Tag: SWLRT

On Osmek’s response to Southwest Light Rail

To The Editor:

State Senator David Osmek’s recent attacks on the Southwest Light Rail Transit project and a reported “crude” email about it, sent from his government email server in February to a St. Louis Park resident, has perked my curiosity.

I live in Eden Prairie but have friends and family who are represented by Sen. Osmek. I have been questioning and participating in the planning process of Southwest Light Rail for nearly 16 years and find some of Sen. Osmek’s comments misleading and offensive. Continue reading “On Osmek’s response to Southwest Light Rail”

Osmek’s comments on Southwest Light Rail

To the Editor:

Sen. Dave Osmek, Mound, was crass and cavalier in his response to a constituent’s concern about light rail, as reported in the StarTribune. Osmek called it “a liberal wet dream.” I thereafter emailed him, criticizing his response and questioning his ability to represent his constituents. (I said he is unfit.)

He immediately, to his credit, responded, but accusing me of being from St. Louis Park (outside his district), and therefore had no right to give him my opinion. This was even though I had given him my full home Tonka Bay address, clearly in his district.

His complete email: “Just to correct you, the email was from St Louis Park. Last time I checked, that isn’t in SD33.”

He made no argument in favor of his position, no response other than a Trump-like knee jerk attack on my legitimacy to give my representative my opinion, rather than a discussion of the issues. As I then wrote back to him, “Some representative. Still unfit.”

Gary A. Thompson
Tonka BaySun Papers, March 16, 2017

Light Rail debate raging again at Capitol

The following article by Brian Bakst was posted on the MPR News website March 7, 2017:

The debate over the Southwest Light Rail Transit line is roaring again at the Capitol.

A pair of bills from Sen. David Osmek, R-Mound, debated Tuesday in separate committees, would restrict the use of public money for construction or operation of any new rail transit lines without explicit legislative approval.

“If we had had this law in place before we started all of the spending, we wouldn’t have problems today,” said Osmek. Continue reading “Light Rail debate raging again at Capitol”

Feds: Southwest light-rail funds cannot be diverted to roads, bridges

The following article by Janet Moore was posted on the Star Tribune website March 1, 2017:

Republican legislators introduced a measure at the State Capitol last week asking the U.S. Department of Transportation to funnel $929 million intended for the Southwest light-rail line to a “block grant that can be used for other transportation projects” in Minnesota. Continue reading “Feds: Southwest light-rail funds cannot be diverted to roads, bridges”