Minnesotans are heaving a sigh of relief that the election is finally over and we now have two U.S. senators. Thank goodness Coleman did not push his case further.

Who would have thought that the wild-haired young comedian on Saturday Night Live would one day become a senator? Only as Al Franken began to write books responding to the dominance of the political right did he emerge as a potential politician. Now I pray that he governs wisely.

On Friday I eagerly waited to hear news on whether the U.S. House of Representatives had passed the climate change bill, called the American Clean Energy and Security Act. When I finally heard the news that it had done so, I gave my wife a high-five.

The legislation is far from perfect, but it’s clear that given the way our political system works, this is the best we could get from the House right now. Finally as a nation we have begun to take responsibility for the changes that we are making in the climate. Too often in the past, our actions on this issue have been shameful. Still, advocacy group emails are saying that the fight over the bill in the Senate will be even tougher, as Republicans deride the bill as simply an “energy tax” and many Democrats succumb to coal and oil interests in their states.

I have a family connection to this legislation as well. My brother-in-law is an economist working on the legislation for the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, chaired by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

Here are some of the key provisions of the bill, as reported in a press release from that committee: Read the rest of this entry »

Two recent actions by Republicans have made me think that I should write an opinion piece on why conservatives and libertarians should support nonmotorized transportation. Here are those two Republican actions:

1. Yesterday in his news conference presenting the cuts he is making to the state budget, Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty made a comment about unnecessary or wasteful spending by cities. He cited as an example a director of nonmotorized transportation for the city of Minneapolis, though in the following breath he noted that the position is federally funded. He was apparently referring to a position funded by the city’s role in the federal Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program.

2. Earlier this month the Republican leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives called for eliminating several federal nonmotorized transportation programs. In a list of cuts (pdf) that they would make to reduce the budget deficit, the Republicans included the following programs: Safe Routes to Schools, the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, and Transportation Enhancements. This is an extreme step, indeed, and not likely to win the hearts of all those walkers, wheelchair users, and cyclists out there.

I learned about the latter action at the League of American Bicyclists web site. See the June 5 post on their advocacy page, which has these good comments from League President Andy Clarke: Read the rest of this entry »

As our son approaches 18 months of age, I’ve begun to look for a permanent full-time job. For nearly five years now, ever since moving to Northfield, Minnesota, I’ve cared for our children and done freelance work in test development.

I hope to find work here in Northfield, the Twin Cities, or nearby, and I’m looking for a position that might use my skills in writing, research, editing, education, or educational assessment. I’m also open to opportunities in sustainable or active transportation, or in “green” issues in general, since I’ve done volunteer work in that field. If you know of opportunities, feel free to let me know via my contact page.

Earlier this week I attended a career development seminar in Minneapolis. I found that methods for finding work have changed since I was last on the job hunt. As with everything else, the Internet has changed the game. One of the speakers, a Minnesotan named Jill Konrath, strongly urged us to get on LinkedIn and to have recommendations sent there as well. This echoed what a friend recently told me. She also suggested having a blog or web site and writing on topics related to your professional field.

As with some other job search gurus, Konrath tells job seekers to “create a job” rather than simply fight for the few that are advertised. She advises people to emphasize the value that they can bring employers, to sell outcomes rather than simply themselves.

She has written a book called Get Back to Work Faster, which is available for free at her web site. If you sign up by July 31, you can get a free “Performance Style and Ambitions” assessment and a LinkedIn “networking success kit.”

Pete Machalek of SagePresence did a fine presentation as well about techniques for presenting yourself in a variety of job-search situations. He has a background working with actors, and his exercises were useful for seeing how to get past issues that block us, including nervousness and self-consciousness in interview situations.

It was about four years ago that I began working as a volunteer bike and pedestrian advocate here in Northfield, Minnesota. There aren’t too many changes that I can point to and say, I helped that to happen. I can only say that some important changes in local planning have occurred, and the local discussion about transportation has shifted to better include all modes of transportation.

Perhaps the most significant result that I’ve helped to achieve is winning a Safe Routes to Schools non-infrastructure grant for Northfield in 2008. (Many people played a role in that project.) A large portion of the grant has paid for a technical/engineering study of walking and biking routes around Northfield’s three elementary schools and its middle school. Now that study is wrapping up, and the public can view the draft of the plan at an upcoming open house.

What follows is a message about the open house prepared by Brian Welch of the City of Northfield.

The results of our study and the proposed Safe Routes to School Plan for Northfield schools will be presented at a Community Open House scheduled for Wed., June 10, 2009 from 6:00–8:00 p.m. in the Bridgewater Elementary School cafeteria located at 401 Jefferson Parkway.

Please join us to understand the findings of our study and proposed improvements to provide safer walking and bicycling conditions for our students, while having the opportunity to provide feedback.  If you have any questions, please contact Brian Welch at 507-645-3027 or Brian.Welch@ci.northfield.mn.us.

