I’ve been really frustrated with Marion Greene for some time (the “vote yourself a 49% raise” gambit was the tipping point for me) so Josh Bassais is a welcome breath of fresh air.
Josh Bassais is spot on about the mismanagement, cost overruns, and foreseeable issues with the Green Line Extension (SWLRT). For instance, the crash wall needed to separate the light rail from the freight train was not a surprise. Hennepin Co. claimed that the federal government would not allow the wall to be considered part of the project in the application for federal funding, but why couldn't it have been budgeted for as a separate local project? We all know that if they had been more forthright in laying out the costs, there would have been even more opposition to an already contentious project. The original, original cost estimate was under $1 billion (I have the number somewhere...it was $900 million and some change), less than a third of what the final price tag will be. So many other things could have been done effectively with those funds.
People who live near the tunnel area warned about many of the likely issues (such as poor soils), which did indeed become problems during construction, but people's legit concerns fell on deaf ears. There were people who seemed to delight in doing light rail TO the neighborhood, because they wanted to sock it to the "Kenwood NIMBYs." Never mind that the tunnel is not actually in the Kenwood neighborhood, or the tens of thousands of trees that had to come down for this project.
Marion Greene was asked point blank if Hennepin County had an open checkbook for the line after it was clear that no more state or federal funds were forthcoming. With a disingenuous look on her face, she replied, "no," when we all knew she meant "yes."
The project was planned when the downtown CBD was still a going concern, and even then the ridership numbers were overly rosy. BRT could have been done so much more efficiently, and as it was, Eden Prairie already had a highly-regarded express bus system that was bringing suburban commuters downtown.
This project is one example among many of why Democrats are not known for their fiscal prudence. You would think that they'd be more persuasive if they actual managed projects tightly, which would make people more willing to spend taxpayer money on future projects.
I have been engaged with SWLRT for decades, and could go on for hours, but I'll stop now. :D
Josh Bassais is a good person. I don't know if I agree with him on everything, but he's fundamentally honest and inquisitive, and will listen to everyone. Hennepin County commissioners have traditionally been unresponsive to local needs and think of themselves as transit enablers and identity politics warriors before anything else.
While Bassais is correct in his analysis about the Green Line/SWLRT, he missed a few key points:
-The County CHOSE and FORCED the light rail route, even though most people thought it was a bad idea (it completely skipped Uptown, which has the most density). Worse, County commissioners did not allow honest debate over the route, as highlighted by Jim Brimeyer and Sue Sanger, who were elected officials on the route commission in 2013.
-The County is making the same errors (bad route, unnecessary choice of trains instead of bus rapid transit) with the Blue Line Extension, which was not discussed in this interview from what I heard.
I hope Bassais campaigns harder and gets his name out more, and separates himself clearly from Marion Greene, who is perhaps the worst county commissioner I've ever seen. Bassais needs endorsements from important people in southwest Minneapolis if he hopes to win.
I wasn't going to post a Comment, but after reading the opener of yours, I wanted to "second" that. I met Josh just last year, and was so impressed I helped campaign for him for Ward 8 City Council even though I live just across the line in Ward 11. Yes, he's a *good person* - and I know fewer and fewer, as the years go by, in politics or advocacy, that I'd say that about. I've talked to him enough to know that I do *not* agree with him on "everything", but I do on way more than enough issues, and I always feel heard and respected when we do disagree - and I understand *why* he stands where he stands on those - he has the rare ability to make sense even when he's saying something I don't want to 100% agree with. He says what he means, and he lives what he says. Last thing - I'm pretty much a "positions on issues" voter, but I think the most important question for me when deciding to vote for or work for a candidate is "When something utterly new comes up, do I think his beliefs, values, and judgment will push him toward good choices?" On Josh - An unqualified "yes!"
I love this guy. We deserve people like Bassais on the Hennepin County Board AND on the Mpls City Council.
I’ve been really frustrated with Marion Greene for some time (the “vote yourself a 49% raise” gambit was the tipping point for me) so Josh Bassais is a welcome breath of fresh air.
Josh Bassais is spot on about the mismanagement, cost overruns, and foreseeable issues with the Green Line Extension (SWLRT). For instance, the crash wall needed to separate the light rail from the freight train was not a surprise. Hennepin Co. claimed that the federal government would not allow the wall to be considered part of the project in the application for federal funding, but why couldn't it have been budgeted for as a separate local project? We all know that if they had been more forthright in laying out the costs, there would have been even more opposition to an already contentious project. The original, original cost estimate was under $1 billion (I have the number somewhere...it was $900 million and some change), less than a third of what the final price tag will be. So many other things could have been done effectively with those funds.
People who live near the tunnel area warned about many of the likely issues (such as poor soils), which did indeed become problems during construction, but people's legit concerns fell on deaf ears. There were people who seemed to delight in doing light rail TO the neighborhood, because they wanted to sock it to the "Kenwood NIMBYs." Never mind that the tunnel is not actually in the Kenwood neighborhood, or the tens of thousands of trees that had to come down for this project.
Marion Greene was asked point blank if Hennepin County had an open checkbook for the line after it was clear that no more state or federal funds were forthcoming. With a disingenuous look on her face, she replied, "no," when we all knew she meant "yes."
The project was planned when the downtown CBD was still a going concern, and even then the ridership numbers were overly rosy. BRT could have been done so much more efficiently, and as it was, Eden Prairie already had a highly-regarded express bus system that was bringing suburban commuters downtown.
This project is one example among many of why Democrats are not known for their fiscal prudence. You would think that they'd be more persuasive if they actual managed projects tightly, which would make people more willing to spend taxpayer money on future projects.
I have been engaged with SWLRT for decades, and could go on for hours, but I'll stop now. :D
Excellent points. SWLRT is a good example of an instance where government officials act as though cost is an unimportant consideration.
Josh Bassais is a good person. I don't know if I agree with him on everything, but he's fundamentally honest and inquisitive, and will listen to everyone. Hennepin County commissioners have traditionally been unresponsive to local needs and think of themselves as transit enablers and identity politics warriors before anything else.
While Bassais is correct in his analysis about the Green Line/SWLRT, he missed a few key points:
-The County CHOSE and FORCED the light rail route, even though most people thought it was a bad idea (it completely skipped Uptown, which has the most density). Worse, County commissioners did not allow honest debate over the route, as highlighted by Jim Brimeyer and Sue Sanger, who were elected officials on the route commission in 2013.
-The County is making the same errors (bad route, unnecessary choice of trains instead of bus rapid transit) with the Blue Line Extension, which was not discussed in this interview from what I heard.
I hope Bassais campaigns harder and gets his name out more, and separates himself clearly from Marion Greene, who is perhaps the worst county commissioner I've ever seen. Bassais needs endorsements from important people in southwest Minneapolis if he hopes to win.
I wasn't going to post a Comment, but after reading the opener of yours, I wanted to "second" that. I met Josh just last year, and was so impressed I helped campaign for him for Ward 8 City Council even though I live just across the line in Ward 11. Yes, he's a *good person* - and I know fewer and fewer, as the years go by, in politics or advocacy, that I'd say that about. I've talked to him enough to know that I do *not* agree with him on "everything", but I do on way more than enough issues, and I always feel heard and respected when we do disagree - and I understand *why* he stands where he stands on those - he has the rare ability to make sense even when he's saying something I don't want to 100% agree with. He says what he means, and he lives what he says. Last thing - I'm pretty much a "positions on issues" voter, but I think the most important question for me when deciding to vote for or work for a candidate is "When something utterly new comes up, do I think his beliefs, values, and judgment will push him toward good choices?" On Josh - An unqualified "yes!"