Anyone who has been to downtown Excelsior this summer has noticed that the old Pizza Hut / Lakeshore Deli building is not only vacant, but seemingly deserted. When I first drove by it in the early spring, I assumed that I'd see signficant construction or renovation occuring quickly. Here we are entering October, and to the casual observer nothing has changed.
A quick Google search of the property (officially known as 10 Water St.) shows that it is owned by IRET Properties, c/o Thomas James Realty, and that it switched hands in April 2006 for just under a million dollars.
Don't get me wrong -- I don't miss the Pizza Hut. The cleanliness and service were always subpar, plus Joey Nova's fills the pizza niche for me with their good quality food and nice dining area. But I do miss the terribly underrated Lakeshore Deli, and am curious what such a prominent piece of property on Lake Minnetonka is doing sitting vacant for so long.
Given that this property accounts for 6-7% of Excelsior's property tax income (more if the property is improved), I would think that redeveloping such a visible property is in their best interest, not to mention the owner's.
If you have the scoop on what is happening with this South Lake property, feel free to post your info.
What's Going On With The Old Pizza Hut Building?
Power Shift: Minnesota Likely to Lose Congressional Seat
A discussion over at www.mnpublius.com prompted me to look into how the upcoming census reapportionment could impact Minnesota, which in turn could have an effect on candidates willing to run for the 3rd CD seat. Among other sources, I typically appreciate Kiplinger's clarity and willingness to go out on a limb, so I quote from the most recent Kiplinger Washington Letter:
"The nation's midsection can count on losing influence as Iowa, Minn, Mo., Ill., and Mich. each lose a seat in 2012 elections for the House of Representatives, based on smaller populations. Ohio will lose two seats. In the East, N.Y. will also shed two seats. Power will flow to the South and the West. The big winner: Texas, gaining four seats. Fla. and Ariz. will add two apeice, Ga., Wash., and Ore., are going to pick up one House seat each. But Calif., for the first time in its history, won't gain any seats because of outmigration and a curb on counting illegal immigrants."
While it is all speculation at this point, if the reapportionment occured today, it would likely fall as Kiplingers predicts. With the possibility of incumbency not meaning alot in just four short years (as incumbents are forced to run again each other, possibly in primaries, in 2012), I wonder if it tips that scales to the "defer" category for anyone considering a run for Ramstad's seat.
SD 276 School Board Candidate Websites
Informational websites for four of the seven SD 276 Board candidates can be found on the links below. While there are officially eight candidates listed for the upcoming election, we're hearing that Renee Schubbe decided not to run but missed the deadline to remove her name from the ballot, and won't be campaigning.
Here are the other seven and links to their websites:
Karen Walcowski: www.karen4tonka.com
Lisa Wagner: www.electlisawagner.com
Cal Litsey: www.calvinlitsey.com
Paul Luehr: www.paulluehr.org
Bill Wenmark: no website found
Alice Everett: no website found
Doug Anderson: no website found
This blog will not endorse any candidates but will do its best to bring you election information as it draws nearer. If any readers know of other good sources of information on the Board candidates and issues, please send them to me and I'll gladly link to them.
Lining up for Ramstad's seat: Where are the grass-roots candidates?
This will be my final posting for a while on the Ramstad retirement and subsequent race for the MN-03 Congressional seat. In the spirit of this being a more local blog, I want to move back to focusing on more local events, particularly the Minnetonka School Board election and referendum.
