Erik Paulsen Endorsed by Jim Ramstad

Erik Paulsen, State Representative from Eden Prairie, had a big weekend. First he was endorsed by the Republican Party. Then he was endorsed by Jim Ramstad.

“We have the right person to represent the Third District at this critical time in our nation’s history. Today, friends, it is my distinct privilege to pass the torch of leadership to a new generation… To a leader who has the integrity, energy, vision, experience and character… A leader who will serve the people of our district with distinction at this critical time in our nation’s history,” Ramstad said.

Paulsen definately has the endorsements that matter, with Ramstad giving the wholehearted endorsement and Ramstad's predecessor, Bill Frenzel, having already endorsed him. One had to wonder if Ramstad, who has grown disenchanted with the GOP in recent years, was going to hold anything back on the endorsement of his old aide, Paulsen. He didn't.

Paulsen is running against DFLer Ashwin Madia of Plymouth and Independent Dave Dillion of Shorewood.

The Meeting

The long-awaited Excelsior City Council Meeting where public input was taken on the Pavilion proposal occured last Wednesday. The only information I can find on it is what was printed in the StarTrib, but I'm sure there will be news in the local papers soon.

If anyone attended the meeting and is willing to share your thoughts or observations, please do so for the benefit of the readers. Thanks.

Merger

The Delta - Northwest merger appears imminent. While I hate to see a headquarters leave the Twin Cities for one of our competitor regions, maybe there is a silver lining. Northwest has been an erratic employer in the past decade. We all know someone who has been laid off, furloughed, or decided to leave because the pay was squeezed and the future was too uncertain. I am empathic toward the plight of Northwest employees, but lets weigh how much we need to fight and spend to keep a legacy airline headquarters in town.

First, let me clarify that the hub and the headquarters are two different things. The Twin Cities needs a hub for business reasons. Having a hub plays into company decisions on where to locate their operation, hold company meetings and conferences, or increasingly with the creative economy on where to allow its workers to live. Denver and San Francisco are two cities that don't house an airline headquarters but are closely identified with their United hubs. Minneapolis needs to be a key Delta hub for decades to come.

On to the money: If this merger happens, the State of Minnesota is due approximately $445 million in immediate loan repayments and forfeiture of future concession discounts. That, at this point, is the only leverage we have left. We can use that leverage to ensure that some high paying jobs are left in the region, that Delta continue to participate in local philanthropy, or even push for a dual headquarters. But I think I have a better idea.

The State of Minnesota should let the merger occur and use the $445 million to create a recurring revenue stream dedicated to developing and enabling private sector businesses which will carry the state deep into the new century. If invested, that amount of money could generate over $20 million per year which could help attract innovative knowledge businesses in creative fields such as medical technology, bioscience, environmental technology, and others. Those sectors would create desirable jobs which would be around for decades and help the region remain economically vibrant for generations.

Bolstering our medical technology success and attracting more biotech and environmental engineering businesses, in addition to other creative economy businesses, would do more to ensure an airline wants to keep a hub here (voluntarily) than any legislative actions could.

It is unfortunate that a merger is the most likely conclusion to the long Northwest saga, but the State should take this opportunity to energize our private sector economy for the next 50 years, not try to prolong an industry that is fraught with fundamental operating issues. Northwest was a 1900's company. We now have the opportunity to reinvest in companies that are perfect for the new century.

Race for Ramstad's Seat Becomes Clearer

After a tight, eight ballot process yesterday at Wayzata Middle School, Senator Terri Bonoff stepped aside and cleared the way for Ashwin Madia be endorsed by the DFL for the 3rd district congressional seat. Madia was the least-known of the three initial DFL candidates, but gained steam after an early VoteVets endorsement and much campaigning in the 3rd CD.

Madia brings a dynamic to the race that previous DFL nominees have not had. He is a former Marine who spent time as a military lawyer in Iraq. He is young (30) and stays close to his talking points. Whereas Wendy Wilde and Deborah Watts were longshots who needed to be extreme in order to have a chance at competing, Madia will be able to fall back on his military experience to draw credibility to his candidacy. Here is this blog's quick and dirty take on his candidacy:

The Good: Madia's military experience brings an obvious strength to this race. He is succinct with his talking points and doesn't veer much from his script. Madia has good speaking skills and should perform well in debates. His youth could play will with a section of the 3rd district voters, and the fact that he spent time in Iraq could bring him much of the Veteran vote. He has proven that he can get union endorsements, something which plays well in parts of the 3rd but maybe not well in others. He doesn't have the disadvantage of his opponent, Representative Erik Paulsen, when it comes to previous voting records causing questions. Madia is starting his political career from scratch, outside of a stint as Student Body President at the U in the late 90's.