A representative from Mn/DOT will be there.  The format will be informal with easels/posters arranged around the room and chairs/tables available for discussions and for the public to fill out comment cards. Possible solutions for the Highway 246/Jefferson Parkway intersection will be included.

I thought I should say a little bit about the lack of posts on this blog. I’ve not kept up with my recent rate of posting once a week. It would seem to be easy to micro-blog with brief comments on what I’m doing or thinking, but I don’t want to make posts too trivial, either. Some recent posts have been long, including those that I’ve done for Locally Grown Northfield, and then I seem inclined not to post for a while as I attend to other areas of my life.

Those other areas have me very busy, of course: family life, work, home maintenance and housework, church, and volunteer work on bike/ped advocacy. And more.

My test development work has been more involved lately, as I’ve taken on additional projects with stricter deadlines.

I’ve wondered whether I should end the blog or possibly move it to a free service such as wordpress.com. I’m a little bit frustrated that I’ve not learned more about maintaining my own web site. For now I’ll keep it and try to post at least once a week again.

[Note: The following appears also as a post at Locally Grown Northfield. Comments can be made there; I've turned them off here. Be sure to note their rules for comment.]

Last August the Rice County Board of Commissioners made a change in their transportation policy that goes against the interests of people who walk, bike, or use wheelchairs in our community. It’s a change that’s detrimental to many of the most vulnerable users of our transportation system, including children, seniors, the poor, and the handicapped.

I’m talking about a change in a fairly arcane and complex policy: the Cost Participation Policy for Cooperative Roadway Construction Projects, which governs the share that the county pays on joint road projects with cities and townships. The policy applies to projects that are part of the county Capital Improvement Plan.

Why should we care about some complex policy? Because it governs the funding for county road projects – which we might also call the public right-of-way – in many of our communities, and because it shapes the way we think about transportation.

The changes made last summer involved the provisions for sidewalks and “bituminous bike paths,” or shared-use paths, along county roads in cities and towns. Previously, the county paid a share of the costs for replacement sidewalks and new and replacement paths - specifically, 55 percent of the cost for municipalities over 5,000 in population, and 100 percent of the cost for those under 5,000. With the change, the county moved these facilities into the “not eligible” category for county funding. In effect, they cut funding of these facilities in their Capital Improvement Plan by 100 percent. The commissioners voted 4-1 for this change last August, with the only exception being Galen Malecha of Northfield at that time. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m overdue to provide an update on what is happening with the Rice County Highway Cost Participation Policy and its funding of sidewalks and paths. At the April 7 County Board meeting, the commissioners decided that their transportation committee, consisting of Commissioners Plaisance and Docken and county highway engineer Dennis Luebbe, would consider the matter at an April 15 meeting.

Prior to that meeting, I mailed a letter (see below) and copies of the old and current cost participation policy to the commissioners. In the letter I asked them to consider  a simple compromise position: moving the sidewalks and bike paths from the “not eligible” for county participation category to the “potential County participation” category. This is essentially the “case-by-case” funding option that has been discussed as an option.

The transportation committee meetings are not open to the public, but last Friday I called my commissioner, Jeff Docken, to ask what action the committee took. He said that they decided to ask the County Board to consider two options at an upcoming meeting: keeping the current policy or changing it to the “case-by-case” or “potential funding” option that I presented in my letter. I believe he said it would be at a work session, probably May 5, but we should keep an eye on the Board’s agenda for its upcoming meetings.

It remains important for members of the public to let their county commissioner know their views on this subject. Please consider contacting them or writing a letter to the local paper. See below for more information, as well as the text of the letter I submitted. Read the rest of this entry »

A correction about the April 7 Rice County Board of Commissioners’ meeting and the highway cost participation policy: this is a work session and the public can speak at 8:30 am for two minues/person. The Board will decide whether to put this item on the agenda of a regular work session (possibly the April 14 meeting). County engineer Dennis Luebbe will present his views on the matter around 9:10, then the commissioners will discuss the matter around 9:40.

A group of us will carpool down to Faribault from Northfield and will meet at Northfield city hall’s parking lot around 7:50 am. I invite those interested to join us.

My apologies for the error. I also encourage people to contact the commissioners about the issue and/or write a letter to the local newspaper.

I wrote the following action alert and fact sheet for an important issue here in my county:

Fact Sheet: Rice County Highway Cost Participation Policy

Summary: Rice County no longer pays a share of the costs for replacement sidewalks and new and replacement shared-use paths (sometimes called bike paths) on county roads in cities and townships. Sidewalks and paths along urban roads serve an important safety function and provide transportation and recreation options for many people, including children, the elderly, and the disabled. While some claim that these facilities are amenities, they are more properly viewed as essential components of a modern urban road.

On Tuesday, April 7 the County Board of Commissioners will revisit this issue. Please contact your county commissioner and/or write a letter to your local newspaper at your earliest convenience. (See contact info below.) Read the rest of this entry »