It's election time in Minneapolis next Tuesday, September 11th. The primary election will be held to narrow fields of candidates for a number of city offices including mayor voters will choose from 12 candidates for that office five democratic-farmer-labor rights for independent Republicans to Independence and one member of the Socialist Workers Party this morning. We will hear from the nine candidates running under the dfl and I are banners. We will not hear from the other three candidates since they have no competition in the primary and regardless of how many votes they get. Next. Tuesday will be on the November ballot for the record. They are Tom McDonald honest government 87 party Charlestown vegan independent and Gail Swan of the Socialist Workers Party. We plan a program prior to the general November. Mayoral.And that will include these candidates we present this program to give you some idea of what the candidates stand for because we include the views of nine people in a 60-minute program. We are unable to give each person more than about six minutes the candidates knew this when they were interviewed some chose not to take the full amount of time available some took more in the latter case. We present an edited version of what they said in an effort to be fair. We asked each candidate the same for questions. Those questions were asked in the same order and were as follows a 3% hotel motel and liquor tax has recently been levied in Minneapolis to provide funds for the sports stadium that tax apparently has no ceiling and could theoretically be raised to well above its current level. What do you think about the lack of a ceiling on the tax? And what would you do as mayor if an increase was proposed the second question is that a good deal of concern has been expressed recently in some quarters about politics in the Minneapolis Police Department and doYou share that concern and if so, what should be done about the situation. The third question asked of each candidate was what do you think is the most serious problem faced by the people of Minneapolis? And finally we asked each candidate what he thought was the greatest asset Minneapolis has you will hear the nine participating candidates in alphabetical order responding first. This morning is Michael barrows and independent Republican next will be Donald Baumgartner. Also an independent Republican third. We will hear from Tim Campbell a dfl ER following Campbell another dfl. ER Earl dettman next will be an independent Republican Samuel Falk sixth in order this morning. We will be DF L. ER Donald Fraser Fraser is followed by another dfl. ER James hartsell. Eighth is Jim Rice also a dfl ER and the last respondent is Gilbert wolf and independent Republican. We begin with our first candidate independent Republican Michael barrows marrows lives at 3140 10th Avenue South in Minneapolis, and is executive director of south side.Housing Services and organization concerned with neighborhood Rehabilitation he holds a master of arts in teaching and has never held elective office before as in each interview. I began by asking barrows for his thoughts about the stadium tax particularly about the fact that it appears to have no ceiling that is a concern and the reason that that loophole was in there so that it can Rises so they won't fall back on our property taxes and because of the unexpected that may occur if the twins leave the city if we run into unexpected cost and construction of the stadium if the general revenues from the stadium are from the rental of the Bloomington property don't pay for the stadium. Then they have to be able to raise that my feeling is that it's not going to double and it's not going to be a central issue. However is Mayor if it was I think the first step would be to go to the legislature and say that we hadn't planned this you hadn't planned this and we're going to need state aid to compensate rather than increasing it to 6% What we've done basically is tax the entertainment industry equating the stadium with theIndustry but by only doing it in the city limits, we have placed a slight burden on the Minneapolis entertainment industry the bars and the hotels and it would be grossly unfair to increase that to such an extent that people may not come downtown to utilize those those facilities second question I have for you has to do with organization or reorganization within the police department. Of course, there's been a lot of talk about politics within Department. What would you do as mayor if anything to change the present structure within the Minneapolis Police Department? Well, the first issue of politics in the police department is concerned with the selection of the chief and with the ability of the mayor to hire and fire that Chief a lot of people think that because we change mayor's every two years and then consequently change police chief's every two years that it's got the morale of the department down that all of the top level positions are just placed in pulled at the whim of the chief and the mayor I think the chief should be a professional administrator and should haveA lot of leeway over how the department is organized and how it functions to me the job of the mayor is to set the tone for the police department and other words if the mayor is interested in police-community relations, then the police department should be interested in police community relations. I think a screening committee is probably the best way to at the under the current system to select a chief where you would have professionals members of council Community leaders that we go over résumés. The reason I say professionals is the average person on the street might not know the type of qualifications that a police chief would have to have so you have to have