First Day of Door-Knocking

I received my campaign literature cards earlier this week (which you can view elsewhere at this Blog), and decided this weekend looked perfect to get out and meet some of the voters.  Retail campaigning, as it's referred to by many, is the heart & soul of a campaign of this nature. 

And, while for many homes, I'll simply be delivering a card for them to hopefully pick up, look over, and learn more about me and my candidacy, for about 1000 homes this fall, I'll be stopping at their door, and either chatting briefly, or leaving a card with a handwritten note, "Sorry I missed you!  Wes."

I'm going to primarily focus on one precinct in Andover that I hope is favorable to me (about 45 hours of door-knocking is required), but I also needed to get started, and get some "practice" at going up to homes and saying "Hi, I'm Wes Volkenant and I'm running for Andover City Council.  I was walking through your neighborhood today with my campaign brochure.  I'd like you to take one, read it over, and consider voting for me this fall.  Thank you."

I spent about 3 1/2 hours this beautiful Saturday afternoon, stopping by 91 homes.  I was in a neighborhood where S. Coon Creek Dr. meets Round Lake Blvd., and talked with folks on the 144th and 145th blocks of Round Lake, on the 3300 and 3400 blocks of Round Lake Blvd., on on Kerry and Jonquil Streets north of S. Coon Creek Dr.  Most of these residents live in Precinct 8, though one group was in Precinct 4, and another in Precinct 2.

One resident on Round Lake Boulevard complained that when the County added lanes and a median, it gave drivers carte blanche to drive at high speed, even in their residential stretch of the road.  I can attest that drivers were easily exceeding 55 and 60 MPH - and the noise was a problem.  Crossing Round Lake is no easy feat.  Another Round Lake resident complained about the littering - especially the cigarette butts that can even be dangerous in drier summers and autumns - and yet he's admonished if his grass clippings get in the street.

Earlier this summer, the City removed a stop sign on S. Coon Creek Dr.  Some of you will remember it there by Jonquil - kind of an oddly-placed sign.  But residents are noticing its absence.  One driver noted that he has difficulty picking out cars coming from the east on S. Coon Creek Dr., as he tries to turn left off Jonquil.  Without the stop sign, he's nearly been clipped twice by cars he lost in the sun, and the small rise a few hundred feet east of Jonquil.  One mother of three commented on the loss of safety for her children and the family dog - without the stop sign, cars are passing through that area at a much higher speed.

However, the City has put up "Watch for Children" signs, and 30 MPH is posted in that residential stretch, with a 35 MPH posted closer to the Golf Course entrance.  Drivers are going too fast, despite all this.  Perhaps that stretch needs one of those "How Fast are You Going?" devices stationed on S. Coon Creek Dr. to prompt the speedy types to slow it down.

I was surprised that a few folks have already given the Council some thought.  One gentleman was glad Don Jacobson is running again - they attend the same church.  But a few other residents were dissatisfied with both Julie Trude and Mr. Jacobson.  One is bothered by the continued director role Don Jacobson has with Connexus Energy, and in seeing a conflict of interests, questioned which hat Don wears, when.  And another suggested that Julie Trude had an agenda when she was elected ten years ago; her opportunity in 2010 was in trying for the County Board - perhaps she should have just moved on this year.

What a pleasure meeting many of you today!  Sunday, I head to the Hummingbird St. & Ct. area where Hanson Blvd. intersects with Andover Blvd.  I'm still waiting on my lawn signs, and hope to get them this week - the finalized order went in two weeks ago - and hopefully start putting them out later this week.


MPR put out an important article this week on the budget woes cities face around Minnesota.  Here's a link:  http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/09/14/ground-level-cities-in-crisis-budget-cuts/.  Take some time to read this one over.

"A New Voice"

My lawn signs and campaign literature will call my candidacy "A New Voice." 

One practical measure of what this means is that Andover has had a very stable Council representation in recent years, and I propose that my election will infuse a new perspective - a new voice in decision-making on that body.  Don Jacobson, who is running for re-election, has been on the City Council since 1998 (although he lost a 2004 contest for Mayor to Mike Gamache).  Julie Trude, who is running for re-election, has been on the Council since 2000.  Mayor Mike Gamache was also first elected to the Council in 2000.  Council member Mike Knight has held office since 1992.  The lone newcomer is Sherri Bukkila, who voters chose in 2008 to succeed Ken Orttel, a 26-year Council member who retired.

