WHY I'M RUNNING
I'm running for reelection to one of two citywide citizen seats on the Board of Estimate and Taxation, which sets limits on annual property tax increases, authorizes city borrowing and monitors city finances. The City Charter authorizes these members to serve as a check on the full-time elected officials at City Hall who hold the board's remaining seats. The Board is comprised of the mayor, two City Council members, a Park Board representative and we two directly elected citizens.
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Why me? I’m well-versed in city finances, and I know how to hold public officials accountable. I spent 40 years as a reporter covering government finance at the state, county and city levels. I’ve pored over the city budget from cover to cover, pressing city budget officials to explain their financial policies. I spent five years on CLIC, the city’s capital budgeting advisory committee, and gained a deeper knowledge of the city’s infrastructure needs. I spent 40 years as a reporter holding public officials accountable My reporting background grounded me in how to research, analyze and present my findings. I'll fight for the public interest on the Board in the same way.
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The job of Board member means acting as a guardian for property taxpayers, whether they're homeowners who pay directly or renters who pay indirectly through their rents. I believe that city property taxation needs to be guided by two realities: 1) Any property tax increase creates a hardship for low-income people and those who rely on a fixed income; 2) A 167-year-old city needs constant reinvestment in its infrastructure to remain a quality city, as well as investment in its human capital. Those are the parameters that will guide me as a board member. Each year, I will consider these factors before voting on a proposed levy: how many people will see their taxes go up or down and by how much; the purposes of the proposed increase; growth in the tax base; the economic health of the city and its residents; how much the School Board and the Hennepin County Board are asking for their shares of a resident’s tax bill; and what bond-rating agencies are saying about city finances.
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Join me in helping to improve the city we love.
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ROOTS
A fifth generation Minnesotan, Steve grew up in St. Paul and Roseville. He came to Minneapolis at age 17 to attend the University of Minnesota. He’s nearing 49 years of living in the same house in King Field that he and his wife Lynda bought in their 20s.
Steve’s community activities grew as his Minneapolis roots deepened. When his sons’ soccer teams needed a coach, Steve stepped forward. He eventually ran the youth soccer program at Lyndale Farmstead Park, and coached several King Park teams, plus an adult women’s team. When his parish needed volunteers, Steve stepped in. He eventually chaired the councils of two parishes. Ditto when his sons joined Boy Scouts. He served two terms on the Kingfield Neighborhood Association’s board, participating in early discussions for what became the Seward Co-op Friendship Store years later. He also originated the RiverLake Greenway, a bike-walk corridor that he got constructed in his neighborhood, and worked to get it extended from Lake Harriet to the Mississippi River.
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He spent 40 years as a reporter for the Star Tribune. He still holds a retiree membership in the union of journalists in which he held leadership positions. Steve’s reporting from around Minneapolis gave him deep knowledge of the city, its neighborhoods and its people. His coverage of City Hall and the park and school boards gave him a deep grounding in local government finance.
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Journalistic ethical restrictions prevented him from involvement in public issues or in partisan politics until his retirement. Once retired in 2016, he dove in. He’s participated in voter registration drives, parish programs to address hunger, the pushes for voting rights for released felons and for driver licenses for immigrants, and other causes. He reviewed more than 9,000 deeds for racially restrictive covenants for the landmark Mapping Prejudice project. He’s on the Great Northern Greenway task force, advocating to connect north and northeast Minneapolis with a recreational trail across the city’s northern half with better river access.
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An infrastructure geek, he served for five years on the city’s capital budgeting task force to help shape city priorities for transportation and civic building needs. He’s doorknocked for DFL candidates, been a precinct official, and served on the party’s Senate District 62 central committee.
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Early in his career as a political reporter, Steve met two Minnesota DFLers whose political philosophies have helped to shape his. Paul Wellstone, the late U.S. senator, was fond of saying, “We all do better when we all do better.” Rudy Perpich, the late governor, declared: “None of us is as smart as all of us.”
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Like Wellstone, Steve believes that the fruits of an abundant economy should be shared. That allows community members to provide for their households, and provides generates revenues for government to assist those on the margins to achieve a greater security and dignity. Like Perpich, Steve believes that none of us has a corner on wisdom. Everyone, especially public officials, needs to listen to and talk with residents with backgrounds and beliefs different from ours. Heeding their viewpoints is critical to making the wisest, most inclusive choices. Sometimes, listening to those who disagree with us can be the hardest part of public debate. But it’s necessary if we’re going to aim for the greatest good for the greatest number.