representatives of the police Federation, but they would go over and select 325 candidates and then the mayor would make a final decision from that. I think the current arrangement of having the mayor hire and fire the police offers a check and balance on the police department. Now, we've seen other cities like Philadelphia where the check and balance doesn't work if you've got a mayor like reaso.So it's not a completely infallible process, but the voters offer a check and balance on the mayor they can elect a mayor and office and they can elect somebody else in to replace that mayor the mayor then has a check and balance in the police chief who has the responsibility of being a check and balance on the police department. What do you think the most serious problem is that faces the people of Minneapolis? Well property taxes are undoubtedly the most serious problem we have right now, they're extremely high. We have a high concentration of senior citizens in our city many of them on fixed income and even with the circuit breaker their taxes are at a place now where it's very difficult for them to continue residency in the buildings that they've owned for 30 40 years along with that is energy. I don't think you can take taxes and place it against energy as the most single important issue facing the city the way that we deal with property taxes as an issue in my opinion is more Downtown Development which broadens the tax base and coincidentally provides more jobs.It's always beneficial for the city work on restructuring our bureaucracy so that we don't have quite the duplication that's occurring. Now. For instance we have for City departments dealing with Industrial Development. There is its rapid duplication of services with our housing department often times City inspections department does exactly the same thing at exactly the same time causing more confusion than making the bureaucracy flow. But the reason I mentioned energy in there is we're not really addressing energy in this city. And we're going to have to we can't sit around and wait for the federal government to solve our energy problems particularly in the area of heating. We have many many homes in the city that are on oil heat. And in the next three to five years were going to see shortage of that type of heating fuel when that occurs many of our seniors are going to be in a great deal of difficulty because the majority of oil Heating units in the city are in low income neighborhoods. Either owned by seniors are owned by minorities. We've got to start addressing that problem right now. And the last question. What do you think? The greatest asset is of the City of Minneapolis? Again Rick? It's hard to answer that in one with one word. I think culture arts and culture is probably our greatest asset. It's the reason that many people I know live here. The winner is an asset, but I would not consider it a major asset somehow Minneapolis has become an oasis of Arts outside of New York and Chicago. We probably have the best copywriters the best artists the best street musicians in the country and we're known across the country for arts and culture in our greatest asset is the people and many of them choose. The Fine Arts is a profession. I don't think we've had a mayor for a long time that understood that that understood that really one of the things that makes Minneapolis unique is as our Arts Michael barrows independent Republican candidate for mayor of Minneapolis. I spoke with him at his campaign headquarters at 15th and East Lake Street. The next candidate we hear from is also registered as an independent Republican. His name is Donald Baumgartner Baumgartner is employed as a waiter at Hans restaurant in Minneapolis. He is 22 years old and this is his first attempt at elective office. I began by asking him about the stadium tax it would depend at that time. How much the console in the city of South foot? And how much it should be raised. I don't believe it should be raised up much more not over 1 or 2% However, I would also look for if the stadium was losing money. Look for other ways City wise and however to get to steady him back on its feet and be making money instead of losing it what might some of those things be At this time, it would be hard to say we'd I'd have to look into it and see as I have said during throughout my campaign. I'm not aware of too much of the ways of the city hall of the mayor's office. It's just an intuition that I have to run to learn responsibilities and duties as mayor. The second question for you has to do with the Minneapolis Police Department. There's been a lot of talk, of course about reorganizing it and I'm wondering if you see any need for any changes within the administrative structure of the police department. And if so what changes might be accomplished to make it a better Department. It would be quite hard to reorganize the placed apartment at this point because the place Chief is appointed by the mayor and you have to pay play politics somewhat there regarding ization is definitely needed. But how that would take effect or which way I do not know at this time. What do you think is the most serious problem that faces the people of Minneapolis today definitely crime and that is in my point because the police are round not always but harassing the minorities bringing up raids that are not needed or Justified or warranted. And instead of vested investigating and questioning suspects and victims and Witnesses and crimes. They send a few people on the job and when they can't come up with anything they keep case open, but they don't pay that much attention to it. And I think that if we stop paying so much attention to things that are really not that important and put more on crying and we could solve a lot of the