Bluestem's gentle readers may remember how devoted parent and congressman Chip Cravaack was moving his family out of Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District to New Hampshire so the kids could be close to their mother's job.
Chip Cravaack still visits the place he represents; in fact, he's holding a town hall tonight in Wadena, Minnesota, situated in Wadena County on the western edge of his district. From a press release sent out October 17 (which also announced one in Mora last night, October 18):
“These town hall meetings are a great opportunity for me to hear directly from my constituents in the Eighth District about the issues that matter to them,” said Congressman Cravaack. “I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say, as well as sharing with them what I have been working on as their representative to Washington.”
Wednesday, October 19th
Wadena Town Hall Meeting
M State, Wadena Campus Auditorium
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Wadena, MN
Housing is obviously no trivial matter for Cravaack; after all he moved his family to the East. Perhaps he'll hear about matters close to home from his constituents as well. Sunday, the Wadena Pioneer reported that Foreclosures spike in Wadena County:
. . .From the first two quarters of 2010 to the first two quarters of 2011, Wadena County had one of the highest increases in foreclosures at 71 percent – 17 in Q1-Q2 of 2010, and 29 in Q1-Q2 of 2011, according to the 2011 Semi-Annual Foreclosures in Minnesota report based on sheriff’s sales, provided by the Minnesota Home Ownership Center. It was one of just a few counties with significant increases in foreclosure.
The statistics are for completed foreclosures that went through the sheriff’s sale. Wadena had 9 completed foreclosures in Q1 of 2010, 8 in Q2 2010, 9 in Q3 2010, 8 in Q4 2010, then jumping to 17 in Q1 2011 and 12 in Q2 2011.
Twenty-nine – the total number of 2011 foreclosures in Wadena County as of the first two quarters – already approaches last year’s total of 34 in 2010. However, 2010 was better than 2009, which saw 46 total completed foreclosures.
In terms of its foreclosure rate, Wadena County was better off compared to the state average a year ago, but not any more.
Wadena County’s foreclosure rate was 0.31 in the first two quarters of 2010, but 0.54 in the first two quarters of 2011.
The foreclosure rate went from 0.59 in the first two quarters of 2010 to 0.47 in the first two quarters of 2011 in greater Minnesota, and 0.73 to 0.62 in Minnesota overall. . . .
What has Cravaack done about the foreclosure crisis? If one uses the roll call votes reported in the Progressive Punch index on this issue as the measure, not much. The category "Preventing Bank Foreclosures on Homes," shows that Cravaack voted to eliminate the Home Assistance Modification Program (HAMP). He voted against a motion that would help struggling families of people who died in the military and now face trouble keeping their homes. He voted against helping rural areas fix up abandoned properties.
Of course, he voted to keep Wadena County safe from community groups that might have had something to do with defunct group ACORN somewhere, somehow.
That should be a record he can defend to those who get to the town hall on such short notice. Or at least keep him occupied.
Related post: Teabagger turns carpetbagger: left off Patriot Program, Cravaack moves family to NH
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