But first, I want to make a call for grass-roots candidates to emerge for the congressional seat. The early list of prospective candidates is full of what I'm sure are good quality people. They are people with a demonstrated interest in public service and who are well-regarded in the community and have the respect of many. The best possible person for the CD3 House seat might very well be on this early list. I’ll post the respective links to MN Publius (who I think has done the best analysis of reviewing the candidate field and will probably continue to be the leaders in breaking news on this topic), but will also summarize the list here. Candidates being discussed include:
Republican:
http://mnpublius.com/2007/09/3rd-cd-rankings-the-republicans/#more-3907
Erik Paulsen, State Representative
Brian Sullivan, Republican National Committee State Commiteeman
Geoff Michel, State Senator
Rich Stanek, Hennepin County Sheriff and former state legislator
Joyce Peppin, State Representative
Warren Limmer, State Senator
David Hann, State Senator
Kurt Zellers, State Representative
Jeff Johnson, former State Rep and AG Candidate
Democrat:
http://mnpublius.com/3rd-cd-report/
Andy Luger, Prosecutor
Buck Humphrey
Melissa Hortman, State Representative
Terri Bonoff, State Senator
Steve Kelley, former State Senator
Steve Simon, State Representative
A scan of this and other lists that contain largely the same names yields one major conclusion: Unless you are already an elected official, you have a major uphill battle to get any visibility in this race. Humphrey is one exception but he has an incredible last name, and somebody like Kelly Doran (who has financial resources and profile from his Senator/Governor in the past) would be another. Andy Luger is a prosecutor, which doesn’t qualify as private sector but he is definately from outside the domain of sitting elected officials. Brian Sullivan’s experience originally was from the private sector, where he has been highly successful, but he is now closely associated with the Republican party establishment. It is already evident that many political handicappers are viewing Ramstad’s open seat as a promotion for a sitting politician more than an opportunity for a leader from the masses to step up and represent the 3rd.
We have what might be a once-per-generation opportunity to send someone new to Washington. Do we need to assume that the cream of the crop comes only from a small group of people who are already in public office? What about our business leaders? Community activists? Nonprofit executives? Those who have demonstrated the ability to make the world a better place in other ways? They have to be out there. The 3rd district is large, and full of talented and inspired individuals.
I can give you two examples of successful grass-roots leaders who Minnesota sent to Washington in this era. One was Paul Wellstone. While he had run for some public offices prior to being elected Senator, his rising was one from college professor to US Senator. He was hardly someone who “worked his way up” into a position of power. His was an example of Minnesotans selecting someone from the masses to represent them, and represent he did.
Another was Mark Kennedy. I’m not trying to compare Kennedy’s impact with Wellstone’s, but Mark Kennedy was a product of the private sector. A successful CFO of a local business, if I recall correctly. But I would suggest that he successfully represented his district in Washington, whether or not you agree with his alignment with George Bush. And don’t forget about Tim Walz, the MN CD1 Congressman who was elected in 2006 and seems to be off to a good start. He was an educator in Mankato up until his recent election.
Many other effective public servants in Washington also came from outside the state public office ranks, including Senator Bill Frist (Surgeon), Congressman Dave Price (Professor), Congressman Ron Kind (County Prosecutor) and Senator Tom Coburn (Businessman and Physician) just to name a few.
So as the preliminary lists of candidates gradually become short lists, I hope that the people of CD3 don’t limit their search to the list of existing public officials for that person to send to Washington. Don't get me wrong - many of the names of sitting State Senators and Representatives absolutely deserve to be in play. Jim Ramstad, however, gave the district the courtesy of a long, exhaustive vetting process for his replacement. Let's not immediately whittle this down to the race between a few heirs apparent.
Let’s make this about more than who can raise money the fastest and appeal to party bases. Sure, let’s send someone to Washington who has a pedigree. Not a pedigree of working their way up the political ladder, but a pedigree of successfully leading people and getting things done.
Another good article on Ramstad's retirement
The most informative article I've seen on the topic, after the initial MPR one which I linked to on the post below, is this one from The Hill:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/rep.-ramstad-puts-another-swing-district-up-for-grabs-2007-09-18.html
Congressman Ramstad Announces Retirement
This will be the final congressional term for Congressman Jim Ramstad. He announced today that he will not seek reelection in 2008. You can see the details of his press conference and much more information here:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/17/ramstad/?rsssource=1
We can now add the 2008 MN CD-3 race to the list of items that will be closely followed on this blog during the coming year. While the 3rd congressional district has been represented by Republicans for the past 46 years, many of the non-congressional elections in the district have been up for grabs lately. Congressional Quartely does a nice job of summarizing some recent elections here:
http://fe15.news.sp1.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070917/pl_cq_politics/minnesotagoprepramstadtoretireleavingseatupforgrabs
The biggest question right now seems to be this: Will the parties attempt to field a candidate in the mold of Jim Ramstad or Bill Frenzel (who held the seat prior to Ramstad), or will each party use this as their opportunity to put forth a candidate who aligns more closely with the party base? And if both major party candidates are extreme, is there room for a 3rd party entrant?
