The Last Word in Local News
Walker
Cuts Taxes
Noordergraaf
Campaign Gains Momentum
Lora’s Common
Sense, Jeske’s Horse Sense
Highlight Local
Elections!
Opinion and Political Commentary by
Jonathan P. Glassel
Chisago County was in a huge financial mess when Walker returned to the
County Board in 2009. Tax and spend Republicans Bob Gustafson and Lynn Schultz
had been on a four year spending spree with your tax dollars.
Bob Gustafson had never met a tax increase that
he didn’t like.
Good old boy favors were passed around like
Chicklets, as long as Bob’s nefarious softball schemes were left unquestioned
by fellow Republicans.
The Board had just purchased a $4,000,000 hay
field, planning to build a $40,000,000 jail so massive it could never be
filled, even by raising quotas to include lower middle class poor people.
For four years, Commissioner Walker has led
the fight to hold the line on Government spending, achieving the first levy
decrease, probably in the history of Chisago County.
At first glance, it appeared that Yes-ka’
(Jeske) Noordergraaf, a horse doctor (DVM) from Sunrise was “cannon fodder” for
Chisago County’s well funded GOP, a sacrificial lamb as it were, to all
powerful incumbent State Senator Sean Nienow of Cambridge.
However, there are some chinks in Sean’s
armor.
With little regard to its effect on the
residents of Chisago County, Nienow “sieg heiled” the party line by rescinding
the Homestead Exemption, a tax increase in disguise for local property owners.
This action was sharply criticized by Walker,
Montzka, Greene and McMahon, the board members charged with maintaining tax
equilibrium for the residents of Chisago County.
Ultimately, it was the small business owners
that “paid the price” for yet another Republican induced tax increase.
How many more small business owners will be
driven out of Chisago County by Sean’s actions remain to be seen.
Yes-ka’ (Jeske) is a rare combination
of
“Minnesota Nice” &
“Minnesota Tough.”
