Press Releases
A dozen citizens discussed Mayor Wilson's column (RE 4/16-17) after listening to Dr Mark Seeley, scientist and expert on MN’s historical weather history, discuss climate change in our own backyards (https://youtu.be/dUHRkSZXwiQ) last Tuesday. Mayor Wilson paraphrased a reader's comment on flooding:“We cannot plan completely for the unknown future of climate change. IMO, no major reconstruction should be attempted to prevent something that is unpredictable”. Dr Mark Seeley, whose voice on MPR has enriched many Friday morning commutes, has a few facts for Mayor Wilson.
The historical record shows that over the last 20 years Red Wing is wetter and is having more intense rain events (over 2 inches). The trend lines of the historical data show that the pace of these changes (exceeding normal variability) is accelerating.The expert staff who advise the Mayor and city council undoubtedly rely on the NOAA Atlas14 MN precipitation frequency estimates were last revised in 2017 due to this change. Dr Seeley thinks it will need to be revised again within 10 years.
To ignore these facts in project planning is negligent. We plan for an unknown future when we do safety drills at PI nuclear plant; we plan for an unknown future when we fund police and fire training exercises. When it comes to infrastructure and climate change driven flood mitigation, we are wasting money if we don’t plan for it, and then have to fix it later.
LWV Red Wing Board
Citizens Climate Lobby Red Wing
Option chosen by the Goodhue County Board of Commissioners on April 5, 2022.
Once a decade we count everyone in Goodhue County and use those numbers to draw 5 districts. The elected commissioner from each district serves on the Goodhue County Board and makes decisions about public health & human services, public works, infrastructure, zoning, emergency response, budgets, managing elections, and more. After the maps are redrawn, elections will be held in November if necessary.
The Board is holding a public hearing on 4 proposed maps April 5th at 9 am. This decision impacts who will represent you and your interests. People-Powered Fair Maps means the governed people should have input to drawing the new maps. Voters should choose their representation; Commissioners should not choose their own voters. At the public hearing, we should ask if the maps were drawn to protect incumbent commissioners, if all the people in the county have fair and equal representation, where potential growth in our county may occur, if the interests of town and city residents where 70% of residents live are adequately represented, if rural land owners have appropriate representation, and more.
Check out the County’s redistricting web page for more information, talk to your neighbors, and come to the hearing.
Letter to the Editor Submitted 3/24/2022 to Goodhue County Newspapers
Our 6/26/21 response to Senator Goggin:
We read with interest your editorial dated June 18, 2021. We wanted to be sure you see our public replies, so please see the attached press release (also pictured below).
We would also like to meet with you so that we can engage in a respectful conversation about how to move forward with our common goal of ensuring free, fair, secure elections. Please let us know when you are available, and we will do our best to make it happen. We can meet in your office, in public, or on zoom. Since many of your concerns expressed in the editorial regarded the state League's actions, we would like to invite LWVMN officers to attend the meeting as well.
We look forward to talking with you soon. You or your staff may reply to this email or call Peggy Decker at 651.260.6894 regarding scheduling.
Respectfully,
LWV Red Wing Board of Directors
