Merry Christmas!

From our Christmas letter this year...

Greetings!  Minnesota has turned white this year, we’re worked through another political recount (for Governor of Minnesota), and Christmas and the holidays are quickly approaching.  Our fondest thoughts and wishes go out to each of you as we prepare for 2011.

For fun and entertainment – or those something elses – this past year, we got to a Minnesota Twins game at the new Target Field, attended a much-praised production of Macbeth at the Guthrie Theater, saw the Benjamin Franklin exhibit at the History Center (and Wes continues to go to history forums there), joined thousands to view the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Minnesota Science Museum, and took a short train trip in the St. Croix Valley, out of Osceola, Wisconsin.  Wes had his front tooth (the crown was deteriorating) repaired by actually having both front teeth replaced in January.  Both of us (mostly) survived nasty colds this year around the end of the Boston trip, and again following Thanksgiving.  Morning aches and pains and the increasing gray around Wes’s temples remind us of that which we try to avoid noticing.  J     Keeping us as young as we can be is our little Sasha, of course.  Although she had a few trips to the vet this year for some blood and digestive disorders, taking care of her and enjoying her snuggles is a joy.

At work, much remains the same in 2010 – Cheryl continues as the Lead Worker in the Business Office of Ramsey County’s Mental Health Center.  Working with a new manager, changes in the staff, and new billing systems have made this an interesting – and at times – challenging year for Cheryl.   Wes is still with the Staff Development – training – Unit in Hennepin County’s Human Services & Public Health Department.  HSPHD has continued its integration of ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) as it looks at de-centralizing to regional locations between 2011 and 2015 and at changes in its administrative structure again (about the 4^th time in Wes’s 20 years with the County).  ROWE has allowed Wes to work from home on a regular basis – he reports to County offices for training classes, meetings and other activity or event days, but can also determine days he works from home, instead of commuting to the Minneapolis office.  ROWE suggests that the where and when work is done, is less important than getting the work done – and done timely and accurately.

In 2010, Wes acted on a childhood dream – he ran for office; he filed for Andover City Council in mid-August, and he and Cheryl conducted a campaign for the first time – which resulted in his finishing 7^th of 8 contenders, with 1400 votes.  L  Together, we visited every part of our large city, posting about 95 lawn signs (and only getting @50 back), placing our campaign literature in nearly every newspaper box – or attached to mailbox posts.  Wes walked the streets of several neighborhoods, doing the in-person, door-to-door campaigning, too.  We designed ads that ran in two local shoppers and the Anoka County Union, as well as the October issue of a labor newspaper. Wes completed voter guide questions, attended three screenings for endorsements, and participated in a candidate forum on local Cable TV.  But all was for naught – in conservative, Republican Andover, Wes’s views, even in a non-partisan, multi-candidate race, did not prevail.   Wes has been attending Andover City Council meetings regularly since August, and having lost the Council race, has applied for city commission vacancies on Park & Recreation and Planning & Zoning for 2011. 

On the other hand, within AFSCME, this was an exciting year for Wes.  He got chosen to participate in a two-year Union Leadership Program that the University of Minnesota’s Labor Education Service conducts; we meet quarterly to discuss economic issues, unionism, and the impact of other issues on labor.

In late-June, Wes, Cheryl and Lillian flew to Boston, where Wes represented Local 34 at the national AFSCME convention that chose a new #2 for the Union (his third national convention).  After trips together to Plymouth Rock, Cape Cod and Providence, Rhode Island, and to Lexington and Concord, as well as taking in a Boston Red Sox game at historic Fenway Park, Cheryl and Lillian got to visit much more of Boston and the New England coast. Then, after Lillian flew home early, Wes and Cheryl stayed on to see more of Massachusetts (including Salem), New Hampshire (America’s Stonehenge) and the Boston area (Bunker Hill, harbor cruise, Paul Revere and Boston’s patriotic walking trail).  We spent this Fourth of July watching the Boston Pops concert live on the Charles River and visiting the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and the Presidents John and John Quincy Adams’ family historic sites in Quincy.

In the fall, at the state’s AFSCME Council 5 Convention in Bloomington, Wes ran as a candidate for the Council’s Executive Board, to replace a long-time Local 34 leader at the Council who was retiring from AFSCME and Hennepin County.  Wes was successful, and in October and November attended his first meetings in a two-year term of office.  He continues as Vice President of Local 34, continues on the County’s Health Insurance Labor-Management Committee, chaired monthly meetings of the Labor-Management Meet & Confer in the Human Services Department, and prepared for next year’s likely-difficult contract negotiations.  He still writes for and edits the Local 34 monthly newsletter, which you can read at the AFSCME Local 34 web site –  http://afscmelocal34.org/newsletter_on_line.htm.

Merry Christmas and Best wishes for 2011!

