Scott Benson questionnaire

 

Sierra Club
North Star Chapter
Twin Cities Group
Political Committee
City Council Questionnaire

1) Urban development is an important issue to our members. What role do you see for yourself as a central city council member to affect our region’s growth patterns?

 

Urban sprawl is a serious quality of life issue affecting everyone in the region. Sprawl consumes our agricultural and natural resources and places an undue burden on Minneapolis taxpayers, who subsidize water, sewer and road systems to far-flung communities.

 

I have witnessed the effects of sprawl, in some cases far from our own metropolitan area, extending even to the boundaries of designated wilderness areas.  In 1989, I was asked by a group of concerned citizens who live near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness if I would represent them in their efforts to stop construction of a radio tower on the edge of the BWCAW that would have destroyed the character of that area.  I agreed to do so on a pro bono basis.  We challenged the construction of the tower under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act (MERA) and we succeeded in enjoining the construction of the tower.  The Minnesota Court of Appeals’ decision of State by Drabik v. Martz, 451 N.W.2d 893 (Minn.Ct.App. 1990), significantly extended the reach of MERA to property that affected the scenic character of government owned land.

 

As a Minneapolis city council member, I will continue to fight against urban sprawl by promoting policies that strengthen core city neighborhoods and provide choices in housing, transportation, and retail services. I also will oppose any efforts to further widen the Metropolitan Council's metropolitan development boundaries so that urban sprawl can be contained.  I will work with our next Mayor to develop a strategic plan focusing on adequate mass transit and alternative transit, affordable housing, and sustainable commercial development.  I will be active in working to help direct the growth of this region toward areas within the metropolitan area that are developed and where “brown fields” can be redeveloped so as to spare our agricultural and natural resources from urban development.  I will work with federal and state officials to engage them in this development plan for Minneapolis and the surrounding region and I will work to promote the work of Senator Myron Orfield and others who seek the same kind of sensible regional development I have outlined.

 
2) What urban design principles will you support for riverfront development?
 
The development of Minneapolis began on the banks of the Mississippi and the protection of the river for the use of future generations should be paramount. Any design principles must first focus on protecting the natural environment of the river, including wildlife habitats, aquatic vegetation and landscapes.

 

The City Council should also promote access to the river by all the city’s citizens.  My company’s offices were first located at St. Anthony Main along the river.  One of the amenities most enjoyed by our employees because of this location was the ability to take a break at lunch or after work and walk along the river or across the stone arch bridge.  This is what makes life in Minneapolis special.  Protecting this access for our citizens will be extremely important to me.

 

Finally, I would promote a plan for compatible uses of the river which recognizes that projects like the Kondirator needlessly despoil the environment of the river and are inappropriate development along the riverfront. 
 
3) What will you do as City Council Member to reduce air toxic concentrations in our city?
 
Recent studies show that air quality in the 11th ward is primarily impacted by operations at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport and by the pollution from vehicles traveling along I-35W and other freeways in the area.  The City must aggressively lobby the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and federal officials to ensure that planes flying in and out of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP) are not only as quiet as possible but as clean and green as possible as well.  The federal government is working right now to develop Stage IV criteria for aircraft engines.  The City should be aggressive in demanding that those engines are as efficient as possible and pollute far less than Stage III engines. 

 

The City must also partner with federal and state government to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles traveling on 35W and on all of our roadways.  Encouraging car pooling, expanding bus routes and providing transit alternatives such as LRT and bike paths will help preserve and protect our air quality.  As entrance/exit ramps are redesigned on I-35W, particularly in the area of 35/36th Street and 38th Street, one of the continuing goals should be traffic flow design that lowers the level of emissions in neighborhoods from idling cars stopping after exiting the freeway.  Any proposed bus hubs in neighborhoods  must mitigate the effects of bus exhaust on local air quality as well. 
 
4) What will you do to maintain and improve our parks and boulevards?
 
Minneapolis residents have long treasured our natural resources and they long ago recognized the value of prudent stewardship of those resources when they preserved public access to the chain of lakes, the Mississippi River and our beautiful parklands. I will make preserving and improving our public parks, boulevards and green spaces a top priority.

The City must strengthen its partnership with the Minneapolis Park Board and work in conjunction with environmental groups, neighborhood groups, businesses and residents, to develop a comprehensive plan to preserve, protect and improve our parks and boulevards. My involvement with my own neighborhood group, the Hale, Page and Diamond Lake (HPDL) Neighborhood Association, taught me the value of including citizens in the park planning process.  HPDL used some of its NRP funds to take the lead in expanding park facilities at Pearl Park, constructing a nature trail along Diamond Lake, fixing the Pearl Park soccer fields and further developing Todd Park.  The HPDL Board did so because it recognized that strong parks and access to our natural treasures are strong amenities for our neighborhood, extremely valuable in keeping current residents and a means of drawing new residents to our neighborhood.

