2011 New Brighton City Elections

I realize that I should have written a post long before now and am hopeful it is not too late to get out the truth about some statements Mr. Benke has made in his campaign mailer and during the campaign.

Under the "Economic Development" heading in his mailer he claims he will work to "Aggressively seek investments in NW Quadrant (Exchange)".

This is laughable since it was Mr. Benke who was the catalyst for wanting a change for "investment" in the NWQ. As mayor he and the council commissioned two different studies for what I would call "Stepford"izing New Brighton. The first in 1986 "City of New Brighton Highway Eight Corridor Plan" prepared by Gair and Associates and the second in 1997 "City of New Brighton, Old Highway 8 Corridor Study, A vision for the Heart of New Brighton" prepared by Hoisington Koegler Group. The second was a major study involving different plans and phases for Old Highway 8 from Highway 96 down to County Road D.

As stated in the report by Hoisington Koegler:

Question: Will the current market support the proposed plan for the NWQ? Answer: Probably not. This is a vision that may not be realized for 10-15 years and market changes will change dramatically during that time. Both deficient accessibility and the presence of obtrusive heavy industrial uses will dampen the potential for the immediate actualization of the vision.

The City of New Brighton today would not be looking at a $50+ million worth of general obligation bonding debt if Mr. Benke and the mayor after him would have taken heed from the study that suggested not pursuing the plan and wait until 2007-2012 to re-address development.

Our current mayor, council and staff have contracted a developer and a contractor who are seeking out potential development for the The New Brighton Exchange (NWQ).

"Identify and remove barriers to business success"

Mr. Benke did not mind when businesses on the NWQ were "identified" and/or "removed" by the threat or actual use of eminent domain, because they were not part of the vision.

"Provide housing choices for citizen of all ages"

As far as I know there are currently PLENTY of housing choices in New Brighton for all ages, but I do know that Mr. Benke has no problem with additional low income housing being built.

Under the section labeled "Fiscal Responsibility" Mr. Benke promises he will "Change budget process to provide early, meaningful citizen input" and "Work with the Council and staff to identify creative ways to reduce costs".

With the leadership of Mayor Jacobsen and the fiscal responsibility of Council Member Phillips and myself, we voted for a zero levy for 2010 and 2011. Mr. Benke stated in a candidate debate that he did not approve of Mayor Jacobsen and council setting the 2012 levy at less than zero and does not rule out raising taxes if he becomes mayor (it should also be noted that council member Burg also stated she did not approve of the less than zero levy).

If we learned anything from the past history of when Mr. Benke was mayor, it would be that we do not need more of his "creativity" when it comes to making budgeting decisions for the City.

Another of Mr. Benke’s statements made during a debate and in an e-mail needs to be debunked:

"They also voted to reduce the tax levy in an election year while they agreed to issue debt certificates "aka" bonding with issuing costs and future interest costs to fund the capital equipment account. That is not fiscal responsibility. Isn't that what we all call "kicking the can down the street" to our children?". [In the debate he said $600+ thousand was needed].

This statement is simply FALSE! Mr. Benke sat in on a budget work session when it was stated by our Finance Director that he believed if we lowered the levy to less than zero, that we could be looking at issuing bonds for capital equipment. I reminded those present that the budget is looked at every year and we do not need to purchase everything WANTED as opposed to only things that are NEEDED. For example: I ask for any resident to comment in favor of buying two new fire trucks to the tune of $1 million in the near future.

Mr. Benke clearly did not understand the budget discussion or was trying to manipulate what was discussed for political gain. It should also be noted that the mayor and council last year transferred $1.1 million dollars into capital equipment.

We all know how ugly politics can get and this election has been no different. Behind the scenes Mr. Benke and his minions have been relentless in personally demeaning any candidate they disagree with. They argue that character matters. I agree, but if they believe the only way to win is to spew their hate instead of honestly running on issues, who is really without character? How big is their glass house?

This election should not be about the need of a "take back", but who best can move the City forward.

It is crucial that we vote for the most qualified candidates with proven records of looking out for and serving the residents and City of New Brighton. I believe Mayor Jacobsen and Council Member Phillips are those candidates.

New Brighton Mayoral Race Part 3 - The Conclusion

A common question one hears around New Brighton these days is why is Bob Benke running for public office again? Good question.

One would think that 22 years as a councilman and mayor, followed by years of influencing city government from appointed positions on city commissions and boards would be more than adequate to satisfy any legitimate sense of civic duty as well as a normal ego. Apparently this is not the case.

