Soccer stadiums, bike lanes, tax increment financing districts, raw milk sales...
The St. Paul City Council races will dig up plenty of serious, nail-biting issues in the lead-up to the Nov. 3 election, but why wait until then to get your hostility on?
This dubious-looking man is also running for election, but to what office, no one knows...
If you're looking for snippy, personal, downright mean political attacks and questionable campaign strategies, 'tis the season.
DAVID GLASS, THE ANTI-BIKE LANE CANDIDATE?
Former Como Lake coffee shop owner David Glass and his political supporters have been pounding the pavement, handing out fliers at bars and restaurants to educate the populace about the supposed evils of proposed bike lanes on Front Street. Glass is trying to get folks to a public speak-out at the Front Hi-Rise Thursday, Aug. 13.
"Don't we matter enough to be included on the front end of the discussion?" states Glass' flier.
Planning Commission Member Bill Lindeke, an avid bicyclist who runs the Twin Cities Sidewalk blog, feels a bit differently, especially after seeing the bar crowd riled up. Pointing to violent acts against cyclists in recent weeks, he calls Glass' fliers misleading in his blog, which is titled "Crap Public Process Irresponsibly Inciting Bikelash."
Both the blog and the flier are worth a read.
HELGEN-BRENDMOEN-BECKMANN FACEBOOK FIGHT
Former City Council Member Lee Helgen lost his seat to Amy Brendmoen in a nail-biter four years ago, and there's apparently no love lost between the two public servants. Brendmoen took to Facebook the other day to tout all the money included for her ward's Parks and Rec facilities in the mayor's new budget proposal, and Helgen took to Facebook to remind her fans of her romantic relationship with St. Paul Parks and Rec Director Mike Hahm:
That's when the deputy mayor took to Facebook to separate the two...
'Nuff said.
SHOULD BILL HOSKO RESIGN THE CRC OR NOT?
Downtown art gallery owner Bill Hosko has been making waves over at the CapitolRiver Council, where he chairs a committee for the neighborhood planning body and has been aggressive at getting his allies seats on the council. That's a problem, seeing as he's also a city council candidate, and apparently has been for some time.
You see, CapitolRiver Counil (CRC) bylaws don't allow political candidates to hold leadership positions on the neighborhood council at the same time they're running for office.
Election filings closed Tuesday, Aug. 11, making Hosko's bid official. But many would point out that Hosko met with the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce's Political Action Committee when they were screening potential council candidates in May, and he even sent out an angry mass email to the media when the chamber's PAC declined to endorse him (for a position he claimed not to be seeking). In fact, he's been sending out campaign missives since January. More on that in a moment....
First, here's a snippet from his latest exchange with the chair of the CapitolRiver Council:
"Congratulations on the announcement of your candidacy for St. Paul City Council!," said CRC Chair Chuck Woodbury, in an Aug. 6 email to Hosko. "I wish you the best in your campaign. I would appreciate it if you would send me your resignation from the CapitolRiver Council Board of Directors as soon as possible."
Hosko, who declined to resign when asked, responded to Woodbury on Monday, Aug. 10, as so:
"In accordance with the CRC Bylaws, I intend on resigning from the CRC Board of Directors on Thursday, September 3, 2015. Please look for an official letter of resignation
delivered to our CRC office on or before that date."
Woodbury emailed Hosko to press his case, pointing to the specific bylaws in question. Hosko agreed to step down -- eventually -- in his reply Wednesday, but only after reminding Woodbury who got him the chairmanship in the first place:
"It is good you are paying more attention to the Bylaws than your predecessor. Thank you. I also remain pleased that I successfully encouraged you to run for the CRC board a year ago and that my suggested list of candidates to support which I shared with those in attendance, did indeed result in your being elected. Now, a year later you are chair of the CRC!
Regarding my letter of resignation, I will submit it during the next board meeting. Please accept my apologies for understanding the desired letter was not due until the one month anniversary of my filing to run for public office. It is a pleasant surprise seeing the interest in my seat being vacated so soon and being filled promptly when in the past the CRC frequently had multiple board vacancies which drew little concern with their being vacant."
For those interested in watching the sparks fly, the next CapitolRiver Council board meeting is Aug. 19.
But wait -- wasn't Hosko a political candidate way back in May, when declared candidates were invited to be screened by the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce's Political Action Committee? On June 3, Hosko discovered he had lost the chamber endorsement to Rebecca Noecker. Hosko copied the media on his message to the chamber, which was not a happy message at all...
"I am sorry that an individual who has lived most of their life here, has managed a retail business downtown for over two decades, is about to open a second business, has respectfully finished in second place in the last two city council elections and has a long record of defending the quality of life here for not only residents, but also for our business community, is not adequate in the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce's eyes to lead Ward Two beginning in January 2016.
Near the end of my interview with your PAC Committee, I was asked why was I seeking the chamber's support. I respectfully and specifically replied that I was not seeking the chamber's endorsement and that you had invited me to the meeting. Your letter today neglected to recall this. Second, earlier in our meeting I also made it clear that I am not yet a city council candidate and that I am currently focused on opening my second business soon."
So that answers that. Hosko was not a candidate back in May in the classic sense of the term. He met with chamber's political action committee as a likely candidate, which is indeed different.
How long ago did Hosko become a likely candidate? Well, here's his message to fans, dated May 22:
First: In preparation for my likely run for city council there is another Citizen's Caucus coming up. It is this Tues, May 26 from 5-7:30 pm at Music Forest Cafe (the build-out here continues - this weekend stone is going on the fireplace and near the entry area from the ramp). You are welcome to come and share your views and ideas or come simply to observe what is on the minds of others. Yesterday I finished delivering caucus invitation fliers to the last residential blocks in Ward 2. This invitation is attached.
Actually, one could look back even further, to his public statement from Jan. 23, as chronicled by the Scoop:
"Regarding politics, with respect to regular inquiries and stepped up nature of this race, I will say that at this time it is likely I will seek the Ward 2 council seat again, but not until later this spring. I hope most voters can agree that a six-month city council campaign can be long enough. The filing deadline is August. This would be my fourth campaign."
So Hosko has been actively not running for office since at least late January, which means he's got a good seven months of vocal non-candidacy in the hopper.
The full list of city council candidates who have actually filed to run (not just the likelies...) is available here.
The post From Bill Hosko to Lee Helgen to Deputy Mayor Beckmann, St. Paul City Council races get sassy appeared first on City Hall Scoop.