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Questions from the Duluth News Tribune
- By
retirement of death of legislators,
Northeast Minnesota
has lost significant clout in the Legislature in recent years. How would you
compensate for this, if elected/reelected?
Ans.
I have helped keep
Duluth
’s schools financially and administratively stable for six of the toughest
years ever faced by the
School District
. My skills will be useful to an inflexible and partisan legislature. As a
member of the probable majority Party - the Republicans - I’ll have clout that
our Democrat legislators lack.
- Property
tax reform in 2001 has brought increased property taxes for many
Northeast Minnesotans
, even though decreases were promised. What would be your plan for
addressing this issue?
Ans. The recent property tax reform was primarily intended for Business and was
long overdue. I have always believed in a progressive income tax based on the
ability to pay. A combination of budget cuts and tax increases will be necessary
to deal with
Minnesota
’s looming deficit.
- At
the start of the 2002 legislative session, the state will again face a $1.5
billion to $3.5 billion budget deficit. State law requires the state’s
budget be balanced by June 2003. How would you prioritize tax increases and
program cuts to solve the budget crisis?
Ans.
Balancing the state budget is my top priority just as it has been while I’ve
served on the School Board. K-12 Education is my top spending priority.
Unfortunately, revenue will be limited. Some combination of modest tax increases
and budget cutting will be necessary to balance the budget.
- A
shortage of affordable housing is a major issue for
Duluth
and
Northeast Minnesota
. What steps would you take to help ease this crisis?
Ans. Since moving to my home fifteen years ago the number of houses surrounding
me devoted to student housing have increased from 3 to 6. I want to bond for
more student housing to take some of the pressure off our rental market. Federal
tax incentives are probably in order.
- Because
of state budget cuts, the
University
of
Minnesota
has raised tuition by 30 percent over the last two years. Access to
affordable higher education continues to be an issue for
Northeast Minnesota
. Do you have any specific plans to address this problem and what are they?
Ans. Increased tuition has not kept UMD’s enrollment
down. Fortunately, local students have several local college options other than
UMD. Until the state and nation get past the current economic difficulties the
legislature has little choice but to support post secondary education spending
at about its current level.
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