Robbinsdale Council Candidates for Ward 2 Seat Lay Out Different Visions
With five candidates for a vacant Robbinsdale City Council seat facing an upcoming primary election, the League of Women Voters hosted a forum where these candidates could lay out their platforms.
These candidates are vying to fill the Ward 2 seat previously held by Sheila Webb, who resigned last October.
The five candidates that filed for the special election are Marc Akerlind, Jason Greenberg, Kyle Bille, David Dirkers and Christopher Rasmussen.
Greenberg, Dirkers and Rasmussen attended the April 24 forum.
Meanwhile, Bille sent a written statement to the League in his absence, saying he could not attend because he was at the North America’s Building Trades Union Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.
Blue Line
The forum moderator noted the most popular question from viewers was related to each candidate’s position on the Bottineau Blue Line Extension LRT project.
The rail line is slated to run north from downtown Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park. Project officials are planning to lay the track down the center of Bottineau Boulevard/County Road 81 in Robbinsdale.
It’s an issue that’s often risen to the forefront of political discussions in Robbinsdale — and was the first question the candidates faced in the forum.
Rasmussen said he is “against running the Blue Line up Bottineau Boulevard, full stop.”
He said that he supports bus rapid transit. Likewise, he said the previous Blue Line alignment, which was in the freight rail corridor, was preferable to the current proposal.
Dirkers also spoke in favor of bus rapid transit.
“I’m definitely a firm believer that putting rail down the middle of Bottineau is not the right solution for Robbinsdale,” Dirkers said.
Dirkers said he’d likely vote against municipal consent for the line if he’s elected.
“It starts at city council and a ‘no’ on the municipal consent vote,” he said.
Greenerg said he believes it’s unlikely that a bus rapid transit line or new alignment will replace existing plans for the Blue Line.
“My take on it is, I want to make sure we get what’s best for Robbinsdale,” he said. “They have shown no willingness to change any conversation about the alignment that is being presented. So, with that, I think we need to make sure that we get two left turn lanes from northbound [County Road] 81 to westbound 42nd, and that means we need to elevate light rail.”
From left to right, Robbinsdale City Council Ward 2 candidates David Dirkers, Jason Greenberg and Christopher Rasmussen.
Infrastructure
The candidates differed more widely on the question of future infrastructure investments.
Greenberg said he wants to see continued investment in the city’s water tower.
“One thing I feel very strongly about is keeping our historic watertower,” he said. “I know it’s not a major infrastructure project in the sense of development or water treatment, or anything like that. But, it is an icon for Robbinsdale. And it’s really important that we keep it.”
Dirkers said the city’s crosswalks and sidewalks need revamping or expansion.
“As I already mentioned, the crosswalks and the crossings across Bottineau, from 40th — well really the whole city — any crossing across Bottineau should be completely redone,” he said. “It should be much more pronounced that it’s a crosswalk. The speeds should be brought down.”
Rasmussen said redevelopment is important to consider with infrastructure investments.
“I think, certainly have to consider some of the dated retail establishments,” he said. “I think a big thing for the next council to take on really is the redevelopment, for example, of the strip malls.”
Key Dates
The special primary election for the Ward 2 seat will be on May 14.
The winners will advance to the Aug. 13 special election.
To view the full candidate forum, click here.
