Dear Friends -
I am seeking a second term on the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation.
The Board of Estimate has three functions:
Set the maximum property tax levy for the City and Park Board
Handles borrowing money for the City and the Park Board for things like street reconstruction, water infrastructure, sewers, park buildings, etc.
Oversee the internal audit function, ensuring clean government
Unofficially, the Board does one other important thing. It forces coordination of financial policies between the City of Minneapolis and the Park Board. This way, the Park Board is able to retain some independence while still have a check and balance on their financial polices.
I have decided to run for a second term because Minneapolis is my past, my present and my future. I have a two-year-old daughter and I want to maintain a place that she too will want to raise her family. Yet we are facing extraordinarily difficult financial times which threaten our ability to keep Minneapolis as a place that we want to live and work. The State of Minnesota is slowly terminating the financial partnership it had with its cities, steadily cutting local government aid, a major source of funds to pay for police officers, fire fighters, street maintenance and park services. At the same time, our incomes have stagnated, many of us have lost our jobs and for many of us, our homes are worth less than what we paid for them. We need the services that the City provides, yet we cannot take on huge tax increases to make up for the loss of funding from the State.
It is going to take elected officials with a substantial expertise to chart a wise course between inadequate services and undue tax burdens. There are no simple answers here – solutions will be painful. However, I believe I have the knowledge and expertise to help find the best outcomes in these difficult times. I have worked in public finance for over twenty years. I have a Masters Degree in public policy and finance and a Doctorate in public administration. And, while on the Board of Estimate, I have worked to provide adequate funding to our parks, to cut wasteful spending and to increase funding for street maintenance.
I hope to have your support. If you would like to read more about my thoughts on how to chart our course through these difficult times, go to my blog at carolbecker.wordpress.com.
Thank you
Carol Becker