting for seven years.

Scouting has been good for our boys.  They love the campouts. And, they learn practical skills along the way. It builds self-confidence, too.

Our oldest two are now Boy Scouts. I hope they stick it out all the way to Eagle. I think it starts getting tough around 10th grade and a lot of boys start dropping out.

You look taller on t.v.

I was at a son's football game last night and a kind-hearted dad volunteered to help me with my re-election campaign.  He was only mildly embarrased to hear that I wasn't actually running for re-election.

In early August I was at a neighbor's party and after having introduced myself ("Hi, I'm Phil Young") and spoken to a guest for ten minutes or so he says to me "doesn't the mayor live around here"?

I've got a ton of good stories from my fours years as mayor.  From those who think it's a full time job to those who are incredulous that anyone would do it for $10,000/year--yeah, me too.

My favorite story came from a visit a few years back to Prairie View elementary school.  A second grader wanted to know where my security detail was.  She seemed genuinely worried that I was alone. 

I've got the time and now the medium.  Stay tuned.

White sharks go 2-0

Pat plays football with the White Sharks.  He's been on the same team for three years now. It's a good team and is well-coached.

Pat plays tight end and defensive end. He also kicks off. He's got a good leg.  He could probably stick with his blocks a little longer, though.

What price government?

As i've mentioned before it is budget time for the city of Eden Prairie. That means a whole lot of numbers, statistics, predictions, and some down right lies.

The current city council has three conservatives and two liberals.  And, by use of the term "liberal" I do not mean to be pejorative. I just prefer that term to the nonsensical term "progressive," which liberals now seem to prefer. Progress towards what, exactly?

The liberals try to talk like conservatives as long as they can. Indeed, at last week's city council meeting all five members said they favored a 0% increase budget for 2011.  But, when it came time to vote only two actually voted that way.  (the story about the stray conservative who voted with the liberals is too complicated for this short post).

An argument sure to be heard as we move towards a final budget (last week's was only preliminary) will be that whatever spending increase the liberals support amounts only to a nominal amount per year per household.  That statement will be factually correct--if you spread out a $2 million increase in our budget over 20,000 tax paying parcels in town the amount will be small. But, it's still $2 million.

As a country we got into trouble because we didn't ask what things cost; we asked what the monthly payment was.  That's how people ended up buying cars, houses, and governments that they can't afford.

farewell, Wolfie

My wife and children are dog lovers. I am more of a dog tolerator.

Yesterday, my parents put their dog Wolfie to sleep. He was old, fat, incontinent, and had difficulty walking and standing up. But, he was loved by my parents and all of their grandchildren--and I think that he knew that.  Perhaps that eased whatever pain he felt as his body slowly failed.

I accompanied my dad to the vet.  He was more shook up than I expected him to be.

My son Patrick was especially unhappy that I didn't give him the opportunity to say "good-bye" to Wolfie. He is the most sensitive of my four boys.

The boys knew my parents were sad and wanted to express their sympathies. After some deliberation on what to do, we agreed on the attached video.

My boys will miss Wolfie.

the next mayor of Eden Prairie

The race to succeed me as mayor has been pretty quiet so far. Sure, some lawn signs have come up; but, signs don't vote.  I have no sense that either candidate is working the doors--and you need to work doors in order to win local elections.  Back in 2006 I beat a heavily favored candidate by doing two things:  knocking on 10,000 doors and a nice compare/contrast mailer to voters the week before the election. It's an easy formula that either candidate could duplicate.

This year's mayoral race is of particular importance as it could sway the future direction of the city council.  We have a five member city council which is now balanced at 3 conservatives and two liberals.  This year the mayor's seat and two of the four council seats are up for grabs; one of the council seats is occupied by Jon Duckstad, who is running for mayor. 

It is likely that liberals will capture the two council seats, including the seat currently held by Jon.  One would think that would mean a shift in the council irrespective of the mayor's race; but, that's not so because one of the incumbent council members (whose seat is not up this year) is running for state office.  If he wins, Jon wins, and the two liberals win council seats then the council will be split 2-2.

The law provides that the council gets to appoint any vacancies. The law also provides that if the council vote results in a tie that the mayor alone gets to fill the seat.

That's why the mayor's race is so important.  It could determine the continuation of a conservative council.

Minnesota elections, a mayor's view

Today it was announced that former Gov. Arne Carlson is endorsing Tom Horner (I) for governor.

That Governor Carlson has (again) abandoned the Republican party should come as no surprise. He seems to relish it. In fact, I think he should stop identifying as a Republican. Two general elections away from the party (he endorsed Obama in 2008) and you’re out in my book.

I don’t think Arne is a barometer for very much, if ever he was. But, I do think this is a good year for a strong third party candidate. I hear from many in the middle that they can’t bring themselves to vote for Dayton (D) or Emmer (R). But, does that mean that these people will, without more, vote for a third party candidate? No, because of the Theory of the Wasted Vote.

Those who actually bring themselves to the voting booth want to believe that they’re voting for a (possible) winner. Very few (read: Nader voters) want to use the ballot box to prove a point.

Thus, while the votes are there for the taking, Horner has to earn them. Can he? That’s the question.

Fourth in line in Minnesota

Mona and I have four sons. While some may think being "the baby" is a good position to be in, there's another side to this birth order.

This fall we have two sons playing football and three sons involved in scouting.  This makes Monday and Wednesday nights something of a nightmare as we have three activities on occasion.

When it came time to look at fall schedules, the oldest three got priority. So, when youth soccer didn't fit into the schedule, poor son number four ended up without a fall sport. 

He's a pretty easy going kid and he's only six years old, so he really has no idea that he got bumped.

