I came across an article in the Roseville Patch about their public works commission considering the topic of organized trash collection.

Testifying against it at the meeting were Randy's Environmental and ACE Solid Waste.  These firms, as you may recall, are not licensed to serve Maplewood residents, but both poured money into our election this fall to defeat me -- both in direct corporate spending (as "Garbage Haulers for Citizen Choice"), and in the contributions of owners and officers to Marv Koppen's campaign.  Two individuals who are officers or owners of Randy's -- James Wollschlager and Mark Stoltman -- gave Marv the legal maximum $300 contribution.  (His finance report listed their employer/occupation as "unknown," though it was easy to identify their association with the hauler with a google search.  In fact, all of his "unknown employer" contributors can be identified as being affiliated with haulers.)

As I said at the time, though not having business in Maplewood, these firms were interested in intimidating other city councils -- and I figured Roseville is a particular target, given the market share of these firms their and the interest that Roseville residents and commissioners have been showing in the topic in recent months.  Sure enough, the haulers used the example they made of me to not so subtly threaten the same treatment for Roseville officials who threaten their profits.

Labels: media, organized collection

Posted by John Nephew on 1/10/2012 10:14:00 AM Email to a Friend | Permalink | Comments
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An article about me and my time on the council appears in this week's Maplewood Review, and can be read online.

Posted by John Nephew on 1/05/2012 03:32:00 PM Email to a Friend | Permalink | Comments
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This week's Maplewood Review includes an article about the fine levied against incoming councilmember Bob Cardinal for soliciting an illegal corporate campaign contribution in the course of his campaign this fall.

Labels: campaign 2011, council politics, media

Posted by John Nephew on 12/15/2011 11:54:00 AM Email to a Friend | Permalink | Comments
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Last Wednesday, November 30th, was the evidentiary hearing for my campaign complaint complaint against Bob Cardinal and Highland Sanitation, alleging an illegal corporate campaign contribution. Today I received the court's decision in the mail. I've scanned the judges ruling and uploaded it as a PDF.

The three-judge panel concluded that Highland did violate the law (211B.15 subd. 2) by making a prohibited corporate campaign contribution to Mr. Cardinal, and that Mr. Cardinal violated the law (211B.15 subd. 13 and 211B.13 subd. 2) by knowingly soliciting a prohibited corporate campaign contribution.

At the hearing I requested that the judges be lenient towards Highland, because it seemed clear to me that they had been unaware of the law and had stopped as soon as they were informed, by way of my campaign complaint, that what they were doing was illegal. In contrast, I suggested that Mr. Cardinal should be penalized more harshly, as an experienced candidate who had been given the rules and had an obligation to understand the election laws applying to his many campaigns for city office. I am pleased that the judges appear to have agreed, in imposing a nominal $100 penalty on Highland but five times as large a fine on Mr. Cardinal for his "negligent and ill-advised" actions.

Labels: campaign 2011, council politics

Posted by John Nephew on 12/06/2011 08:57:00 PM Email to a Friend | Permalink | Comments
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Tonight the city council will vote on whether or not to adopt the organized hauling plan that has been developed over a process that, it's fair to say, has been going on at least since last summer.

The out-of-town hauler group, which is probably more concerned about what might happen on their turf in Roseville, sent another big mailing to residents to drum up opposition.  However, with the city actually having specifics of a plan to share with people, I've noticed a much higher proportion of e-mails and phone messages in favor of the organization plan than was the case in the past.

Still, people are skeptical -- they've learned not to trust haulers, and so they sometimes don't believe the numbers the city has obtained through this process.  One person who wrote assumed that the city postcard's rates must be talking about cost per week, not cost per month for weekly service.  He could not believe that he would see a 60% savings.  It's ironic that peoples' distrust of haulers' rate quotes, based on bad experiences, has led many to trust a group of haulers (defending their profits) over their city government (trying to save them millions over the next few years).

Meanwhile, today's mail brought me a copy of Little Canada's city newsletter -- something we often get, due to being in the 55117 ZIP code.  It mentions that they received the results of a scientific survey of their residents about satisfaction with various city services.  Among the very highest-rated: their organized refuse & recycling program, which 96% of Little Canada residents rate as "excellent" or "good."  I've heard that White Bear Lake found similar results in their own similar survey in the past year.

Many people are afraid of change, and I suspect that they have a particular cynicism about trash because of experiences dealing with many haulers.  But if Maplewood passes this plan, I expect that it will reach the same level of popularity as organized systems have in our neighbor cities -- and when the contract expires, no serious candidate for city office will campaign on a platform of going back to an open system (just as candidates opposing organized trash this year were not willing to voice any complaints about organized recycling).  After people see the benefits, it's going to be tough to run on a promise of doubling everyone's rates in order for them to enjoy "choice" and the privilege of having half a dozen or more trucks drive down their street on trash day in place of one.

Labels: council politics, organized collection

Posted by John Nephew on 11/28/2011 06:20:00 PM Email to a Friend | Permalink | Comments
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