Alan Shilepsky for State Representative 58-B
Alan's Positions on Issues
Crime
We must have public order for our citizens to live happy and productive lives
and for our children to develop and learn so they can be happy, productive adults.
Rampant and random crime is out of hand and our city needs the resources and
attitude to address the problem. Alan supports:
- Local Government Aid funding, specifically targeted to support policing.
(No redeployment allowed!) We need at least 200 new officers. Better compensation
must be considered too, to increase officer retention and prevent the loss
of our experienced officers to the easier, better paid positions on suburban
police forces.
- Bonding support to add at least 200 additional beds to the Hennepin County
Jail. Lack of jail space should not be an excuse to "catch and release"
serious offenders
- Encouragement of respectfulness between police and individuals, and city
leaders and leaders of minority communities. Community "leaders"
should not be disrupting press conferences of the Mayor and Police Chief.
Similarly, abusive cops should be held accountable for overly-aggressive behavior;
it only undermines the trust and support needed for effective community policing.
- Gang member surveillance is not racial profiling, it is criminal profiling--going
after specific individuals who have records of bad behavior. The good people
of the Near Northside deserve to be safe in their homes and on the streets,
day and night. Nothing disrupts job creation and educational opportunity as
much as public disorder and declining trust.
Transportation
As a lifelong bus rider, Alan and his wife keep only one car. Alan has commuted
to jobs in St. Paul, Crystal, and Hopkins from Downtown. Now he is a thrice-weekly
commuter by LRT and Minnesota Valley Transit bus to work in Mendota Heights.
He has also served on a Citizens League on Transit and a Downtown LRT Siting
Committee for DMRA. He supports:
- More funds for rail and bus transit, as well as High Occupancy Vehicle lanes.
Rail is not always the most appropriate solution and in those cases our strong
bus system should be maintained and enhanced. It is the lifeline for the young,
the old, the disadvantaged and the disabled--and for commuters to reduce congestion
and pollution.
- North Star Corridor development--a commuter train into the city from Big
Lake, later St. Cloud. Its terminal
in Minneapolis will be in House District 58-B!
- Raising the gasoline tax for roads and transit. Transportation infrastructure
is crucial.
- Encouraging jobs for Minneapolis residents, especially Northside residents,
in transportation projects. We need more jobs for a prosperous city.
Communicating City Needs to the Rest of the State
The city of Minneapolis has 11 State Representatives and 7 State Senators,
and every one of them is a Democrat. Not only does this mean that they usually
approach problems with the same general approach, it means that they are often
in conflict with the Republicans from the suburbs and rural areas of Minnesota.
This means that our urban perspectives are not well communicated to these non-city
legislators whom hold half the power in the Legislature.
Alan, as a Republican legislator, would participate in the House Republican
Caucus and be able to communicate our problems, needs and perspectives to the
suburban and rural Republicans. He also can promote solutions that address our
needs but leverage new and more conservative approaches to our problems, ones
that get little or no interest from the exclusively Democrat delegation we send
to State Paul now. Some of these approaches include:
- encouraging individual responsibility and accountability
- encouraging a "we are all in this together" attitude, instead
of identity politics and victim politics. ("In America, we should look
to the future with hope, rather than to the past with anger.")
- encouraging institutions that help build strong communities, families and
individuals (including, not excluding, faith-based institutions).
- demanding that our government programs be efficient and effective, and serve
the public good rather than narrow special interests. (At the US General Accounting
Office Alan audited government programs for efficiency and effectiveness.)
- "Compassion, on a budget." We can not afford do everything; but
let's do what we can well.
- Mutual respect and tolerance. We need to discuss standards for "civility
in public spaces." We must make sure our streets, parks and buses are
welcoming to all, not places of uncivil behavior that drive away the timid,
frail or vulnerable. (Three cheers for the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood
Association's work to start this discussion.)
Alan Also Supports
- More Jobs for the Near Northside--jobs
that lead to careers and the ability to support a middle class family. Government
money spent in the community that just makes job opportunites for suburbanites
isn't solving the problem!
- Supporting Strong Families that
will raise their children into values of hard work, responsibility, accountability,
respectfulness, tolerance and citizenship. And respect for education. (Strong
families is also a key issue for Alan's ticketmate, Jim
Lilly for State Senate.)
- Successful Schools--continuing charter
school and other choice options, certainly until we can repair the public
schools. Increasing school, student and parental accountability. Prioritize
the mission of EDUCATION--too many goals and missions dissipate effort and
hinder accountability measures. More respect, support and authority for teachers
(Alan's mother taught 23 years as a public school special education teacher.)--when
we micromanage a profession we deprofessionalize it and demoralize it. And
provision of vocational training as a valued alternative to college prep--not
everyone wants or should be an office worker. (But everyone can and should
be an independent-thinking citizen!)
Additional Positions
More positions to come--so visit the website again soon!
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