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If good policy amounts to a ‘special interest,’ count us in
Barb Olsen, Duluth News Tribune
Published Thursday, November 01, 2007
Any time I see the words, “there’s a simple answer,” I anticipate trouble — especially when they’re used to describe a complex issue. It’s that kind of wishful simplicity, paired with a plaid shirt, that gave the country George W. Bush, the Iraq war and a skyrocketing national debt.
The words, “there’s a simple answer,” appeared in Bob Hansen’s Oct. 17 Local View (“Duluth needs leaders who are not shackled by special interests”). In the commentary, Hansen pointed at the grass-roots group Progressive Action as one of the “special interests” that is contributing to what he sees as the city’s failure to resolve its retiree health-care debt, budget shortfalls and limited job market. Special-interest groups — Hansen also mentioned the environmentally minded Green Party and working folks belonging to unions — supposedly care nothing about addressing city finances and routinely endorse candidates whodon’t care about it as well.
That’s simply not the case.
Take Progressive Action’s recent forums, for example, in which the group brought City Council, mayoral and School Board candidates before a live audience and on KUMD-FM and PACT-TV to give everyone in the community the opportunity to judge the candidates based on their answers to questions. “What is the mayor’s role in getting the retiree health-care debt under control?” Progressive Action asked. “What’s your opinion of the school district’s $257 million red plan?” “Was the council right to allot $600,000 for a Native American housing development?”
Progressive Action also asked candidates about matters that have more indirect economic impact: Do they support rail service between Duluth and the Twin Cities? How is the school district doing at meeting therequirements of special-needs students? Why did the city fail to protect the shoreline behind the Beacon Point and Ledges developments?
This is not the approach of a group uninterested in the city’s financial health. Oursis instead an approach that’s interested in the complexelements that underpin economic prosperity. Simplistic approaches deliver ideas like cutting down the Spirit Mountain old-growth forest to build a golf course, while approaches that take the broader view and preserve and capitalize on a city’s assets successfully build strong local economies.
We agree that tough economic times probably are ahead, that difficult decisions must be made and that core city services such as street repairs must be maintained. But Progressive Action believes those decisions are most effectively made byrepresentatives who look beyond the simple answers.
Progressive Action was proud to endorse progressives Laurie Johnson, SharlaGardner, Tony Cuneo, and Jeff Anderson for City Council and Deb Anderson and Gary Glass for School Board, based on their answers to our comprehensive questionnaire on economic, social and environmental issues.
We endorsed them for their stands on issues that build a resilient community: living-wage jobs on taxpayer-supported projects; strong community policing and fire protection; bringing the troops home from a war that has cost Duluthians millions; support for voter input onthe school district’s red plan; protection of public shoreline; and increasing jobs through support for the local aviation, education and health-care industries and small businesses. We also endorsed them for their ideas about how to resolve Duluth’s retiree debt and budgetshortfall.
If our endorsed candidates represent “special interests,” those “interests” are workers, the environment, business, public safety, peace and education. Progressive Action is proud to be a part of it.
As a businessman and past candidate for City Council, Hansen represented the “special interest” of business, and there was nothing wrong with that.
Duluth’s continuedfinancial challenges can’tbe blamed on any one factor. Aid to the city has dwindled as tax dollars were siphoned off by war and tax breaks to the wealthy. Duluth’s retiree health-care debt mounted for decades as prior administrations failed to take action, leaving city leaders toscramble for a solution.These are just two of themyriad reasons behind strained city coffers.
City councilors have been working to address these problems, including the retiree health-care debt. By reinvesting health-plan assets in a higher-yield state fund and transferring money from Duluth’s Community Investment Fund to pay down the retiree debt, councilors have helped reduce that debt. As city budget talks continue, there is discussion of the need to grow tougher still, and that’s probably true.
Voting for progressive candidates on Nov. 6 ensures Duluth will address city finances in a way that goes beyond the simplistic. And the city will achieve more if it refrains from attacking and instead brings stakeholders together to discuss how best to go forward. Progressive Action plans to continue working toward that positive goal.
Barb Olsen of Duluth is president of Progressive Action, a group of volunteers formed after the death of Paul Wellstone to continue his work on issues such as affordable housing, living wages and electing progressives to local office.
Original article here
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