problem and finally, what do you think the city's greatest asset is The asset in which way is different. I look at it is. It's a hard question to Define and in which way it would one be speaking of it would be the openness to liberalism of the city the police generally do their best. They're doing their job. Sometimes they seem to get out of hand, but they are doing what they have to do and At that point I can't really at this point. I can't think of anything else Donald Baumgartner a 22 year old waiter running as an independent Republican in the September 11th Minneapolis. Mayoral primary the third candidate from whom we hear today is Tim Campbell running in the primary as a dfl ER Campbell describes himself as an educator by training he is currently employed as a cab driver. He is never before sought elective office Campbell has identified himself in recent years with the gay community in Minneapolis and its efforts to draw attention to discrimination against homosexuals. I began our phone interview with the question about the stadium tax. I'm opposed to that tax altogether and the lack of ceiling is just one more reason to be opposed to it. The City of Minneapolis offers all kinds of tax increment benefits and bonding benefits to developing industry and This one more bun which takes all the risk out of involvement out of investment in the dome stadium for the financers. I think is a real excess. And so I'm totally opposed to that tax. I believe it takes money out of the pockets of one segment of the population namely the the young and single people who are going to the bars maybe a couple of times a week drop in ten dollars and spending $50 a week on the liquor tax and putting in the pockets of homeowners who own $45,000 homes further out in the suburbs and it Greater increases the process of taking from one group robbing one group to give to another so I'm totally opposed to it and we'll fight it every inch of the way. My next question for you has to do with the Minneapolis Police Department. And that is of course, you've heard everyone is heard good. All about politics within the department. I'm wondering if you have any plans or thoughts about changes that you might make if you were elected mayor with regard to the administration within the police department. I certainly do rich I would start out by setting a better set of priorities. We've got thousands of assaults every year about 40 murders compared to 80 year in all of England. And a lot of these crimes are going on solved. I would put solving of bank robberies thefts and assault way above prostitution and narcotics and reassign all of the workforce there and only prosecute when there is a citizen complaint about drugs marijuana or prostitution, which means when there is a citizen complaining I would prosecute those crimes also I'd get rid of Dwyer his truthfulness is already Question is Effectiveness was called into question by his inability to get the internal affairs unit reports on current complaints out of that unit and over to the City attorney and his irresponsibility and that his business connections with Ernie passes who is one of the most exploitive members of the gay community in the downtown business district is reprehensible to me. Secondly, I would start a training program for all cops rookies are not on on rape on minority relationships on cleaning up their right racist and sexist and anti-gay language and I'd give them better directive on the limits. Of their Authority Under the Constitution and introduce more things like the new van to stop terrorists without use of force. I'd look at people like Ray Presley. Who's the highest ranking black in the police department at people like Linda lavender who's a Bloomington Police woman and president of Minnesota now and Richard home Gusto who is a well-known Chicano police administrator from San Francisco and Cleveland and other applicants for the job of chief of police and I would make all promotions in tireli job-related and follow civil rights guidelines in throughout the department. What do you think the most serious problem is that faces the people of Minneapolis today City Planning? Absolutely if you look at them. Publish Minneapolis city planning. It shows that 30% of Minneapolis. People are single that's a huge segment of the population and a segment for which we have not developed any programs. It's a great state for families for elderly and it's been getting better for minorities every year but they've totally neglected the single population and with changes in lifestyle we have to deal with that modernization of Lifestyles the greater number of single people and plan for it instead of hoping it will go away and advertising for suburbanite families to come back. You can't stop the clock and finally my last question. What do you think Minneapolis is greatest asset is I think they're to the dedication of the whole state of Minnesota to principles of democracy and respect for human equality. I think is admirable the the alleviation of dire poverty Straits which have been brought into effect by programs that we've been working on for 30 or 40 years makes it is economically stable State we can move on from there to the year 2000 and modern Lifestyles as they change Tim Campbell a dfl candidate in the Minneapolis. Mayoral primary Campbell currently works as a cab driver in the Twin Cities. Our next candidate also makes a living at driving. He's truck driver Earl dettman who lives at thirty-four twenty-five Thirty Fifth Avenue South dettman is married and has nine children and he too is running as a dfl UR dead man has distinguished himself as a man who intends Recently donated two weeks of his vacation time each year to charitable organizations at Christmas. He has received National