Tom Rigby for Ward 6

The primary is tomorrow so it is time to vote if you haven't already done so. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this important election.

If you want to do in-person voting today you can still do so at the county elections office, just plan for a construction detour.

Address is: 2122 Campus Dr SE Suite 300 Zip 5590

The following are the Ward 6 Precinct Voting Locations: for Tuesday August 11.

Precinct 1 New Location
Hoover Elementary School 369 Elton Hills Drive NW

Precinct 2
Hoover Elementary School 369 Elton Hills Drive NW

Precinct 3
John Adams Middle School 1525 31st Street NW

Precinct 4 New Location
Sunset Terrace Elementary School 1707 19th Avenue NW

Precinct 5
Pax Christi Catholic Church 4135 18th Avenue NW

Precinct 6 New in 2020
Gage Elementary 1300 40th Street NW

Precinct 7
Assembly of God Church 4240 18th Avenue NW

Precinct 8
Sunset Terrace Elementary School 1707 19th Avenue NW

I ask that those of you from Ward 6 who haven’t voted yet that when you do please fill in the box by Thomas Rigby.

I’ve been running on a platform of Frugal, Finances, Smart and Strategic Partnerships and Green Living and Green Industry. I’ve talked a fair amount about those.

I realized I haven’t talked much about my theme which is The New Normal Can Be Better. That’s a tougher one because we haven’t hit the Covid-19 bottom yet, we haven’t figured out the totality of what we have lost and what is gone forever and what can be resurrected. I also am a big believer that the future holds even further changes from technology advances.

My approach on city council to making a new normal better would be not to rush things but insist that proposed re-building and new building and programs be thought out in terms of compassion and help for individuals and businesses but also in terms of does that make sense in a rapidly changing world. The temptation will be to rebuild just as we were, but with a little thought and foresight we can rebuild better.

Why vote for Tom? Check out his answer for the PB!
https://www.postbulletin.com/incoming/article6585328.ece

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Still time to get one of these fancy lawn signs for your yard. Handsome guy not included. Please e-mail me at [email protected].

The Post Bulletin is giving us a way to talk to you. Check out my video on the Park Referendum.
https://www.postbulletin.com/incoming/article6575531.ece

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My Words to Live By:

I try to live by the words of welcome that my House of Worship, Mount Olive Lutheran Church, has in their bulletin every week. I try to “welcome all gender identities and sexual orientations, all races and ethnicities, all ages and abilities, all economic statuses and education levels and all faith journeys and personal histories”. I also try to reach out a hand of help when I see a need.

I am greatly encouraged as I walk through Ward 6 and see the many Rainbow signs, Black Lives Matter Signs, LOVE signs, Hero’s Live Here signs, Home of the Brave signs, Welcome signs and Welcome mats. It appears that most if not all of the people of Ward 6 share a welcoming view.

I also love seeing all the signs acknowledging graduates in the class of 2020 from the various different schools. I am sorry that in this Pandemic year our graduates have not gotten the normal recognition for their achievements. I wish the graduates health and happiness as they follow their chosen path.

I have also been pleased to discover that in 2012 the Rochester City Council passed a Resolution in Support of Cultural Diversity and Amending the Comprehensive Plan that outlines the cities Welcoming Heart. As your City Council person I would continuously encourage that the City live by that resolution in ALL that we do.

A forward from a friend:

100 years ago, everyone had a horse and only the rich had cars. Nowadays everyone has a car and only the rich have horses. Oh, how the stables have turned.

Happy Independence Day

There isn’t much new that can be said about Independence Day. Only hopefully that at some point we the people of the United States of America will live up to the oft repeated(but modified) words from our Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Also that once again we will be the country that the words from Emma Lazarus’s sonnet created for the Statue of Liberty will ring true:
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

From Steve Martin:

First the doctor told me the good news: I was going to have a disease named after me.

The City of Rochester Park and Recreation department has presented to the Rochester City Council a proposal to put a property tax levy increase on the ballot for the November 3, 2020 election. The levy would be designed to allow for the purchase of land and improvements for Rochester parks and recreational areas in the amount of $80 million dollars. There are members of the Rochester City Council who would like to put it on the November 3 ballot because it would coincide with the presidential election, thus ensuring that the highest number of residents will have their voices heard at the polls.

