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Senator listens to citizens
By Kateri Wozny
Published:
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Media Credit: Jason Risberg
Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman spoke at St. Cloud City Hall Monday night. He also heard some concerns from St. Cloud Mayor John Ellenbecker as well as Fourth District Stearns County Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier.
Many cheers and claps bounced off the walls as Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman entered the room Monday night in the St. Cloud City Council Chambers to discuss challenges for the Central Minnesota region during difficult economic times.
"It is great to be back in St. Cloud with local officials," Coleman, a Republican, said as he addressed a crowd of about 50. "I want to hear your input. I come here to listen and I do understand the challenges Minnesota faces, especially with the budget. God gave me two ears and one mouth. I will sit back (and listen) in that proportion."
Coleman heard from St. Cloud Mayor John Ellenbecker, Rep. Jim Knoblach (R) of St. Cloud, Stearns County Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier, Waite Park Mayor Carla Schaefer and other local leaders as they addressed various local concerns, like last year's Fingerhut closing, which laid off over 1,000 people.
"I hope that Fingerhut will go forward and develop more jobs," Ellenbecker said.
Ellenbecker also stressed that St. Cloud wants to help market the unused Fingerhut buildings.
Other concerns brought up were transportation involving charter flights to Chicago and Denver, the concern about declining employment (down 1.6 percent since November 2002) in businesses such as Electrolux, SPX Valves & Controls and International Paper and support for the Veterans Administration Medical Center.
"We are still struggling to get veterans into the hospital because of the budget cuts," said a concerned World War II veteran.
Announced by Gov. Tim Pawlenty Tuesday, the major elements of the $4.2 billion "Tyrannosaurus Rex" projected deficit over the next two years will not increase taxes. City governments would lose about a fourth of their state funding and counties nearly as much. Wages would be frozen for two years for more than 300,000 public employees at all levels. Colleges and universities would see unprecedented double-digit funding reductions. Access to subsidized healthcare would be reduced for thousands of Minnesotans.
The City of St. Cloud would lose about $400,000 in funding. The cuts concern Central Minnesota's agriculture and other industries.
"The rising costs of dairy products, healthcare and the concern of preserving family farming are all issues that are dealt with at the federal level that impact our area," Lenzmeier said.
Knoblach also expressed his concerns as he asked Coleman to support a regional center for special education, to help with prescription drug care, have reimbursements for Medicare and Medicade and support for a welfare program.
"More rural families move here because Central Minnesota has the best special education system in the state," Knoblach said.
"With the welfare system, it is only temporary for needy families. We need to have it reauthorized."
After all concerns were made, Coleman responded to them by saying that there will be a prescription drug plan coming out of Medicade this year and that improvements have been made for special education.
"Coleman should be proud of our economic development," said St. Cloud City Council member Bob Johnson.
Coleman, the former mayor of St. Paul, was on a two-day listening tour across outstate Minnesota. He said that he hopes to be the "mayor's mayor" in Washington by bringing the issues he jotted down to the Senate.
In the Senate, Coleman serves on the Governmental Affairs, Foreign Relations, Agriculture and Small Business and Entrepreneurship committees.
Coleman was at SCSU this morning as part of the 41st Annual Winter Institute in Ritsche Auditorium as part of the "Regional Workforce of 2010" discussion panel.
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