Acclaim as a result and had a day named after him by former Governor Wendell Anderson. I began our interview at the dettman dining room table with the stadium tax question. I definitely think that it would be wrong to increase this tax. I mean anyway, you look at it regardless. When they start this stadium and there's no way that they can go ahead there and build it just on this tax money and mean it's going to come out of the small people's pocket. You don't make the difference of his city state or federal money. It all comes out of your own pocket. I mean, there's just no way. I mean there isn't that much liquor solder isn't that much hotel room so, you know, so I mean, are you talking a lot of dollars you're talking about? It probably before it's all done and probably be like 71 million before it's all done. And I think it's a real shame that they got to tear down the juvenile center. As of right now. It's only that new editions only about 16 years old flatten it to the ground and remove that building and put it up at Plymouth and Washington and they talk about saving dollars. They're not saving they are going to be spending much lot of money. So you would oppose any increase in that tax if you were mayor I certainly would The second question I have for you has to do with the Minneapolis Police Department there of course has been a lot of talk about politics within the department and about restructuring and changing the administrative process. Would you make any changes as mayor and if so, what would some of those be first of all? These stories that I've been reading in the paper kind of bother me we have about the best police department in the country. We have a lot of people that devote their full time their family people. And you cannot blame the whole Police Department for what a few do? And if I was mayor of Minneapolis, I would like to take the politics out of the mayor's office because politicians come and go like Autumn Leaves. and I believe that they should appoint their own Chief just like Union points Tyrone leaders, I mean That is my belief in if I was mayor of Minneapolis, I would like to see it. I would form a Citizens can Advisory Board and to the police department? Let them appoint their own Chief amine because they know their men. We don't know their men and to take a chief just because you don't like the way he Combs his hair and say you're fired to put a new Chief in it crosses. A lot of money are the taxpayers to train his new Chief because it is impossible for him to know 746 men throughout two divisions. That's my way of doing it. What do you think the most serious problem is that faces the people of Minneapolis going into the 1980s the most serious problem, I think right now is our storm sewers we have I've had many many calls from people that live say around fifty to hundred Twenty Ninth Avenue South. I'm just giving that is a rough. Figure all in that area. They have complete flooded basements. Every time we have a rain and that is why I'm more or less supposed don't Stadium to us because we have so much money going into the heart of the town but nothing out of the areas and it's a very disaster when people get down in their basements and see how after stuff roomed and Many of these people don't have insurance to cover it if they look at the fine print. They're just out. I mean, that's one disaster. I mean, I would concentrate very heavy on that and finally, what do you think the greatest asset is the City of Minneapolis? the greatest asset to people is the people himself I mean Our energy we're going to have to all work together. I mean, we have an energy crisis. This is a known fact. We cannot always get money from the government to bail us out. We're going to have to start doing a little bit of herself in right now why we're having this interview. I'm wasting energy because I've got five lights on which is not right, but I want to call a spade a spade and that's I think that's a good assassin dfl Earl dettman who lives in South Minneapolis with his wife and nine children dead man earns a living as a truck driver. We return to the independent Republican party for our next candidate Samuel Faulk of 1224. Queen Avenue North has been active in the party for 30 years Falk went to Tuskegee Institute and the Omaha business college and for a Time published a magazine on chance. He is 55 years old and retired as with the others. I began our interview by asking fall for his thoughts on the stadium tax as I understand. It was a marriage between the City of Minneapolis and the business World business city which agreed on those taxes and it's very little I would do I would not veto I die would allow it to proceed since it is an agreement between the two that we don't know anything about Okay, the second question I have for you is there's as you know been a great deal of talk about the police department and politics within the Minneapolis Police Department. If you were elected mayor what changes if any would you make in the police department? The first change would be we have to be would have to change this ever service Commissioners. Those would have to be appointed by the mayor to serve on that commission. That would be the first step. The Second Step will be there are many wires are people's in our city who are trust who are trustless citizen who have experience in these fields as I would say, it would be able to select a chief those people will select that Chief and submit three name to me as a mayor and from those three names. I would pick a chief and it would not necessarily have to be from the within the police department. So you'd call for the organization of a panel to to Names to screen some applicants before you would choose a chief is that right? That is correct. It would be citizens