Much more to come, but I'll go on record saying this: Voters in CD3 have proven they like moderate candidates who represent the district, not the party. If the Republicans can find a truly moderate candidate in the mold of Ramstad, he or she will be very tough to beat. But a race between a moderate Democrat and a conservative Republican would be up for grabs in this district, especially in 2008.
Excelsior Water Fountain Vandalism
There is a letter to the editor in the Sun Sailor offering a reward for information leading to the resolution of recent vandalism on Excelsior's water fountain: http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2007/09/14/opinion/ex13hardylet.txt
This is the second time that the fountain at the five corners area has been vandalized. It is sad that some people who live in or visit the South Lake area insist on being destructive. How hard would it be to simply walk by the fountain without vandalizing it?
Excelsior is in an interesting position: The town is viewed as a destination, but with the destination status you are going to get good visitors (hopefully 95%) and people who you rather would stay away (presumably the other 5%). The 5% require a disproportionate amount of policing and create most of the nuisance problems. Ultimately, those 5% were probably the reason for the SLMPD funding issues two years ago. Who pays for those 5%? The residents of the SLMPD coverage area? The residents of Excelsior? The business community?
I have an answer: Maybe the 5% should pay themselves. I hope the vandals are caught and required to pay full restitution in addition to fines and potential jail or service time. If you have information on that vandalism event, please go to the link above to provide information.
Politics in Minnesota
We are pleased to now be on the Politics in Minnesota (PIM) political blog directory. They have us listed as an independent blog, which is appropriate as we are striving to provide balances viewpoints and food for thought to readers.
Politics in Minnesota (http://www.politicsinminnesota.com/) is the preeminent political news service in the state. They go well beyond what is reported in the large newspapers, and provide insights that insiders could only provide. Thier content is always interesting, but is particularly fascinating while the legislature is in session or during an election season.
We appreciate PIM recognizing the South Lake Minnetonka Blog. You will also see a link to this blog attthe Chanhassen Villager site, which we also appreciate.
School District 276 - IB Comment from Reader
In a posting from early August, I requested any opinions or observations about the International Baccalaureate program in the Minnetonka School District. A reader recently posted this which I wanted to highlight and not have it buried back in the comments:
The IB program is an incredible addition. The number of students who have entered into the program and are taking classes has expanded three-fold since introduced at the high school (our student is one of them). I believe the money spent is nominal and goes towards preparing teachers who wish to teach IB. I might add that this is an optional program for students – it would be very interesting to hear from IB students!
Thanks to this reader for posting this useful information and opinion. The IB program and other school issues will be big news very soon, as another school board election approaches. I've always been impressed how fluent on the school district issues our voters tend to be, and I'm sure there will be a thorough vetting process for this year's election.
I'd love to post some articles on topics of particular interest in the upcoming school board election, ones that would spur good discussion among readers. If you have ideas for the most relevant issues, please let me know what they are.
9/11 - Six years later
As the anniversary of 9/11/01 approaches, people seem to have mixed opinions on how to properly recognize it. Some believe it is time to move on, that the 5th anniversary last year provided a sense of closure for Americans, and that it is pointless to dwell on the past. Others believe that, given the magnitude of our loss on that day, we must always do something to remember the victims.
