I am sure many of you have received some of the “colorful” mailers that special interests have sent attacking me. Some of them are quite silly, but the issues of responsible budgeting and property taxes are serious and you deserve the facts.

Several attack mailers have distorted my record as mayor of Wells, claiming I supported big property tax hikes. This is simply not accurate. In fact, I have worked very hard to hold property taxes down, despite the state’s repeated cuts to local government aid.

For example, in 2010 the city of Wells received $254,000 less in local government aid from the state. We responded by getting creative and working together to solve our budget challenges. We renegotiated city bonds, lowered the temperature in the public swimming pool, turned off every other street light, and I even cut my own pay. As a result, we were able to balance our state budget without any gimmicks and without a property tax increase. Wells’ budget actually ended in the black, we had a surplus of $16,000.

The same cannot be said for the state budget that my opponent, Rep. Rich Murray, supported last year after the state shutdown. He voted for a budget that borrowed over $2 billion from our schools, which has left the state another multi-billion dollar deficit next year. Representative Murray also chose to eliminate the homestead credit, which took away direct property tax relief from homeowners, seniors and small businesses. Property taxes spiked in Albert Lea and throughout Greater Minnesota as a result.

The big money special interests are hoping their misleading mailers will distract voters from these real differences between my opponent and me. But the fact is we need to do a better job at the state legislature. That means no more shifting the burden onto local property tax payers and no more borrowing from our kids.

We can do better. That is why I am running to be your state representative, and I hope to earn your vote.

 

Shannon Savick

DFL candidate for District 27A representative

Wells