who are who are have expertise in that area who have belonged to different organizations throughout the city and would have that kind of our expertise and wise while we're talking about the police department. Do you feel that? Some changes are needed in the police department or do you think that it's as far as its management structure? It's in pretty good shape right now. I think the direction that I hear other candidates are saying it's very it's very critical when you tell when they're talking about taking politics out of police department and allowing that department to be anatomically to do what it wants to do and not responsible to anyone. I think that's very serious and very dangerous. I think that it has to be elected and I'd like to fish and have to be accountable. It has to be accountable to someone and the only person I can see that any elective have to be accountable to the voters. And the police cannot run a tomatillo. It has to be a responsible to the voters and the mayor is responsible to the voters and it's his responsibility to appoint a chief. What do you think is the most serious problem that faces the people of the City of Minneapolis and 1979 one of the serious problems. Obviously if inflation inflation is cutting and or whatever fate everywhere phase of our life such as buying written by whatever you purchase inflation is there and I think that first of all in order to curb inflation will have to stop foreign businesses from coming into the city and running our city for will come will come too far as business come foreign import foreign help from other countries to bring in cheap labor with foreign management and you have many business throughout the City of Minneapolis that's owned by foreigners. And I think that's the critical point. That should be stopped. I don't know where we can I think as a mayor I would look into it and put some have some investigation and to get those foreigners out of this country because we're foreigners farting bring in foreign and cheap labor from foreign countries. I think we don't think Minneapolis need this that's advantageous to our city. Can you be specific as far as what particular businesses in the Twin Cities in Minneapolis right now that you're thinking of when you mention the situation? Well, I can make one Downtown Development is it's very obvious signs are saying that the city is developing and it's largely foreign country to manage with a fifteen or twenty five percent off the top say it for Edison if the those buildings are being built are renting for approximately five hundred million dollars fifteen percent of those million dollars go to a foreign country and I think those are things that cause inflation inflation when money is sent out of money and said out of the country into another country that caused more inflation and I was sitting Now you're speaking of the Canadian firm. That's correct. Finally. The last question I have for you is what do you think? Minneapolis is greatest asset is right. Now if peoples other people's need to be organized is to protect their interests. I think that what has been saying we are Americans when we are United States citizen and I think we should start thinking of United States citizen. I think of America including Canada Mexico all of those we share the North American continent. Well, we are not Americans we are United States citizen. We are minnesotans and I think we should be concerned in Minnesota in first Samuel Falk of North Minneapolis. He is an independent Republican candidate in the primary. Our next candidate is dfl are Donald Fraser Fraser represented the fifth congressional district for 16 years. He did not seek re-election to that office last fall choosing instead to run against businessman Robert short in the primary for the senate seat held by Muriel Humphrey. Fraser lost too short and has been working in Washington DC since then Fraser is a lawyer by training. We began our interview with the stadium tax question. Well as the tax isn't producing enough Revenue to meet whatever shortfall there is in the operation of the stadium and it's a tax rate begins to climb too high. I think we'd want to get legislative relief and this could consist of broadening the base for the application of the tax. It might be brought into the metropolitan area, which was the form in which the tax was first adopted conceivably the state itself could provide some assistance. I think there are other variations. The one thing we're strongly committed to that least that I'm personally committed to is that it would be Breach of faith of an effort were made to go back to the property tax. So that homeowners Minneapolis had to pick up a share of the burden. That's a very firm commitment to far as I'm concerned that that won't ever happen. The second question I have for you has to do with the Minneapolis Police Department. And of course, there's been a great deal of discussion during this primary race about reorganization of the of the department and I'd like you to outline those things that you would attempt to accomplish within the department if you're elected mayor. Well, the biggest problem that the police department is experiencing is the Is the involvement of political or partisan considerations in the selection of personnel particularly the top command Personnel it's my view that it's be absolutely essential that that police chief's be picked on the basis of professional skill and competence and that they be given a relatively free hand in the selection and assignment of personnel inside the department and certainly what they should not have to seek is any kind of political clearance from the mayor's office or from any other source, that's the most essential step to take a second important step is to give them chief