I side with the "recognize the day" camp. While we don't necessarily need to re-live all of the grief from that event, remembering the emotion and the victims of that day in whatever way one sees fit seems more than appropriate. I consider one person dying before their time a tragedy; 2,974 dying in one day from a series of willful attacks is still an unfathomable tragedy. Even though it happened before our eyes, it is still difficult to comprehend how many people 2,974 is, and by multipication how many millions of lives were directly affected by it.
Maybe a better way to recognize the day is to think about the survivors, particularly the people who the victims left behind. A number from 9/11 that has always hit close to home for me is 102. In addition to that being the number of minutes between the first plane crashing and the last tower falling, it has another meaning. 102 fathers of unborn children died on 9/11. 102 fathers went to work that morning, some knowing that their mate was pregnant and others still awaiting the good news, but never came home. 102 children were born in the nine months following 9/11 who would never get to meet their father. While 9/11 is six years old this week and the memories are slowly fading, and the perished are more gently resting in peace in our minds, many things about that day live on. Those 102 children are perfect examples.
It is poignant and fitting that this time of year, maybe on the very day of the anniversary of their fathers' passing, most of those 102 children are going to Kindergarten for the first time. Their mothers are packing their backpacks, the children are joining the other neighborhood kids at the bus stop, and these little tykes are boarding the yellow bus for their first ever school day. It is a shame their fathers won't share in the day. They weren't there to give the kid a pep talk on what school would be like, they won't be there to see the child step onto the bus, and the won't be there at dinner to ask how the day went. The children may realize their fathers would have been there if they could, but maybe it is too early in life for them to comprehend all of that.
This routine will happen 102 times. To us, 9/11 has largely become reduced to numbers, statistics, in addition to political rhetoric. But to that father who wasn't there on the first day of school, and to the mother who didn't have the father's active involvement preparing for it, and to the child who only knows that something unfortunate happened to their father and he isn't there, 9/11 was everything.
To me, that is why we should never forget 9/11. As these Kindergartners who are taking a big step forward demonstrate, 9/11 will always be part of our identity. Like those children, we move on to a brighter day knowing all the while that what happened will always be part of our personal and national fabric.
South Tonka Restaurant Scene, revisited
Last month, on this very blog, I commented on how the restaurant scene in the area seemed very healthy. There were plenty of new establishments in the area, and by my layperson's standards they all seemed to be doing OK.
Then I drove by Big Buck's Roadhouse, or at least what used to be Big Buck's Roadhouse. My first thought was that I jinxed them. I wrote that I had been hearing good things about them, and then they promptly went out of business. But then I realized that they had seemingly changed restaurants overnight... you see, they are already open again with the name of Prima Minnetonka. When a business closes, goes through the process of liquidation, the landlord finds a new tenant, they renovate the building, and then open, it is certainly not an overnight affair.
To make a long story short, Big Buck's Roadhouse "changed" to a new Italian-themed restaurant. It is operated by the same owners, who also operate Three Fish and Prima Minneapolis, two establishments that seem to be standing the test of time. One can only speculate that with Maynards, Fletchers, and Haskells already in the area, and the standard suburban Applebee/Houlihan/Timber Lodge genre along the Hwy 5 corridor, there wasn't room for another bar and grill in the area.
Prima Minnetonka looks like it will fill a niche between Joey Nova and Biella. The menu looks a bit Macaroni Grill-ish, which I think could do pretty well in the area.
http://www.primamn.com/menus.php
Greenwood to limit house sizes
The small village of Greenwood has decided to limit the size of homes being built in their city. The move, which isn't uncommon these days, would create several formulas for determining how large a home could be relative to the lot size. Some likely criteria include building height and footprint.
http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2007/08/30/news/ex30gree.txt
The fact that building restrictions will be put in place isn't huge news. Municipalities have been doing that for years, and I would guess that Greenwood is in the minority by not having stricter codes today. However, what magnitude of restrictions they put in place is worth watching. Will they restrict house sizes so they keep the "cottage" character of original Greenwood? Or will they recognize that an area like Greenwood, being so close to the lake, attracts people who like to build dream homes -- even if they are "not-so-big" dream homes.