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| June 26, 2009
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Governor poised to continue course of public disinvestment; Growth & Justice works to educate leaders and public
During the recent legislative session, Growth & Justice advocated for a balanced approach to the state’s budget crisis by making revenue-raising a significant part of the solution, and both the Senate and the House came through with tax bills that embodied our principles of fairness and sufficiency. Perhaps even more important, we were a factor also on the “smart investment’’ front. Our long-term strategy for Smart Investments in Minnesota’s Students got countless positive reviews from legislators in both parties and from Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. We are committed to working towards implementation of this comprehensive framework for improving higher-education attainment. This will entail explaining and promoting it to audiences around the state, and continuing to be a valued resource for legislators in 2010 and beyond.
Back on the revenue front, we issued a policy brief on May 11 that addressed claims that tax increases would damage the economy. Communications Fellow Charlie Quimby and Growth & Justice adviser (and University of St. Thomas economics professor emerita) Marsha Blumenthal examined the economic impact of adding a fourth tier to Minnesota’s individual income tax. The brief concluded that despite claims of economic devastation, raising taxes on Minnesota’s highest earners would have a less damaging effect than budget cuts.
When it became clear that Gov. Pawlenty would be taking an unprecedented go-it-alone approach in dealing with the state’s projected $5 billion budget deficit, Growth & Justice teamed up with Common Cause to call for an open and transparent unallotment process. In a letter to the governor, Growth & Justice President Dane Smith and Mike Dean, Executive Director of Common Cause urged Pawlenty to publicly disclose all comments and lobbying efforts directed at the Governor’s office regarding unallotments, and to implement a reasonable public comment period, allowing the public to react to the proposed unallotment decisions. This call is a direct fit with our Governing with Accountability principle of transparency.
The unallotment cuts will negatively affect the lives of most Minnesotans and also fail to address long-term budget problems. During the next biennium (FY 2012 – 2013) the state will face a projected deficit that is even larger than the current crisis. Minnesota needs real solutions to its budget problems and we all need to express ourselves on this crucial point. We urge you to E-mail budgetideas@state.mn.us to respond to Gov. Pawlenty’s unallotment proposal.
“Our prosperity has been built on a foundation of public investment: good schools, fine colleges, state-of-the-art hospitals and health care, good amply funded city and county governments, bridges and roads, and first-class infrastructure and investments to protect our lakes and woods and waters. We pay for this vital stuff, with taxes,” said Growth & Justice President Dane Smith, who spoke to the crowd. The Invest in Minnesota Campaign, which was co-founded by Growth & Justice, really made a splash this year, increasing its visibility and nearly doubling its list of supporting organizations and individuals. On April 21st, the coalition sponsored a Capitol call-in day encouraging people to contact their legislators in support of raising revenues. Some legislators reported receiving more than 600 calls in support of a balanced approach to solving the budget crisis.
Kelly Doran joins Growth & Justice Board of Directors Kelly Doran is the founder and principal of the Doran Companies. Doran Companies is a diversified commercial real estate company that provides development, finance, construction, and property management services.Kelly has been involved in the real estate development business for nearly twenty-five years, after an earlier career in commercial banking. Kelly has developed, constructed, leased and managed many projects that comprise millions of square feet of commercial real estate, including projects in Woodbury, Blaine, and St. Anthony.
Kelly is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and also holds a MBA from the Carlson School of Business. He is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the Minnesota Shopping Center Association (MSCA), and the National Association of Office and Industrial Parks (NAIOP). He has held many positions in the MSCA including committee chair, board member and president. back to top Growth & Justice adds Elaine Handelman & Ted Thompson as Advisers
Elaine Handelman worked in the private sector as a quality professional and earned certification as a quality engineer and quality auditor from the American Society of Quality. She led process improvement projects, constructed surveys to measure and evaluate internal and external customer sentiment, and conducted research projects for internal and external customers including studies of information technology (IT) metrics and IT outsourcing. She published Cracks in the Foundation – Refuting the Conservative Case for Low Taxes and Small Government in 2004. Her articles have appeared in American Journal of Nursing and on Minnpost.com. She earned a M.S. in Physiology at the University of Minnesota. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, she now lives in Minneapolis. Ted Thompson is a lifelong Minnesotan who has been active in the political and public policy arena since his days at the University of St. Thomas. While in Law School at William Mitchell, he joined the staff of Congressman Gerry Sikorski (MN-06) as Deputy District Director and later served as Chief of Staff and Press Secretary to Congressman Bill Luther (MN-06). More recently, Ted spent several years as a successful mortgage banker and later established and ran a national non-profit, the National Association to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children (NAPSAC). Ted has also served on the Washington County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, including one year as chair; and on the board of directors of Resources for Child Caring, serving as chair from 2007-2009. Summer interns: Christine Boyd, Kristina Krull, & Alison Wallingford Christine Boyd is originally from Medina, Minnesota. She is now a rising sophomore at Cornell University, where she is majoring in Policy Analysis and Management with a concentration in Social Policy. Proud to be from Minnesota, she is excited to be home this summer and to be working with Growth & Justice. During her internship she hopes to learn more about Minnesota’s important policy issues such as education and healthcare. In her free time Christine enjoys skiing, reading, and spending time outdoors. Kristina Krull is a Minnesota native attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying Political Science and International Studies. This fall she will also start working on her master’s degree in Public Affairs as she finishes up her undergraduate work. She spent the spring semester interning for Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton. She grew up in Bloomington and attended Thomas Jefferson Senior High, where she participated in speech, debate, theater and National Honor Society. Besides interning at Growth & Justice, she is spending the summer working at IKEA, inventing new baked goods with her friends, and wishing there were better movies to see in theaters.
Alison Wallingford is a graduate research intern at Growth & Justice, working on the Smart Investments in Transportation project. She is currently working on her master's degree in Public Policy at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Her academic and research interests include economic development and growth, international trade, infrastructure development, and labor and employment policy. Alison graduated from Oregon State University in 2008 with a B.S. in Political Science and Economics. Her work experience includes an internship with the Democratic Party of Oregon and a Political Science research assistantship. She also currently works at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies. back to top Growth & Justice in the News June
St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report | June 25, 2009
By Dane Smith MinnPost | June 18, 2009
By Dane Smith & Charlie Quimby
Early Ed Watch Blog | June 8, 2009
By Christina Satkowski of New America Foundation
Progressive groups want ‘open and transparent’ unallotment process
MinnPost | June 5, 2009 By Joe Kimball May
By Dane Smith
City Pages | Friday May 15, 2009
By Bradley Campbell
Creativity and common sense are needed to restore fair income tax rates
St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report | May 14, 2009 By Dane Smith
Mankato Free Press | May 12, 2009
MinnPost | May 12, 2009
By Sharon Schmickle
What will stimulus money do for MN education?
U of M Blog | May 1, 2009 By Sandhya Agrawal A price to pay either way, but a 4th tier tax hike hurts less in a downturn
Pioneer Press | May 12, 2009 By Charlie Quimby & Marsha Blumenthal TC Daily Planet | May 6, 2009
By Dane Smith
Rein in spending, anti-tax rally says Pioneer Press | May 3, 2009 By Brady Gervais back to top | | |