of police and tenure if the charter Amendment which is being proposed should be adopted which would give a chief of three-year term renewable for another three years by the city council. Then we would have made a start in providing the chief of some protection if that does if that Charter Member doesn't pass I would favor exploring. The Sandrine in to have a contract with the chief setting certain management objectives, which might run for a 4 or 5 year term. Both of both of those Alternatives I think would be far preferable to what we have today where the chief serves at the will of the mayor we've had seven Chiefs in the last 10 years now with respect to further reorganization in the department. I think that ought to be largely the The based on recommendations that are made by the people you pick to run the department. It was these are decisions that she made a stunning experience in law enforcement and in understanding the problems of the city. I'm a little reluctant to come in with a series of specific changes and in effect impose them on a chief when the chief is the one who's going to be held responsible for good law enforcement. What do you think the most serious problem is that's facing the people of Minneapolis. Well, I think the biggest problem that's facing everybody in the city is the problem of inflation inflation in general and specific inflation the inflation in the how cost of housing or new houses or even old houses the rapid rise in the cost of energy increases in cost of Health Care. These are the most serious problems in about which the city can't do very much. But I think the city has to be prepared to do its part in the energy field. For example, I think the city should make an effort to conserve as a large user of energy. For example, if the cost of oil doubles looks probable that will cost the city two million dollars more in its budget. So the city should be consumed be conserving in the use of its motor vehicles and it's buildings and procuring new vehicles and it should offer leadership. I think also in encouraging people to take steps to conserve energy on their own part insulating their homes looking to new design features to to utilize the solar energy. These are some things that we done to help ease the energy inflation. On housing if the city can help stimulate more housing than that will help to offset some of the upward pressure on housing prices. There's a shortage of Housing and that's aggravated by the policies of the federal government when the federal government decides to fight inflation, they drive up interest rate and and tighten up money supply that has the effect of making housing even more expensive. So in that sense it adds to to inflation. What about the biggest asset the city has what do you think that is right now? Well, the biggest asset Minneapolis has are its people there's no doubt about that. We have one of the best labor forces in the country people live here longer. We've got one of the our city has more older people in it than almost any other city of its size the United States. We've had a tradition of Of working working hard that people expect to work and they make good employees their Minnesota. People are known all over the country for their skills. And I've been being good Workman, but in addition Minneapolis has some other important features are lakes are part of our natural heritage our well natural and apart. We've had to take action to their park system preserve them. But more recently, I think some of the downtown developments the Skyway system and some of our cultural developments such as the Guthrie the Walker Art Center the new Symphony Hall the new Minneapolis Arts Institute all of these add to the excitement and interest which is now causing people to want to live in the city more than ever before we were suffering and out-migration of about 10,000 people a year and today that seems to have stopped and people now find the city and exciting and interesting place and Of course will be the energy problem. It's going to be cheaper to live in the city, but I think there are other reasons to I think people are very upbeat about Minneapolis things and exciting place to live and I agree with them the flr Donald Fraser another candidate in the Minneapolis. Mayoral primary Frazier has long been active in the dfl and represented the fifth district in Congress for 16 years prior to that. He served eight years in the Minnesota Senate. Another dfl are in the race is James Hart sell art cell is employed by the Minneapolis Star Tribune company as a parking lot manager. He has never held elective office, but has served on both the campaign regulations Committee of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police advisory Council. We begin with the question about the stadium tax. I think if it would be increased or go much higher and have to be an act of the legislature. I don't believe it could do that without the likes they tracking on that. I was very definitely opposed to the tax just being centered on Minneapolis alone. So I feel the entire County. The entire States going to benefit by this. My second question for you is given the present situation in the Minneapolis Police Department. The charges that have been made that it is very political in nature. What if anything would you do to change the police department if you were elected mayor? Well, I was the first one to State on April 11th on my first news release that if I become mayor I'd like to divorce the police department from the mayor's office. Now, how would do this? I would ask for an election in each proceed let the officers elect whom they think would make a good chief for those six people then to compete before a nonpartisan three panel board knowledgeable in the Chiefs duties