On Remaining Involved in City of Andover Affairs

Having lost my bid for the Andover City Council, I'm still interested in participating in the affairs of the City.

The most recent city newsletter identified potential openings on various City Commissions - Planning and Zoning, Park & Recreation, Andover Community Center Advisory and Open Spaces. 

Last night, I attended the November meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission.  Their main order of business was to discuss the current zoning ordinances for Neighborhood Business, Shopping Center and General Business zoned areas of the city where current liquor zoning may restrict new business opportunities, such as the now-closed Serendipity restaurant location.  Current zoning created space around churches and schools in which liquor could not be sold - 400 feet for churches, 1000 feet for schools.

Although Chair Dean Danniger made a good case for 400 and 400 foot spaces, I was pleased the Commission reached consensus on removing the limits altogether and moving to a case-by-case basis while recommending the Council adopt language similar to Ham Lake that discusses reasonability of locating principally on-sale of liquor.

The Serendipity site itself may prove difficult however to reopen as a liquor-serving restaurant without hour limitations and neighborhood protection.  A Rose St. resident spoke of how even Serendipity caused problems with overflow cars on their street and noisy truck deliveries.  Imagine late-night band music or restaurant hours until 11PM or later.  Imagine a Tanners-like restaurant there - not so nice for those neighbors!  And, frankly there is hardly any parking at that location - definitely an issue for any purchaser coming in.


The Commission has three seats coming up this January - Chair Dean Danninger, Val Holtus and Michael Casey.  I'm impressed at first glance by Danninger, even though I suspect we're opposites politically.  Holtus, like me, a former losing candidate for City Council, is sharp and engaged - and engaging - in her way of getting to points.  Casey made no impression on me, and along with Dennis Cleveland, had virtually to say throughout the evening.  Whether any or all will re-apply, I don't know, but I think this is a well-run commission and one engaged in issues of interest to me.

The Morning After - Disappointment - And Thank You

Well, the voters spoke yesterday, and despite our best efforts to come away with victory, we came up short - really short.  I finished in 7th place out of 8 candidates:

Unofficial Final Results from Andover:

2010 General Election Results
10 of 10 precincts counted

DON JACOBSON - 4293  *
TONY HOWARD - 2319
BRIAN HAUGEN - 2372
JEFF SHOEMAKER - 2315
ERIC KOHNKE - 746
JULIE TRUDE - 5477  *
SHANNEN SCHMIEG - 1429
WES VOLKENANT - 1400
WRITE-IN - 88

So, first the most humongous thank you of all has to go to Cheryl, who isn't into politics, but threw herself into this with all the energy she could muster, and provided the creative spark needed to try lots of different ways to get our message out there.  I'm posting two pictures of her "Vote Volkenant" pumpkin from Sunday below.  And Cheryl came up with the great idea of taping our literature into the newspaper boxes and on the mailbox posts on most of Andover.  I don't know if we will miss the driving around the entirety of Andover, but we had a great time doing it.

For those friends, family members, neighbors - and complete strangers - who did cast your votes for me - thank you!  Thank you very much!  It was very humbling to realize that people were casting votes for me, and putting their trust and faith in me. 

Obviously not as many people did trust my leadership, as I would have liked, but it simply means that I'm not the type of individual that voters in Andover are looking to for city leadership.  I'm a county employee, a union person.  It was pretty easy to discern that I'm a Democrat.  I favor government and solutions that call for the city to provide services to the people.

I congratulate Julie Trude and Don Jacobson on their re-election to the City Council.  I hope you both have a successful four years of city stewardship ahead.  And congratulations to Mayor Mike Gamache on his re-election, winning with about 80% of the vote.

Best wishes to my other opponents, Brian, Tony, Jeff, Shannen and Eric - I hope each of you is taking away something from the whole experience this morning, as I am.  Most of you fared better than I in this election.  The voters in Andover resonated with fiscally conservative messages that most of you preached - smaller government, lower taxes, etc.  

I found that message deeply troubling and concerning, but I'm in a minority in this regard.  And clearly last night, as the statewide results rolled in, and Anoka County voters sent many DFLers down to defeat, and statewide the Legislature went Republican, it's apparent that a lot of voters have a very different idea of what direction we should be going in as a state.  I'm sad and disappointed today - and worried for my state and country.  Too many wrong-headed people were elected yesterday.  I was disappointed for myself last night, and would have liked to have run better in the city election, but whether or not Mark Dayton is Governor the next four years, there is going to be a stronger anti-government, anti-social services, anti-tax revenue mood in charge for at least the next two years.  Government by stalemate - in St. Paul and in Washington - is a very real possibility.

Once again, I had the pleasure of meeting many of you, of getting to know my city much better, and I thank all of you who came here for participating in this process with Cheryl and I.