Benke's quest to return to elected office goes far beyond political tone-deafness considering his pathetic record of support for policies and decisions that have led to almost all of the serious problems the city has faced over the last several years. Many of these problems originated on his watch as mayor (bloated budgets, significant annual levy increases, excessive staffing at city hall, eminent domain abuse, and the seriously flawed redevelopment vision for the Northwest Quadrant immediately come to mind). Even after his departure from office he has often fought against efforts to clean up the mess he left from his positions as a professional lobbyist and appointed positions on city commissions.

Bob Benke has no substantive issues to run on. He throws out a few vague and nebulous platitudes about city government needing more "openness" and "vision", yet cannot state any credible specifics as to where Mayor Jacobsen falls short. In the candidate forums Benke begrudgingly admitted that the city is in pretty good financial shape under two years of Jacobsen's leadership, although he did not elaborate on how remarkable a feat this was considering the mess he and his politically allied successor had left after their terms in office.

Benke's implication that Mayor Jacobsen lacks openness is laughable, especially considering that it is coming from a long time professional lobbyist (it’s interesting to note that he euphemistically refers to this activity as "consulting"). The influence of lobbyists on public policy is the antithesis of open government. Deals are cut at private meetings and behind closed doors where political favors and influence are bought, sold, and bartered with little, if any, tangible accountability. Are we to believe that, if elected Mayor, Mr. Benke is just going to abandon his vast store of political capital and connections he has built up over his many years of lobbying and political activism? The huge potential conflicts of interest alone qualify as a major deal breaker as far as I’m concerned.

As far as Benke’s "vision" for the city is concerned, all one has to do is look at the vast wasteland of the Northwest Quadrant and compare it to what was sold to the public (see the link in Part 2.). Benke’s policies led to the destruction of the area tax base instead of the significant financial benefits that were promised. Although there are still lots of problems to deal with, the area is finally starting to show signs of financial viability after only two years of responsible management by Mayor Jacobsen and his allies on the council.

The bottom line for this election is pretty simple: in his two years as Mayor, Dave Jacobsen has delivered on his campaign promises of effectively addressing the difficult issues the city faces, many of which were caused by the policies of the Benke years of city government. He clearly has earned the chance for a second term. In contrast, Bob Benke has a very tangible record of failure with respect to running city government and cannot make a credible case that Mayor Jacobsen needs to be replaced or that he is even capable of doing a better job for the people of New Brighton.

It seems to me that if Mr. Benke could not get his ideas implemented to his satisfaction after 22 years in office it indicates that he is either very ineffective as a leader or that his ideas do not reflect the views of the people. In either case he is the wrong man for the job, especially during difficult times. On the other hand Dave Jacobsen’s record of quiet competence, kept promises, and successful results indicates the he is the right man at the right time for this important position.

Please join me in voting for Dave Jacobsen for New Brighton Mayor on next Tuesday.

New Brighton‭ ‬2011‭ ‬Election Choices

New Brighton area conservatives are dedicated to making our city a better place to live, work and play by following a strategy that embraces personal freedom, individual initiative and fiscally responsible financial management. Led by Mayor David Jacobson, council members Gina Bauman and David Phillips the city has held the line on expenditures the last three years. This year, it is crucial that Mayor Jacobson and council member Phillips are re-elected in order to continue a conservative financial agenda.

The following are some key differences between the candidates: Mayor Jacobsen is a retired executive from Onan Corporation. He has no ties to any business, outside government organizations, or any other public or private entities. His focus is the City of New Brighton. In contrast, Mr. Benke is an employee of Ewald Consulting, a lobbying firm which consults, advises and lobbies for a variety of public and private organizations. In addition, Mr. Benke is a member of the Ramsey County Charter Commission. Mr. Benke's full-time and part-time jobs are huge potential conflicts of interest for an elected official. Electing Mr. Benke mayor is akin to hiring the fox to guard the henhouse.

Mayor Jacobsen and Councilman Philips believe that New Brighton should not put taxpayers at risk in the real estate development business. Mr. Benke proudly takes credit for setting New Brighton on the course to borrow money to fund the debacle now known as the New Brighton Exchange. This has resulted in an outstanding debt of more than $50M, or more than $3,100 for each of the approximately 16,000 adult residents of New Brighton. Mayor Jacobsen and council member Phillips have taken decisive action to mitigate taxpayer exposure initiated by Benke and past councils by hiring a new marketing and development team. This has resulted in a new $18M development which is now underway.

Phillips is an experienced architect, real estate developer and small businessman. Additionally, he has four years hands-on experience as your councilman. Contrast his background with those of the other council candidates (Source: http://onyourballot2.vote411.org): A hunting magazine publisher, a former Parks and Recreation employee at another city and current Mental Health Employment Specialist Case Manager, a retired Minnesota Air National Guard Lt. Colonel and current website implementation project manager. It's also interesting to note that there are other candidates who did not bother to submit profiles to the League of Women Voters site linked above.

