The Owatonna People's Press reports in Walz requests Hwy. 14 funding:
Just one project in Steele County made Congressman Tim Walz’s list of appropriation requests. Yet, is one a large number of residents and leaders have been pushing for — the expansion of Highway 14 from Owatonna to Dodge Center.
After Minnesotans had a chance to offer their opinions on the nearly 100 project suggestions, Walz narrowed down the list to a handful and submitted it to the House Appropriations Committee. Included in the list of projects was $3 million to be used for turning that stretch into a four-lane road. . . .. . .Walz made history when he posted all appropriations requests on his Web site and allowed the public to comment on each project. He then narrowed down the list of requests to be submitted to the Federal Appropriations Committee.
“While it is likely only a few of these meritorious projects will ultimately receive funding, I believe it is important for residents of Southern Minnesota to be able to see the list of projects I am supporting,” Walz said.
The full list of requests made by Walz can be found here.
Walz's office had announced that it would be taking requests from local government and non-profits, posting the requests, opening up the review process for public comment on the 99 requests the office received, then posting which earmarks proposals Walz was sending forward.
It's a model of transparency which "made history" as the paper noted.
It's worthwhile looking at how one of the frontrunners for the Republican viewed Walz's unprecedented transparency. For Allen Quist, opening the earmarks process to public involvement and scrutiny is but a sign of corruption and lack of public oversight:
Quist says that earmarks are an abuse of the legislative process because they spend taxpayer money without taxpayers having a genuine say on how that money is spent. “There are no open public hearings on earmarks,” Quist said.
Quist said he is outraged by Congressman Tim Walz’s encouragement of citizens and other groups to bring him earmark requests. “This comes about as close to buying votes as you can get,” Quist stated.
Quist said that asking citizens to participate in an abuse of governmental process, as Mr. Walz is now doing, is reason enough to look elsewhere for a First District Congressman. . . .
Yes, openness, public participation, scrutiny and transparency are outrageous. Personally, I'm shocked the open submission and review process hasn't been tried before.
It certainly avoids the sort of Gutknecht-era "phantom money" that showed up in Mankato in 2005 for the extension of Victory Drive Mankato, as the Free Press reported in Victory Drive funding comes without anyone taking credit:
. . .People who cynically think everything in Washington centers on politics could argue the inclusion of the Mankato project serves a political purpose for the Republican Party, which controls Congress. Gutknecht’s likely Democratic challenger next year is Mankato’s Tim Walz, who will now have a tougher time arguing that Gutknecht doesn’t deliver for his district.
The long-sought construction project will be under way in Walz’ home base as early as next summer. At the same time, Gutknecht has won comfortable victories in recent elections and probably isn’t overly concerned about 2006. . .
Images: Sunlight, the symbol of transparency.
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