Orange crush wins late

Football in Eden Prairie starts in 3rd grade.  The games are pretty messy. But, the kids love them.

Today, Ian's Orange crush team won its first game on a last second play which went 70 yards. It was a great finish.

Ian is quarterback. He played a great game, but got hit a number of times.  His quarterback boot to the right side of the line works pretty well; i'm sure it will lead to a touchdown pretty soon.

Ian is number 11.  Two seconds after this picture he gets crushed by his friend, Walker, wearing 55 red.

Miscellania

I'm on the board of directors of a local financial institution.  I like to have varied interests and I'm lucky that i've always been able to fit them into my schedule. I hope that continues.  The financial is in the middle of a fair amount of change and I'd like to do my part to finish the overhaul that we started.  It's very interesting not only because of the economic climate we're in but also because of the changing government regulations. I think we'll see a lot more consolidation of the financials with assets of less than $1 billion; and a further consolidation of the various financial regulators into one super-regulator. 

I just came home from a local high school football game. I saw a variety of local political candidates there. They all act the same way--standing in the rain waiting to be recognized or given credit for being there. I can't claim to be the most outgoing person in the world, but I've always had an ability to "turn it on" in the right place.  For heaven's sake...work the crowd.  Shake a couple of hands. Go to the press booth and ask to make an announcment for the school at half-time.  Don't just stand there.

stay-at-home dad or consultant?

When we lived in Los Angeles we were well exposed to the joke that every waiter/waitress in town is really an actor waiting to be discovered.

I've found a similar situation with some stay-at-home dads who seem uneasy with that designation and are quick to call themselves a consultant or a trainer or (fill in the blank).  I think staying home with a child is an honorable and important calling and I've never seen any reason for people to minimize it.

Since late July, I've been a stay-at-home dad, although i really didn't start that job in earnest until Mona started working two weeks ago.  Until then I shamelessly slept in while she pretty much did what she's always done, which is almost everything around the house.

It's a hard job which I hope isn't long-term.  But, until I figure out exactly what it is that I want to do I'm not gonna sugar-coat it--I'm a stay-at-home dad. 

Changes at home

My wife Mona re-entered the work force full-time two weeks ago.  While we had talked for some time about her returning to full-time work when our youngest entered full-day school, it has nonetheless been a stressful event.   

I know things will get easier for her with time, but right now she spends a lot of time at night and on the weekend doing "homework" and otherwise preparing for her job.  She is very hard-working and conscientious!  She recognizes that she's been given a great opportunity.  We were very lucky in today's economy to find something which is challenging and which will help her refresh her skills.

I'm proud of her.

Duckstad has a good night

Council member Jon Duckstad is running to succeed me as mayor of Eden Prairie. He was in good form tonight.  He moved to freeze the budget for 2011; the ensuing debate was long. His motion failed but he made his point--he's committed to fighting for the taxpayer.  That's a winning message.

Slow running today

I ran the Victory 10K in North Minneapolis this morning. It's a great community race and my favorite 10K.  The course is nice and flat and the local Lions and other groups do a great job of making it a fun event.  I've run it five times; today was my slowest race by far. But, I wasn't running for time. 

You know your perspective on running has changed when after the race you reach for a hot dog and not a banana!

http://www.raceberryjam.com/indexrr.html

notre dame wins!

Notre Dame won its opener yesterday against Purdue. It wasn't very pretty, but it was a win. Big news in the Young household, as my boys love to watch football with me.  And, a good start makes it more likely that we'll roadtrip out for a game this year. 

Pat and Ian have their first football games this year.  The Eden Prairie Football Association starts contact football in third grade.  It is hard to think of my 55 pound 8 year old playing football, but the kids don't move that fast so i suppose the collisions will be manageable for him.

Ian Young, Eden Prairie football star

Fall is in the air in Eden Prairie

Yesterday's high was in the 60s. The three oldest boys and I went to the Twins game at Target Field. Many fans were wearing hats and warm jackets.

The boys enjoyed the game. Whether they would have done so absent new hats and plenty of treats i'd rather not know.

I enjoy the cooler temperature.  I have a harder time getting accustomed to the shorter days.

need to run

It is hard to believe that it's been almost two years since I've run a road race in Minnesota. But, statistics don't lie:

http://www.athlinks.com/myResultsAdv.aspx?rid=79026900

I spent some of last week looking at my races. I did okay for a guy who isn't a natural runner.

Goal 2011:  Chicago marathon.

new mayor in town

The race for Eden Prairie mayor is between Jon Duckstad and Nancy Tyra-Lukens.  Some consider Nancy to have an advantage as she can self-finance and is a former mayor. I'm not so sure.  Jon's message of holding the line on taxes is popular now. And, the reality is that most people have forgotten what Nancy did as mayor; four years is an eternity in politics.  Will be interesting to watch.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/minnesota/eden-prairie-mn-no-1-best-place-to-live-money-mag-july-12-2010

Eden Prairie Voted Number One

A month ago Eden Prairie got the good news that it was named the #1 best place to live in the U.S. by Money magazine. It was quite an honor. And, as mayor, it was fun to enjoy the recognition. I was interviewed by most of the local t.v. stations, and also by the ABC radio affiliate in Los Angeles; i wasn't really sure why the radio station took interest in the story, but gladly gave them an interview.

A month has passed and it's largely old news. Summer is quickly ending. Youth football begins this week. It's an election year and I'm not running for re-election; it will be interesting simply to watch.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/minnesota/eden-prairie-mn-no-1-best-place-to-live-money-mag-july-12-2010

Phil's first blog

This is a test.