I want to continue working with this coalition of citizens concerned about preserving and improving our amenities and encouraging more citizens to become involved in our park system.
 
5) With the increased commercial development of our downtown what will you do to help solve the growing transportation pressures into our city?
 
In the 11th ward, we face a transportation nightmare. MnDOT proposes to close the Crosstown/62 for up to four years, close the Diamond Lake Road bridge for up to two years and close off our ability to enter and exit from 35W all at the same time. After all of this construction is completed, we will not have a total solution to our congestion problems. No matter how many traffic lanes are added to 35W or the Crosstown, the solution will evade us. The solution will only come through transit alternatives including light rail transit (LRT), commuter transit lines, expanded bus service and improved bikeways to address an increasing population's travel needs.

I know from experience that when residents organize, government listens. Public transportation in Minneapolis must be improved and expanded to meet the needs of city residents and commuters as well as lessen the environmental impacts of single occupancy vehicles.  Currently if you live in the 11th Ward and you want to use the bus system to run an errand across town, you must first go downtown and then transfer to come back to south Minneapolis.  This keeps people from using public transit because they think that it's easier to use their cars.  I will continue to work with the neighborhood groups like Serving Area Neighborhoods Impacted by Transportation Improvements (SANITI) to make sure that a comprehensive plan provides all citizens with information on construction and efficient police and fire protection during the construction process.

Finally, we should recognize that only by adopting a comprehensive transportation plan that includes adequate public transit can we solve our transportation problems. Transit alternatives should respond to the needs of commuters as well as those who rely on public transportation as their sole means of transport. Comprehensive solutions include increased bus routes and integration of bus lines, commuter rail, and light rail transit. I am a strong supporter of LRT and will work to continue the efforts of our Federal, State and City governments to complete the Hiawatha LRT line.

6) What will you do to deal with the continued airport expansion and transportation pressures related to increased airport traffic?

11th Ward residents, the neighbors of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport (MSP), know best how short-sighted airport policies have led to a congested airport that lacks capacity to expand in the future while, at the same time, we are more frequently burdened by noise from the airport and increasingly disruptive night flights. Both flight operations and construction contribute to declining air and water quality. All Minnesotans experience exorbitant, monopoly priced airfares and frequent flight delays because our airport is at its capacity. If Minneapolis is to remain a vibrant, international economic center and an attractive place to live, work and play, we must find a solution to this problem at our airport.

Efforts to solve the problems at MSP must be linked to the public's travel demand and cost. In this way, we may win the support of Minnesotans who are not directly affected by airport noise. That is why residents of Minneapolis must work in coalition to insist that we have an airport that can deliver the capacity necessary to promote competition, end monopoly pricing, and reduce the flight delays we experience at MSP. However, Minneapolis must take the lead, exerting its influence to ensure that its citizens will be protected from increasing airport noise and other airport pollution. Specifically,

Whether or not Minneapolis will remain a world-class city, able to compete on the international stage, depends on bold leadership from the City to solve these problems. As a board member of Residents Opposed to Airport Racket (ROAR), I've helped lead the fight on airport issues for several years. I've lobbied local and state government to adopt tough noise standards.  I testified before the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and the MAC about the threat the airport poses to our environment.  I also spearheaded the effort to require an environmental review before the MAC began a tunnel construction project that threatened our lakes. My experience with ROAR taught me that a few committed citizens, who are educated on the issues, can make a difference. I've also learned that City leadership can mean the difference between being heard on this issue and having it lapse into obscurity.


7) Run off from impervious surfaces, roads, sidewalks, roofs and lawn chemicals are impacting our lakes, rivers, and creeks. What will you do to improve water quality in our city’s waterways?

Minneapolis’ lakes, rivers and creeks are some of our most beautiful treasures, but unless we work to protect and improve water quality, more and more of these water resources will become unfit for swimming and other recreational uses.   I’ve worked with the Blue Water Commission and other neighborhood groups to improve water quality in our lakes, in part through educating residents on the dangers posed to our lakes by raking leaves and other lawn wastes into the streets.  As chair of the Hale Page Diamond Lake (HPDL) neighborhood association, I helped publish a pamphlet that was distributed to 4,000 households to help residents make better choices regarding lawn care and lawn waste.  The City Council can have a substantial impact on water quality issues by similarly working to educate citizens and banning harmful lawn-care products which pollute our lakes, creeks and rivers.  Further, I would support a permitting  requirement with regard to the proposed construction process on 35W and the Crosstown that MnDOT dredge affected lakes to remove highway construction debris and other road silt and sand accumulated over years of highway usage.  I also support the further creation of wetlands to capture storm runoff near lakes, rivers and creeks.

