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.