Moorhead 2005 City Election Results

Your Vote = Your Voice

PEPP, Social Connextions, FM Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, Freedom RCIL and FAmily Healthcare Center worked together to put on a Forum of the Moorhead City Council Candidates on November 1.
Enclosed on this page, you will find an article from the Fargo Forum and Our Exit Poll from the event

Council hopefuls make final pitches
By Dave Roepke
The Forum - 11/02/2005

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=107392&section=News
Moorhead City Council candidates staked out differing views on tax breaks and housing Tuesday at the last forum before next week’s election.

The forum at Moorhead High School reiterated where the candidates running for four seats – one in each of Moorhead’s four wards – split ways on key issues.

Incumbents Lauri Winterfeldt-Shanks, 3rd Ward, and John Rowell, 2nd Ward, were joined by 4th Ward challenger Rick Stotts in backing pending city plans to increase fees for rental licenses so they cover the cost of inspections and to hire an extra inspector.

The other candidates said they were concerned to varying degrees by the proposal, which also would tighten some city regulations for rental registration. Daniel Bohmer and Tammie Yak, both running in the 1st Ward, said the proposal needs further study.

Barry Chouinard of the 2nd Ward said the city would be too involved in oversight of rentals and should find a different approach.

Kent Tweten, 3rd Ward, and Mark Hintermeyer, 4th Ward, said the fee increase may limit affordable housing.

“It’s not clear to me what we’re trying to accomplish here,” said Jim Soncrant, 1st Ward candidate.

Yak and Alicia Rodriguez-Zavala, a fellow 1st Ward candidate, said they support raising the base wage the city requires businesses pay to get tax breaks.

Rodriguez-Zavala said the wage floor, now at $7.50 per hour, should increase to $9 per hour. Yak said it should go to $12 per hour plus full benefits.

Chouinard and Soncrant said the free market should dictate salaries, not the city.

Rowell said the city must be careful to avoid letting other area cities have an advantage over Moorhead.

“Fargo’s not going to agree to any such thing,” he said.

Winterfeldt-Shanks said the lower wage allows companies to hire younger workers and interns, as the wage floor applies to all employees.

Tweten said if Moorhead was more business-friendly, it could give fewer tax breaks.

Yak and Rodriguez-Zavala said the city needs more affordable housing. Bohmer and Stotts said city officials should continue to try to spur cheaper housing, but they have limited funds to do so.

“The government can’t be the solution to everything,” Bohmer said.

Soncrant and Chouinard said they don’t think the city needs to do more to help push for affordable housing.

Yak said Moorhead needs to do more to respond to reports of racism raised in a 2001 federal report on Moorhead.

Soncrant said the report was based on “innuendo” and “half-truths.”

Rodriguez-Zavala proposed anti-racism training for top city officials.

After saying the city needs to do nothing more to be more friendly to students, Rowell said he was not campaigning on campus because students don’t vote in great numbers. At a forum last week, he urged students to vote for him because he is like their father.

Rowell’s 2nd Ward covers the areas around Moorhead’s two campuses and the center portion of the city.

The 1st Ward covers the city’s north side, the 3rd Ward the southwest and the 4th Ward the southeast. Elections for the four council seats and for mayor are on Tuesday.

Two candidates did not attend the forum: Cody Parr, 1st Ward, and Bryan Walker, 2nd Ward.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Roepke at (701) 241-5535

Exit Poll

November 1,  2005 Candiate Forum

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