New Brighton's population is 21,541. The city is spending approximately $4.99M per year on Public Safety, which includes the Police Department. Rather than creating their own police infrastructure, neighboring cities Shoreview and Arden Hills contract with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department. New Brighton cost per person is $232. Average cost per person in Shoreview and Arden Hills is $131 (Source: MN State Auditor). In other words, NB could save 44% of the budget ($2.2M) by following the same course as Shoreview and Arden Hills. When asked about this idea as a means to save money during the League of Women Voters Candidate's Forum in October, Mr. Benke stated that he is in favor of keeping the structure of the New Brighton Police Department as is. Mayor Jacobsen stated that he was open to making this change if it was what the voters desired.

Working together, Mayor Jacobsen and Council Member Phillips have reduced the annual operating budget by more than $639,000, held the tax levy flat in 2010 and 2011, and reduced the tax levy for 2012.

Please vote for Dave Jacobsen for Mayor and vote ONLY for David Phillips for City Council. The City Council race is a contest for two seats. It is important to vote only for David Phillips to avoid effectively canceling out your own vote by voting for a second choice for council.

Bruce Knight
New Brighton

New Brighton Mayoral Race - Part 2

In Part 1 we looked at the New Brighton mayoral race from a liberal/conservative perspective. In these complicated times, however, many voters are looking to make their decision based on broader criteria than just general political philosophy. Some major issues the city faces are finances and the associated burden on taxpayers, salvaging the largely failed Northwest Quadrant (now officially called the New Brighton Exchange) redevelopment project, and the size and administration of city government at a time of a very poor national economy.

This race has a unique dynamic that, to me, makes the decision very clear: the accomplishments of Dave Jacobsen in his first term as mayor are largely attributable to how he is cleaning up the mess Bob Benke is largely responsible for in his over quarter century tenure as a council member, mayor, commission member, and professional lobbyist.

As a council member and mayor, Bob Benke built a consistent record of growing government and increasing spending to pay for it. The modus operandi of the Benke era city council was to propose an unrealistically high levy increase late in the year that taxpayers would not stand for and then go through the motions of cutting it significantly and claiming victory in standing up for the taxpayers. The resulting levies were still high enough to cover the excessive spending of the council but were passed off as a bargain for the taxpayer only due to the ridiculously high-ball initial proposal.

In contrast, under Dave Jacobsen's tenure as mayor the budgeting process has started early in the year with department heads required to prioritize and justify their budget requests. Council work sessions and meetings held throughout the year integrate input from the citizens with the assessments of city staff to come up with a responsible budget. In each year of Mayor Jacobsen's term the levy has been held to a zero or lower increase. During this same time the city has not cut any essential services and has implemented long term financial planning to assure that future needs are covered without gouging the taxpayers.

During Benke's tenure as a council member and mayor we saw the construction of the Family Service Center against the will of the voters. Over the years the maintenance and operation this building has been a financial drain on the city and has had problems attracting and retaining paying tenants. Finally, in an effort championed by Mayor Jacobsen and the current city council, an agreement was reached to re-locate the Arden Hills branch of the Ramsey County library into the building in a win-win situation for both New Brighton and Ramsey County.

Also under Bob Benke's watch as mayor the city began an aggressive abuse of eminent domain. Over time, the growth of this ill-advised and unethical policy (which was continued by Benke's politically allied successor with the support of Benke from his appointed positions on city commissions) tarnished the reputation of New Brighton as "second only to the City of Richfield as the worst abuser of eminent domain in Minnesota", according the the Castle Coalition. Tax-paying businesses and home owners were forced out of their businesses and off of their property using the full power and resources of city government. After payments for the properties and legal expenses, New Brighton taxpayers ended up paying premium price for largely contaminated land that private sector experts (and anyone with common sense) deemed undesirable for the proposed type of development. The Benke era "vision" of the project was obviously highly flawed as can be confirmed by comparing the grandiose depiction in the linked document to the largely undeveloped dirt fields that cover most of the area. It should also be pointed out that failure of the project occurred during a period of a relative boom in the real estate and re-development market. Benke is currently trying to re-write history and blame the failure of the project on the current depressed economy, but his pathetic efforts to deflect the blame from himself and his political cronies will not stand up to honest scrutiny.

Benke's failed redevelopment effort resulted in an erosion of the city’s commercial tax base. This, along with the establishment of a ridiculous number (relative to other cities of similar size) of tax increment finance (TIF) districts coupled with the big spending city councils of the Benke era led to significant annual increases in property taxes that provided little, if any, increased benefit to New Brighton residents.

In his two years as mayor, Dave Jacobsen and his allies on the city council have made significant progress in reversing much of the damage initiated by Bob Benke and his political allies in their quarter century plus of government-centric practices and policies.

More in Part 3...