Because of the interest in getting the levy on November’s ballot, at the June 22 City Council meeting a professional scientific telephone poll to be taken of Rochester citizens was approved. It was also determined that the City should send a letter to the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce asking them to poll their business members on whether they would support such a levy. There was concern that if only city residents were polled that might not include the voices of enough business owners. The City Council felt that due to the disproportional impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on businesses and the higher amount of property taxes that businesses pay the voice of business owners should be separately heard.

At this meeting I would have sided with Councilperson Nick Campion on this issue. He encouraged the City Council to table the levy for at least one or two years. I concurred with his concerns that not enough is known yet about the impact of COVID-19 on the city’s budget, and not enough is known yet about how parks and recreational facilities are going to be used during and after the pandemic. He also was concerned that while it was possible, even likely, a majority of people from the poll proposed to be taken would support the levy those who did not support it might have good financial reasons not to and they should be given time to get back on their feet again before an increase in property taxes was voted on.

Due to the change in our economy over the last four months, this should be a time when no new taxes are added and that the city, county, and school district live within their means. The city needs to look at the services they provide. They need to scale some back to stay at or below current rates to help taxpayers as they try to make ends meet.

Let me be clear, I believe in parks and the benefits that they bring to communities. I’ve spent many hours at city parks with my children and grandchildren. Personally, I would likely support this levy increase after all the impacts from COVID-19 have been recovered from, but not now. The world changed four months ago, now is not the time to add new things but to work to make sure that Rochester residents have what they need.

Racism in Rochester, MN

The senseless, brutal, public murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis has once again brought to the front burner the issue of racism in Minnesota and America. As a privileged white male I naively thought the issue of racism had been taken care of years before. I knew we had a poverty issue but thought we were a country that was accepting of all people. The 2016 election opened my eyes to the fact that racism was still around, but I kept thinking it was a fringe issue that would get smaller and smaller over time. I don’t think that any longer.

In my lifetime I have had very few friends or acquaintances of color. None of those friends or acquaintances were poor. I think probably the most important advice I’ve heard on the subject of the poor, which also I believe translates to the subject of racism, came about ten years ago when I was getting ready to go on an immersion trip to Haiti. We were told by a church bishop from Haiti not to travel with preconceived answers or solutions but instead to listen to the people to see what they needed. He said the people of Haiti had been overwhelmed with what the world thought they needed but not the type of help they really needed to fight their poverty.

If elected to the Rochester City Council I would promise to listen very carefully to what the issues are and help work towards solutions that people suffering the harm of poverty and racism say need to be done. I have already started that listening and have heard two big picture items that may need to be done that I would push for.

One thing that we can do as a City Council is to make sure that all Rochester policy and procedures have been checked for systematic racism. Any policy or procedures that contains systematic racism should be changed so that we as a city are no longer contributing to oppression. If this means having more flexible hours of operation so that all citizens can access all city services then that is what we will have to do.

We can as a city government go through Intercultural Diversity Training if it has not already been done by the time I join the council and insist that all people be respected for their cultural differences.

I also would continuously ask the City Administration and the Police Chief to look at the types of staff budgeted for and hired by the Police Department. If memory serves me correctly there was an increase in the 2020 Police Department Budget for new officers for downtown due to issues with the homeless. At the time that seemed like the correct action considering the issues that I had been seeing. Now I believe a better course would have been to budget for and hire people with skills in social work and experience working with people that are mentally ill.

Lastly I no longer will allow myself to be a naïve white privileged racist. If I have to inconvenience myself to make sure that all people have the life and opportunity that is theirs by birth I will so inconvenience myself. If that means that I have to break out of my introverted shell and hear the truth from our neighbors of color I will do so. I want to hear and understand what needs to be done.
NOW!

Will you join me?

This must be how the quarantine 15 happens. From Dave Barry:

My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.

From Chris Rock:

I used to work at McDonald's making minimum wage. You know what that means when someone pays you minimum wage? You know what your boss was trying to say? Hey, if I could pay you less I would but it's against the law.