The Bad: Madia is an unknown to anyone outside of DFL circles in the 3rd. Whereas a Jim Hovland or Terri Bonoff were active in the community for a period of time prior to running for congress, many independents' first impression of Madia will be when he is asking for their vote for a huge job. He is not a typical 3rd CD resident -- he is 30, single, and really hasn't lived here much. He attended High School in Osseo, and moved back to the district to run for this race. Outside of defense issues, which he has an advantage on, there is no indication his experience prepares him more for other federal issues as much as Representative Paulsen's experience at the Capitol has.

Conclusion: Madia is in effective campaigner and will work hard to make himself visible. His lack of any track record and minimal exposure as a citizen in the 3rd CD prior to this run may turn skeptics off. His ideology is unclear -- we know he was a Republican in the past but some of his views in debates were the most liberal of the three candidates. Still, with Democrats having the momentum this year, Republicans need to take Madia seriously. All three DFLers who started the race, Hovland, Bonoff, and Madia, were stronger than any candidate the DFL has put up in the 3rd for a few years. I say this race will be won by less than 5 points. By whom? It is too early to tell.

Mrs. Excelsior Does Us Proud

Natalie Hagemo, Mrs. Excelsior, made a strong showing at the Mrs. Minnesota International Pageant winning the Director's Choice, Peoples' Choice, and Best Interview awards.

More information on Natalie's activities and drug awareness platform can be found at her website, http://www.nataliehagemo.com/

A new foodie site

A local site worth checking out is www.minnetonkadines.com. It links to the menus of several local restaurants, in addition to the Edible Express, a source for food delivery from places such as Big Bowl (a personal favorite).

MinnetonkaDines is a directory that is not directly affiliated with any of the restaurants it covers, to our knowledge. Check it out.

Excelsior Pavillion Meeting

The meeting to hear resident input on the Excelsior Pavilion is fast approaching. It will be this Wednesday, April 16, at 7pm. The meeting will be held at the Excelsior Elementary School.

Reports will be given by each city Commission who studied the issue, and then public comments will be taken.

If you have a feeling either way regarding the Pavilion proposal that you would like expressed, the 16th would be the time to do it.

South Lake Minnetonka: An Active Place

The South Lake area will once again play host to many active events this spring and summer. As we have noted on this blog before, these events are a nice change of pace for the community, and bring a respectful group of people to the area who may not otherwise come. Each summer, we can count on having the boating crowds, tour boat crowds, festival crowds, bar crowds, and wedding reception crowds in the area on a regular basis. Adding the active crowd to that list adds a new dimension of visitors, and uses the South Lake area in more of an off-peak manner (most of these events take place early on weekend mornings, when most people are still sleeping off the evening before).

Here is a partial list of active pursuits in the area, and we'll try to keep this updated:

Sunday, April 27: Excelsior Criterium Bicycle Race. This is a sanctioned bike event put on in conjunction with Excelcycle, the local bike shop. First event of its kind in the area.

Sunday, May 4: Wells Fargo Half Marathon. Begins in downtown Wayzata, runs along the western edge of lower Lake Minnetonka, through Navarre and Tonka Bay, and ends in downtown Excelsior. Registration Full.

Saturday, June 21: Lake Minnetonka Triathlon. Start / Finish line is at the Excelsior Commons. This event is fast becoming a premier Twin Cities Triathlon. Sprint distance - .5 mile swim, 15 mile bike, 3 mile run.

Saturday, June 7: Wenmarks ALARC Legends 5K and 10K run race, Deephaven. Annual event.

Wednesday, July 4: Firecracker 10K and 2 mile run. Excelsior. Popular, well-attended event.

Saturday, August 2: Tour de Tonka. 15, 33, and 65 mile bike ride, beginning at the Deephaven Education Center. In its 3rd year, it has become a very popular cycling event regionally.

55331 City Data

For statistics junkies out there, you need to visit www.city-data.com. It is a great site with, you guessed it, data on cities. You can get down to the zip code level of data and dig in to the profile of your specific area. The "Top 100" lists are also great -- they compare zip codes across the nation in many interesting and obscure categories.

Among a few interesting items:

- Two age groups dominate the populus of the 55331 zip code: Early teenagers, and those in their mid-thirties to mid-forties.

- The average home value is about $460,000, a little over twice the state average

- The average resident of this zip code makes about 3 times the state average income, and pays about 4.5 times the state average tax amount

- On average, a resident of this zip code gives about 3.7% of their income to charity

- 84% of us drive to work alone

- The most common ancestry reported is 1) German (#1 by alot), 2) Norwegian, 3) Irish, 4) Swedish, and 5) English

I just can't get enough of numbers like this. I'd recommend the site.