A) Would you support a citywide phosphorous fertilizer ban?  Yes.  I have always been a strong supporter of the phosphorous fertilizer ban which was recently enacted by the City Council.
 
B) Would you support a storm water treatment system?  Yes.  I believe that the city’s decision to send untreated storm water directly into our lakes and streams was short-sighted and that, as a long term goal, Minneapolis should seek to treat its storm water.
 
C) Would you support building additional holding ponds to protect our city lakes? Yes.  I have supported the creation of holding ponds to protect our city lakes near Lake Nokomis and near the Cub Store at 60th Street and Nicollet Avenue and I will support further expansion of holding ponds.
 
8) What would you do to promote bicycle and pedestrian transit?
 
Bicycle and pedestrian transit alternatives must be recognized as viable transit alternatives and included in any comprehensive transit plan.  Currently, many barriers exist to promoting bicycle and pedestrian transit.  First, those who bike or walk need be safe and feel safe or they will not continue to bike or walk in those areas.  For example, the bike paths downtown and along Park and Portland Avenues must be better protected from vehicular traffic and should not abruptly end or switch from one side of the street to another.  Additionally, we need to increase the amount of storage available for those who bike to work or play.  Further, we must make our buildings inviting and accessible to pedestrian and bike traffic.  Through these efforts, Minneapolis residents can learn not simply to tolerate bike and pedestrian traffic, but celebrate the opportunities that such transit offers to connect more closely with the city and its beauty.


9) Do you believe central cities should accept a greater or lesser share of the Twin Cities projected population growth?
 
I believe the central cities should accept a greater share of the population growth.  As I previously stated, I believe that urban sprawl seriously threatens our quality of life and that urban residents should not be expected to continue to fund their own decline by paying taxes to build infrastructure in far flung communities.  The answer is to accept a greater share of the population growth in areas that already have the infrastructure to accommodate population growth, thereby reversing the current trend of sprawl.  To do so, all forms of government will need to work together to make “brown field” development in the city as attractive as developing green fields and in promoting more dense development along bus routes and other transit corridors.

 


 
10)  What if anything will you do to promote city level campaign finance reform?

 

I believe that full disclosure of all campaign contributions, regardless of the amount, is an important step to promoting campaign fiance reform in the city.  Additionally, disclosures must be made more often and should be more easily accessible to the public.  During election years, candidates should make monthly disclosures of campaign contributions and those disclosures should be available on the City’s website.  Further, the City should provide campaign treasurers with computer software, like that being developed by the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, to make it easier for these volunteers to disclose contributions on a regular basis.
 
11)  How will you use your position as City Council Member to direct city procurement policies towards green products and buildings, such as super high efficiency vehicles, passive solar construction, chlorine free paper, recycled carpets and clean fuels?

I strongly support these green initiatives and I would take an active role in urging that the Council adopt each of these efforts.  The City also should lead by example in reducing waste and encouraging re-use and recycling, including the purchase of recycled-based materials whenever appropriate.   The City can also encourage citizens to “reduce, re-use and recycle” by making recycling as easy as possible, increasing the types of items picked up curbside and providing further incentives for residents to recycle. 

 

12)  What will you do as a City Council Member to help protect Camp Coldwater Springs (Bureau of Mines Land) and the 27 acres of green space that surrounds the area?

I believe that Camp Coldwater Springs should be protected as both an important historic and environmental resource.  The city should aggressively protect what remains of Camp Coldwater Springs for future generations to see and appreciate.

 

The governmental agency that has a demonstrated ability of protecting our water resources in South Minneapolis is the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District.  The monitoring of the spring should be placed completely under its control rather than under the split jurisdiction of two competing watershed governing boards.

 

As I describe below, I believe that the land should be acquired by either the federal, state or city park system which will have as its goal the protection of the property as green space rather than developing another use for this land which would destroy its historic and environmental quality.


A) Would you oppose the Metropolitan Airports Commissions efforts to build on the current land a parking facility or any other type of development that would disturb the current green space?  Yes.  The MAC has a history of failing to consider the environmental ramifications of its operations, a history with which I have become extremely well acquainted while fighting against the MAC’s development efforts that threatened our lakes and other environmental resources.  It appears, however, that after the events of September 11th, the MAC will not have the money to purchase more property and I hope it will abandon any plan purchase or build on this green space.

 

B) Would you support turning the Bureau of Mines Land over to the either the Department of Natural Resources, State Park System or Minneapolis Park Board to be restored to it original natural state.
Yes, if that is possible.  I believe that Representative Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Senator Julie Sabo sponsored a bill during the last legislative session permitting just that.  If the MAC were to actually purchase the property, the FAA may prohibit the MAC from making such a transfer pursuant to the revenue diversion rules.  The best course may be to encourage the Department of the Interior to make the property part of the National Parks System or for the state or city park system to make an offer to purchase the property.