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May 8, 2011

GMG surveys provide talking points, not final decisions

By Mark Fischenich Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — Greater Mankato Growth President and CEO Jonathan Zierdt doesn’t expect area lawmakers will necessarily alter their votes based on the surveys of local business owners the organization has begun conducting.

Zierdt, though, said lawmakers will know what business owners are thinking about key issues — including the unedited anonymous comments included with the results.

“That just means they’re making decisions with their eyes wide open,” he said.

Rep. Kathy Brynaert, DFL-Mankato, agreed she never makes decisions solely on the basis of public opinion, but she appreciates the ability to hear opinions collected by an independent source.

“I don’t think representative democracy is about polling,” Brynaert said. “But I do think it’s a vehicle to understanding.”

The first two surveys — on the state property-tax relief program known as Local Government Aid and on a proposal to use $15 million in state funds to cover half the cost of a civic center expansion — showed the majority of business-owner respondents agreeing with Brynaert’s views on a pair of issues. The three-term lawmaker is a strong advocate for LGA and is a sponsor of the civic center bonding request.

On the LGA issue, the position of 69 percent of the business owners is more closely aligned with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton’s position than the leaders of the Republican-dominated Legislature. Brynaert said she wasn’t surprised that business owners support a program that helps outstate cities maintain basic services while keeping property taxes affordable.

“Business and the public sector have complementary interests,” she said. “Good roads, good garbage collection, good water, good wastewater treatment plants, good schools — all the things that come from the public sector and are important to businesses and the community they serve.”

The LGA debate will be a key issue as Dayton and legislative leaders attempt to reach compromise on how to erase a $5 billion budget deficit.

Dayton proposes raising income taxes on top earners, partly to restore LGA after cuts were made by then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty and to protect property owners from rising real estate taxes.

 Republicans oppose Dayton’s tax hikes and prefer to deal with the red ink primarily through budget cuts, saying income tax increases will hurt business owners and hamper their ability to create desperately needed jobs.

Evidence that outstate business owners favor preserving or expanding LGA could be meaningful to Republican lawmakers from rural districts as a final budget deal is being negotiated, Brynaert said.

“These could be significant talking points, especially for conference committee members or members of the majority in their own caucus meetings,” she said.

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