and the one who scored the highest we get the chief's job. That way you won't have to answer the whims of a mayor. So you would set up a special review panel or Review Committee? Yes, I would my third question is what do you think is the most serious problem facing the people of Minneapolis today? Well, I feel that something isn't done by our overall told and Dennis that this city is going to be in trouble the same as Cleveland New York was and they had to be bailed out no cities are not out of the woods yet. For instance. It's going to take a very conservative thinking mayor to guard against the purse strings of over-reactive or spend spend trip city council. For instance in 1969. Minneapolis. Overall told indebtedness was 74 million dollars today as of June 30 this year Ten Years Later it swapping 262 million two hundred ninety two thousand dollars. So I think it's going to really take an interview thinking mayor to guard against the purse strings of this city. And finally my last question. What do you think Minneapolis is greatest asset is today, its people and to keep the people in the city in order to do that. We're going to have to do things as going to be beneficial to these people in the tax structure. For instance if we could I can't say that anybody. I don't believe anybody can cut the taxes but to hold the line on taxes would be a great Victory. I think in order to one way to do this would be to increase the commercial and Industrial taxes and read re reduced growth in the city expenditure, but still keep the essential services that we all need. So you would like to see taxes on businesses and Industry in Minneapolis increased before property taxes. That's right James Hart sell another dfl candidate for mayor of Minneapolis art cell manages parking lots for the Minneapolis Star Tribune company V and last dfl. Are we here from this morning is James rice rice has served as state representative from District 54 B since 1970. He considers his work on tax increment financing and the public employees labor relations act as major accomplishments rice is married and has eight children. I began our interview at his campaign headquarters at 38th and Cedar with the question about the stadium tax for years is the unanimously elected chairman of the Hennepin County delegation, which parenthetically is the largest delegation in the House of Representatives. I supported the stadium. I finally voted against it after they made a metropolitan wide tax semi luxury liquor by the drink 2% no longer the funding mechanism when they acknowledge that we could give away valuable development rights to the industry Square Corporation headed by John Cowles Junior and when they refused to permit the people of Minneapolis a referendum after changing the rules of the Game, I think our only recourse at this point without commenting on the senator Coleman lawsuit. Is that a strong mayor of Minneapolis should go back to the legislature and say Hey you made a mistake. This is truly a Statewide facility and it ought to be paid at least by the metropolitan area. And with what appear to be cost overruns, whether they be an architect fees or in building plans or the other things that they're adding in over the $55,000. We do need help for Minneapolis. Not only in the basic funding of the bill, but we ought to have some consideration for Minneapolis because of the additional Public Safety problems that a stadium or other any other Statewide facility for that matter what occasion for the city. My next question for you has to do with the Minneapolis Police. And of course, there's been a lot of talk about the politicization of the police department and I'd like to know what you would do. If anything if you were elected mayor to make changes in the police department from the way it stands now. Well, as a matter of fact, I announced the a nine-point program for the police department. I've said that the police chief on to be chosen on Merit only then I too have the absolute right to name his own deputies too often. It's the also-rans for chief who end up as deputies and for the two year period they think that the mayor made a wrong choice in addition and that's been done in addition to that. I said that it's just sheer Folly to have our best in the police department the captain's who've taken from 12 to 18 years to achieve their high rank of Captain working. What amounts to An 8 to 5 shift and I see that the new police chief at the first headquarters Precinct has instituted exactly what I want a captain on duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week. There are other refinements of my program which make all positions positions of Merit and that with a strong civil service system with an affirmative action program, which makes both entry Level examinations and promotional examinations fared all subcultures all groups minorities women within our community I think is a perfect plan. To take politics out of the department. My next question is what do you think is the most serious problem that the people of Minneapolis face right now that you might be able to have some influence on his mayor? Well, the most serious problem is the artificial escalation of home values in the values of rental property, which is continuing to cause the shifting property taxation from those least able to pay homeowners and renters to those best able to pay downtown business persons. As an example if you and I had owned an apartment house 15 years ago 20 percent of our gross rentals would go to the property tag today, even though our rents would be two two-and-a-half times greater that same 20 percent figure would go for property taxes. It just isn't so with the richest downtown properties where 17% of the Reynolds and they find office building is an example