In Candidate forum, Terri Lenz reports in the Kenyon Leader:
Local political candidates for the office of Minnesota Senate District 21 and Minnesota House District 21A and 21B met for a political forum at the Cannon Falls High School last Thursday evening.
The event was sponsored by Toastmasters, Minnesota Farm Bureau, Citizens Concerned About Rail Line and Minnesota Farmers Union.
State senate candidates were current Senator Matt Schmit and Mike Goggin. State house candidates were: Elise Diesslin, Barb Haley, Lisa Bayley and current Representative Steve Drazkowski. . . .
On the issue of a potential high speed rail line between the Twin Cities and Rochester, all six candidates said they would not support such a project. Goggin said it would make Goodhue County a fly-over county. He proposed a three-point threshold: no eminent domain, setup a decommissioning fund and no government money used to build it.
Diesslin said infrastructure funding should be used to support the existing roads and bridges, not a new project that would affect too many landowners. Bayley said to watch the eminent domain question, because she watched it play out on CapX2020 and eminent domain laws are very strong.
Schmit and Drazkowski both urged residents to fight for transparency in the process as zip rail is being studied, so that citizens know what is going on and can represent their concerns. Haley added that people need to consider the cost of loss in productive farm land and loss of income for property owners.
Will potential investors understand the depth of opposition to the project in "fly-over country"? While Wendy Meadley is compiling secret guest lists for invite-only receptions, those citizens who oppose the North American High Speed Rail Group's zip-train from the Twin Cities to Rochester are organizing each other--and putting together public debate for candidates.
Meadley, of course, believes the small people of the grassroots don't matter. That's a winning ticket in some areas of the world, but those aspiring to serve in St. Paul seem to hold a very contrary notion of how things should get done.
Photo: A famous scene from The Simpsons. Because boondoggles.
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