From 2000-2008, the same five members of the Council held forth.  Four of the current five members of the Council have served together the entire past decade.  These Council members have been good stewards for Andover this past decade - a period of considerable growth until the past two or three years.  But now Andover voters should weigh whether those representatives are best suited to steward this City the next four years, a period in which the City must recognize the stagnant home-building and home-buying and selling markets, the necessity for new types of economic development, and the obligations of finding ways to complete the parts of the City that are missing its finishing touches.  These include bringing mass transit options - the MTC - into Andover, improving the quality of arterial roads that travel northward through the City, providing safer travel in the City - such as partnering to add right-turn lanes to our main key routes across Andover, and further developing the Station North and Clocktower Commons sites, as well as addressing blighted parts of the community, such as the Round Lake Blvd. & 161st Ave. intersection.


Yes, there is an anti-incumbency sentiment at work in many election contests this year.  I don't know that this necessarily reaches to a City Council election in 2010.

I will be presenting voters with a new voice this fall.  At the most basic level, I bring a different background and perspective than my opponents.  I am a union member - and activist - in AFSCME - the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (public employees' union).  I am a public employee - I have been a public school teacher and I work in the human services department of Hennepin County.  I have been an active Republican in my youth (in the pre-Reagan years), and an active Democrat/DFLer as an adult (in the Reagan years and beyond).  I am a progressive on social issues, and practical-minded on economic/financial issues. 

But at the level of governing and decision-making in Andover, my political leanings and labor background are not the critical determinants of whether or not I can serve the city well on the Council.  You need a Council member who will hear your concerns , take time to study and consider the issue, then reach a decision.  I will do my best to be that Council member, and to be your new voice on the Council.

This blog is my way of reaching out to you, and for you, the voter to dialogue with me  - at least through November 3rd.  In the future, I will be talking about union/labor issues, especially AFSCME issues in this space, and if elected, I will be here commenting on Andover-related concerns.

Burglary & Theft on the Rise in Andover - Fight Back Against Identity Theft

City Administrator Jim Dickinson addressed the City Council last week on a growing number of thefts and burglaries in Andover.  In particular, he noted that theft from vehicles is on the rise and cautioned the public against leaving valuables out in plained sight when parked - put away the GPS units, the cellphones, even articles of clothing.  He also noted that too many of us leave our homes vulnerable - we don't lock service doors to our garages, or leave our big garage doors open.  At a minimum, be sure to lock doors that exit from the house into the garage.

One outcome of many thefts is the use of our identification for other means.

Here's a link to an article from the FTC on Identity Theft:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft//consumers/about-identity-theft.html

Here are some excerpts:

The FTC estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. In fact, you or someone you know may have experienced some form of identity theft.

The crime takes many forms. Identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a telephone account in your name. You may not find out about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice charges you didn’t make—or until you’re contacted by a debt collector.

Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including:

1. Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
2. Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
3. Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
4. Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
5. Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
6. Pretexting.  They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources.  For more information about pretexting,

Once they have your personal information, identity thieves use it in a variety of ways:

• Credit card fraud
• Phone or utilities fraud
• Bank/finance fraud
• Government documents fraud
• Other fraud
• They may get a job using your Social Security number.
• They may rent a house or get medical services using your name.
• They may give your personal information to police during an arrest. If they don't show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.

What should you do if your identity is stolen?
Filing a police report, checking your credit reports, notifying creditors, and disputing any unauthorized transactions are some of the steps you must take immediately to restore your good name.


Sheriff Andersohn wrote a fine article in the May/June issue of the City of Andover newsletter, in which he gave tips for not making it to easy for criminals to spot easy targets - in particular homes where the owners on vacation.  Check it out at the top of Page 4:

http://files.andovermn.net/pdfs/Newsletter/AndoverToday05-06-2010.pdf

He's warning us against these types of individuals:

Unraveling of regional burglary spree continues

Authorities say a trio of burglary suspects arrested in Kanabec County late last month could eventually be tied to upwards of 100 home invasions in 10 counties throughout central Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

Most of the crimes linked to the trio took place during the day and involved unoccupied residential properties located in mostly rural areas. At least two and possibly more such crimes that occurred in Kanabec County have been tied to the spree.

Law enforcement officials say the men stole a wide range of high-dollar items from guns and jewels to televisions and tools. At least some of these items have been recovered inside a storage unit and a hotel room. Deputies from Kanabec County were among those from throughout the region attempting to identify ownership of the items.

Here's a link to the full story:

http://www.moraminn.com/detail/62353.html

For more information on crimes in Andover, here's data taken from the time period, 1999-2005:

http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Andover-Minnesota.html