Better use of city resources
Gary Todd’s recent commentary on needless city spending decisions, in this case another bikeway that will cost over $10M for a one-mile section, got me thinking about what else we could get for that money. Don’t get me wrong. Being a bicyclist, I fully support building infrastructure to encourage environmentally friendly transportation, but we need to carefully consider all aspects of such decisions. The proposed improvements don’t seem to be viable high-capacity bike routes, given the constraints Todd points out in his piece, and other uses of the funds could and should be considered a higher priority.
Smoother roads that are already used by both cars and bikes would benefit both.
According to a retired public works professional of my acquaintance, $1M would pay for about a one mile of a “mill & overlay” (a method of smoothly and durably resurfacing worn asphalt roadways). It turns out that the $7.4M available from MSAS funds would allow the city to resurface all of Summit and Grand Avenues in my stomping grounds. Note that Summit carries a lot of bike traffic as well as cars. I’m sure taxpayers on the East Side and North End also would have recommendations for streets that could use a resurfacing. Better yet, since according to St. Paul’s government website our residential streets are on a 124-year replacement cycle, my friends in Frogtown wouldn’t mind their streets being redone.
St. Paul has reached is maximum sustainable tax burden and needs to be more judicious about how it spends its funds. Todd is correct that our city government needs to be guided by rational priorities and accountable to the residents lest we lose more people and businesses to suburbs. Taking care of what we already have should be the highest priority, and only when those needs are met should we look to build more infrastructure, whether it be parks, bike lanes and trails, or buildings.
I believe the solution is to have broader, earlier and functional public input to public works decisions. This will avoid the perception that we have a misguided, unaccountable city government.| |
Timothy R. Church, St. Paul
Cheer for good cheer
For those of us living daily with depression and/or anxiety, reading a newspaper or watching TV can be upsetting. So, if you’d like something to make you feel good, feel hopeful, read about and watch female athletic teams from Minnesota – Frost, Lynx, college-system teams, your local high schools.
Minnesota turns out an amazing number of excellent, skilled female athletes who compete in almost all sports, locally, nationally and internationally.
Cheer your life up a bit, by cheering for our incredible female athletes.
Nancy Lanthier Carroll, Roseville
Taking the low road
Our Minnesota governor and self-proclaimed “knucklehead” decided to take the low road during his recent commencement address to University of Minnesota Law School graduates.
His address, which more resembled a campaign speech, took aim at President Trump and his “tyrannical” immigration policies. Instead of encouraging the graduates to do their best in maintaining objectivity and casting prejudices aside in their law careers, Walz ripped into his worn-out and dangerously inciteful rhetoric of our 47th president.
Everything Tim Walz claims Trump has done to over-step his role as the leader of America, this “tyrannical” governor of ours is doing to our state.
Our governor issued his own dystopian orders when he closed down our schools and small businesses. This order put out of work thousands of our residents who needed the work most, forced many small businesses to shutter their doors for good and caused mental health issues for our students.
Gov, Walz overreached by forcing State of Minnesota employees to take the COVID vaccine or lose their jobs and encouraging other government agencies and private businesses to do the same.
And in an order that was truly draconian and in line with Walz’s socialist moves, he set up a tip line for state residents to report on neighbors violating his social-gathering restrictions. What better way to sow fear and mistrust among neighbors and mold your minions to be compliant with your autocratic decrees?
This is a governor who foolishly and unapologetically let an $18 billion surplus turn to mush after the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud slipped under his nose.
There was a recent news report that Tim Walz was a front-runner for the 2028 presidential race. Really?
Richard Rohland, Roseville
Scenario #2 is superior
Autocracy: a system of government by one person with absolute power.
The 35W bridge rebuild has a critically important lesson for today.
A new bridge was needed. Time was of the essence. There were two scenarios for how this project could go.
Scenario #1: One person running the job, making every decision. This leader makes all the decisions, so decisions can be made faster and the project is expedited.
Scenario #2: A group comes together made up of structural engineers, architects, environmentalists, people who will actually be doing the work to rebuild, OSHA and budget watchers. They will take time to analyze the failure, and weigh options for pros and cons.
We used Scenario #2, and were still able to replace the bridge in an unbelievably short time.
Why did we choose 2? Because Scenario #1 has no checks and balances. With only one voice, one decider, potential flaws can creep in unnoticed and unchallenged. Potential time and cost-saving ideas are unheard. And essential aesthetic and environmental issues are ignored.
Scenario #1 is autocracy. Today, we are safe on the 35W bridge because we chose the harder, messier, and, I would argue, demonstrably superior road to results.
Currently, it feels like our country’s economy, our constitutional rights, and our once lauded role in the world have been plunged into a deep and fast-moving river of chaos. And we are supposed to trust the bridge-building expertise of an autocratic executive.
Governing well requires Scenario #2. That’s why the founding fathers created three separate and coequal branches. No kings. No autocrats.
We all have strengths and flaws. No one person, party, or branch of government has all the answers. Only by working together, questioning, offering ideas, and respecting each other will we remain worthy of our country’s rich heritage and able to safely and securely meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Bonnie Bakkum, Lake City
Couldn’t get there from here
Late last month my wife and I decided to have a nice dinner at a restaurant on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. I soon found that I couldn’t get there from here. In fact, I don’t think I could have gotten there even if using the Mars rover, although the terrain looked similar. Road construction or rather destruction made our chosen establishment somewhat inaccessible.
I reached out by phone and was told I might find parking somewhat proximate to their location. But walking across that ditch of destruction formerly known as Grand Ave. was a greater challenge than a couple celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary wished to embark on. Sadly I had to inform the restaurateur that they would have to manage without my meager contribution to their bottom line, and wish them well. I’m hoping they can survive this period of dirt, dust, assessments and business decline. Then to reap the reward of a road, a road not unlike what they had, before this all began.
Bob Emery, Mendota Heights
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