IMPORTANT REMINDER
Last week you should have received your 2020 Minnesota Absentee Ballot Application. It is easy to fill out and can be mailed back in the postage paid envelope that came with it.
There are 6 people running for the Rochester Ward 6 City Council position and 4 people are running for the Rochester City Council President position. We all thank you for making sure your voice is heard.

From Bill Murray:

A few decades ago we had Johnny Cash, Bob Hope and Steve Jobs. Now we have no Cash, no Hope and no Jobs. Please don't let Kevin Bacon die.

Its a lousy time for most of us, I get that. The poll yesterday says only 14% of Americans are very happy. But I see lots of positive posts on Facebook that make me smile. Coming from the age of Readers Digest and Laughter is the Best Medicine, I'd like to be one more voice for restoring American Health. So hear goes what I hope to be a daily post. This one is a shout out to all who have spent 3 months supervising your children's education.

We'll never run out of math teachers because they always multiply.

When my wife Marilyn and I were shopping for a home prior to moving to Rochester in 2013 we had a list of things that we wanted our house to have. The one we found had all the things that we wanted plus it was in an established neighborhood with big trees lining the streets. Many of our neighbors had lived in their homes since they were built nearly 60 years ago.

Just as our neighbors have set their roots down so have we. By moving to Elton Hills we found not only our house, but our home.

I am focused on the needs of the people of Ward 6 and what is best for all of us. Marilyn and I do a lot of shopping within the boundaries of Ward 6. We attend Mount Olive Lutheran church just a 3-minute drive from our home. I and our Cavachon, Bernie, are frequently out walking in a number of the neighborhoods. You may have even seen me and Bernie already and didn’t know it.

Most importantly, however, I see what’s going on in the Ward.

One of the things I have noticed the last few years as I walk are new mini libraries in the neighborhoods. I love to read and it warms my heart that my neighbors are sharing this passion and needed skill with each other. I also see the crossing guards young and older managing the traffic around the elementary schools. I am glad that so far I’ve not seen any motorists ignoring the guards and putting children at risk. Kudos to all.

As evidenced by the many for sale signs that I see on my walks around the neighborhood not everyone has set down their roots as Marilyn and I have and unfortunately many of the big trees have come down due to weather or insect damage. My commitment is to be here and to be the voice of Ward 6 during City Council discussions. And, if you have questions or want to bring something to my attention, I am now, and will be if elected, available to listen and be a voice for those who live in the Ward.

Learn more and donate at:
Http://tomrigbyforward6.com

Hi, I am Tom Rigby, one of six candidates for the Rochester, MN Ward 6 City Council Seat. My wife Marilyn and I moved to Rochester in June of 2013 to be closer to our daughter Julie Brock, her husband Randy and their children. Marilyn and I married almost 38 years ago, she had three children and I had 4. The children are all grown and live in TX, NV, OR and WA.

The two of us really enjoy Rochester and call this our home.

Four and a half years ago I joined the board of 125 LIVE and trained to be the board Treasurer, a role I have held for the last 3.5 years. I have filled that role and the role of volunteer accounting manager. Since 125 LIVE is a partner of the city, I have had numerous interactions with the Rochester City Council and Rochester City Administrators. While I generally believe things have been working well with the city, the process has sometimes been frustrating. Frustrating because it has often been difficult to get a straight answer.

I first started thinking about running for City Council a couple of years ago. Partnerships between the City of Rochester and community and arts organizations are important and serve to benefit residents of this great community. I want to be a voice that champions clarity for the Rochester Civic Theatre, the Rochester Art Center, 125 LIVE and other city partners.

In addition to working for strategic partnerships, I want to be a voice for frugal finances, for green living and green industry and for welcoming inclusion and diversity.

Specifically, I have concerns about continued large increases in property taxes. I want to encourage the city and residents to be good stewards of the earth. And, I want to work to help our community not only welcome all people, but be a community where we strive to make the services of the city accessible to all.

Recognizing the need for social distancing, I look forward to meeting many of you in person when we can freely venture forth. Until then, look for opportunities to meet me on Zoom and have your questions answered.

More information can be found on my website at https://www.tomrigbyforward6.com/

TOM RIGBY FOR WARD 6