Calls from Voters

I've had a couple of calls from voters who've received my campaign literature the past week or so.  Mark from the Rum River Elementary area does not plan to vote for me - Mark does not seem to want any government services, and especially does not want to pay for any of the things that help make this a better world - particularly if they're intended to help what he perceives as other parts of town.  I understand that Mark took a strong stance against the assessments his neighborhood received for the road improvements the City did in his area.  The result of that work however, speaks for itself.  That neighborhood has got a fine road system in place, now - and the neighborhood looks clean and attractive.

Mark was also upset that we taped our literature to his mail post, and did not put it in the mailbox.  Mark, we're sorry if our tape took off any paint.  We purposely purchased blue - and green - painter's tape, with the lower "stick'um" to avoid that.  Before we started lit drops, I called the Post Office to understand the rules.  Candidates can not put literature inside a US postal box, nor attach it to the box itself, such as rubber-banded on the red flag.  But the post is considered acceptable.  We've been using the green and black paper boxes wherever possible, and we've attached to wood, where we could.  But sometimes, there's been just metal pipes available, or in Mark's case, a beautifully-lacquered post, which we weren't sure would hold onto the tape well-enough.

We were following Julie Trude throughout the northern part of the City - her cards were in many of the boxes, so she or her friends must have been an hour or two ahead of us.  This weekend, we drove through most of the area that is just east of Verdin, on across Verdin to Round Lake Blvd., and headed west to Tulip St.  I'm surprised by all the dirt roads that remain in that area - 167th Ave.east of Verdin, part of 167th Ln. between Verdin and Round Lake - near opponent Shannen Schmeig's home, and Quay St. off Tulip, to name a few.  But with the fall colors at a peak on this gorgeous weekend past, what a beautiful area to drive in.  I loved the drive down 174th - what a beautiful street in the fall - I felt like I was in the North Woods off Lake Superior while driving in that neighborhood!

We also have done lit drops in the area south of Station Parkway and south of Bunker the last two weekends.  On Saturday, I door-knocked in a couple of those neighborhoods - and on Sunday and this week ahead, I'm door-knocking in my own neighborhood (an odd feeling going to my neighbors' doors yesterday to give them my campaign literature as their candidate, and not just their neighbor...).  From the neighborhood south of Tanner's last Sunday, I got a call from John, who wanted to know my position on guns, hunting, and the StarTribune editorial page.  As to the editorial page, I used to like it, when it reflected my own liberal-leanings.  With new ownership, I find the reporting and editorials much more slanted to the Republicans and conservatives than I'd like to see.  The Pioneer Press already offered a conservative editorial page in town.

As to guns and hunting, in my next post, I'll reprint my answers for the Anoka County Union voter guide - the fourth question covers that very topic.