An Autumn surprise
November 9, 2010 at 3:03 am in South Washington County Bulletin
A political newcomer brings a big change to the Washington County Board of Commissioners with her surprise upset Continue Reading
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Autumn, I wish you luck as county commisioner but you have some mighty big shoes to fill. It must be discouraging for someone like Myra who has devoted her life to Washington County to lose to someone who has no qualifications for the job. It would take years for Autumn to learn how to advocate for us as Myra has done. So I say to Myra, thanks for all your hard work. There are many of us who noticed all you have done on our behalf. And to Autumn, good luck, kid. You’re gonna need it!
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Myra made a few mistakes in her last run. The first was voting herself a raise while the people she worked for were experiencing pay cuts and job loss. It was also mentioned in a previous article that she was considering to not run for another term. The accomplishment of the Wakota bridge was a double edged sword. The Glenn Road overpass did harm to Newport business’s and it’s still inconvenient to support them. I don’t know anyone from St. Paul Park that appreciates the MNDOT FUBAR of the 70th street overpass. As far as I’m concerned it was a failure of representation for Newport and St. Paul Park. In looking at commuter rail around our nation, the majority is government subsidized. It does not pay for itself. In a time when our bridges and highways need upgrading and maintenance it makes sense to fix those issues first and then consider the viability of commuter rail. Not do both at the same time. Expansion and expenditure of county parks, bike trails and similar projects while cutting social services and then finger pointing at the state and crying “foul” is yet another example of putting the cart before the horse. If we taxpayers are responsible for the cost of these non-essential paved bikeways and trails, then every cyclist 18 and over should be required to have their bicycle licensed and those funds go directly to the pathways. It is time for the majority to stop subsidizing these fluff projects that benefit a small minority of the populations special interests and use that money to prevent cuts from services that benefit us all. It all adds up.
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I wouldn’t consider the Wakota Bridge project a huge success for Myra by any means. My memory is long and so was the project – I don’t think the voters appreciated that. I am looking forward to a fresh face supporting Washington County and this Bulletin article is so pro-Myra, I want to puke.
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The Wakota project took forever because of the state and the construction firm. The first span built was faulty and had to be corrected before the second span could occur. Then the state sued the builder because of the work and dropped them building the second span. Then the state re-bid the second span and finally went with the original construction firm. Three years were wasted by the state.
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The end result still sucks for Newport and St. Paul Park with the overpasses. Both cities complained about the final plan, but it went through anyway. Thank you for the failed advocacy. Marko and Peterson saw the correct need for the bridge update in the beginning, but the road infrastructure surrounding it upon completion gets an F in my view. The first time I drove all the on & off ramps, it occurred to me that whoever designed them, never drove an automobile and they might as well paid Newport to move someplace else. The overpass in SPP is dangerous with all the tanker traffic leaving the refinery. Katie and Karla, I’m sure had a hand in some of it too. But hey! career politicians know best! right? that’s why life is so good right now.
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Myra did many many things right in her 17 years and I want to say thank you to her for them.
I also want to wish Autumn good luck. She is new, she will make a few mistakes anyone does who starts a new job. I’m sure Myra made a few 17 years ago when she first started. I am excited for a change of command and hopeful for Myra and the county.
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Myra has garnered a wealth of knowledge over the tenure of her duties as commissioner. I would hope that she would impart some of it to Autumn if needed. Congratulations to Autumn and thank you to Myra.
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“someone who has no qualifications for the job”? Where have you been reading? It’s time we have a new set of eyes. The biggest problem with government is too many people making a career of it and then starting to believe they are the only ones who can make wise decisions. Believe Autumn has many qualifications to do the job. and it’s time to make a change. Advocate for us? You mean like raising our sales tax to give money to Ramsey, Hennipen and Scott counties for their projects? Washington Cty – higher costs to buy items here – guess I’ll buy in places that have lower percentage of sales tax!
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Bennie, you continue to prove you have no idea what you are talking about. Hennepin, Ramsey and Scott counties all have higher sales tax than Washington county. Dakota is equal to Washington county. I wish Autumn well, but I will be honest when I say that I’m nervous someone campaigned for a job and admitted she didn’t know what the issues were, but ran purely on a platform. I really do hope she succeeds, but I do also have concerns. Myra was a great advocate for our area and her leadership will be missed.
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