used to go for property tax. We're now down to where approximately 8% of those rentals go for property tax. I think the most serious problem then is the property tax first and the way that we're Distributing and I think that it's being distributed against the interests of the many homeowners renters and small business to the benefit of the few and finally. What do you think Minneapolis has biggest asset is right now. Well, I think Minneapolis strongest asset is and must be that it is a big city that it has to remain The Haven for the elderly and for the poor and for the transient for the student for the broad cross section of our community. I've taken a look at the plan for the 80s and I think that it's a good plan. I think if we use our industrial revenue bonds correctly. And I've been positive on that with regard to approximately 40 projects that deal with factories warehousing laboratory small manufacturing plants that we can build our base. To the degree that we allow financial institutions like first and Marquette to pervert that lawn build Bank facilities when they're part of a monopoly group required to provide service within the City of Minneapolis. I think we do a disservice to the law and run the risk of killing the goose that lays the golden egg dfl ER James rice. He currently represents District 54 be in the Minnesota state house our last mayoral primary candidate this morning is Gilbert wolf an independent Republican wolf lives at 44:53 First Avenue South and is a retired building inspector for the City of Minneapolis. Here are his views beginning with those on the stadium tax. Yeah. I'm against that in every way in every phase. And I think what makes me feel so strongly about it is state constitution says it take can use public And for private purposes and I like to read it forward forward article 12 and 6 and one special legislation and local government read it, you know context section one and said a lot of words and then it gets down to the third sentence here. It says the legislature shall pass no local or special law and skipping several words done words that are not pertinent. I continued on to quote granting to any private Corporation Association or individual any special or exclusive privilege immunity our franchise whatever or authorizing public taxes taxation for a private purpose. That's the end of the quarter I get their coats on the right line and red. And I take the any form of tax, but I think what particularly obnoxious is just putting a 3% and then and not to having any ceiling on it. I think that in the first place the whole tax is illegal unconstitutional and I wouldn't go for any public taxes and not so much against the idea of building a stadium as I am to gives him using public taxes in any form or any for any part of it. So you would rather see it completely supported by private individuals private private business and pirate finances and private Navy respect another issue that has been raised. I'm sure you know during the campaign is that of the politics within the Minneapolis Police Department and I wonder what if any changes you would like to see in the police department. Yeah. I think the biggest change is like Disciplines men especially in a part of the chief of police and his some of his officers and not so much the main on the beat, but I'm realize that they do things too that they're not supposed to do but I think it's more a lack of discipline more than use anything and I think there are a lot of competent policeman on the department in the department, but I think that there are not properly or thoroughly disciplined. I think they can do go out and do they have temptations similar to our what I had when I for 22 years as a as an inspector, and I know what they were and I think I anticipated them and I was able to cope with them and regardless of my had a good relationship with my boss in my building inspection department for Approximately eight years the first eight years on the job. How do you think the mayor can change that mayor can enforce that change that by taking care of that like exact words of using it Charters to take care that the laws are enforced. Let me move on to the third question. I want to ask you and that has to do with what you think the most serious problem is that faces the people of Minneapolis this year. Well, I think it's a crime and housing conditions and housing problems and t Oh inflation, I think inflation is is not is not considered a crime in some people's eyes. But to me, it's one of the most serious crimes that are being foisted on them American people not only American people but people all over the world and I think it's something that should be stopped but it's the most this is the most subtle crime and near in the world. The last question that I have for you is what do you think? The strongest point of Minneapolis is right now strong as the peel is a their geographic location so they can attract tourists during the summer when other to many other parts are swallowing or suffering threats of earthquakes are other tragedies or other things that are Happened in the seasonal rotation of their country and I think Minnesota and Minneapolis. I think me apis is potentially one of the nicest cities of the world if it would be properly disciplined and probably control Gilbert wolf an independent Republican candidate in the September 11th Minneapolis mayoral primary. He is a retired Minneapolis city building inspector that concludes our preview of the nine candidates who will have opposition in next Tuesday's election as we mentioned at the beginning of this program. We will I did interviews with those running without opposition in the primary when we take a look at the entire field of candidates in the general election. I'm rich diekman.