After nearly eight dynamic and accomplished years as St. Paul's mayor, Norm Coleman will turn over to his successor his third-floor corner office in City Hall, overlooking the Mississippi River that has been the source and inspiration of much of his illustrious record. None of the 16 seeking to replace Coleman, and build on the momentum he has created, need worry about being tagged a Coleman clone. Yet, if they don't inspire at Coleman's level, readers would do well to remember that expectations of Coleman in 1993 were much lower than hindsight has made evident.
Our analysis -- including interviews and a review of their written answers to questions -- convinces us that Randy Kelly and Bob Long are the most capable in this field to keep St. Paul healthy and moving forward. Their nomination Sept. 11 would represent the best choice in the Nov. 6 general election.
At stake is the future of a city brimming with optimism and renewed hope, with crime down, population and jobs up, property tax rates stable and a downtown vastly stronger and more vibrant since 1993. The next four years present a different set of challenges -- more affordable housing, improved public transportation, stronger commercial corridors, needed neighborhood investment. One will have the honor of welcoming the Grand Excursion of 2004, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Upper Mississippi River region. But the first priority must be to find someone who enjoys the confidence and abilities to continue the direction Coleman has charted, not change course .
Of the 16 candidates on the ballot, six have been most active. They differ by degree in their priorities, personalities, leadership styles, records of accomplishments, endorsements and contributors, circle of advisers and other criteria. Each is a blend of strengths and weaknesses. Kelly and Long are the clear preferences, in our opinion.
In his 26 years in the Legislature, where he currently is a state senator from the East Side, Kelly has compiled by far the most extensive record. With backing in the primary from both Coleman and the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Kelly is running as the key legislator in the team responsible for major capital investments -- Xcel Energy Center, Science Museum of Minnesota, Phalen Corridor, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension headquarters etc. -- that have brought St. Paul back from stagnation, even decline. But he has delivered more than pork for St. Paul.
Whether as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee or Senate Transportation Committee, he has shown a penchant for hard work, for success in mastering the legislative process, for compromise in listening to other viewpoints and moderating his own, and for standing firmly for principles worth fighting for against strong opposition. In the latter category, he led a fight to reduce operating costs of the state prisons, in part by bidding out some of the work, taking heat from public employee unions in the process.
Kelly's biggest challenge is to make the transition from legislator to chief executive of an increasingly diverse city of 287,000 by broadening his view, and to sheath his occasional tendency to bully rather than persuade.
Long's greatest assets are his enthusiasm and cheerleading skills. Also key strengths are his knowledge of economic development through his legal work for some cities, his intellect (Phi Beta Kappa at Macalester), his range of experience (including three terms on the City Council, a law practice and operating a small business) and his familiarity with broader municipal issues through his past leadership of the League of Minnesota Cities and the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities.
While on council, Long stuck his neck out to champion several controversial measures that have benefited the city, including enactment of the half-cent sales tax to finance the new RiverCentre as well as neighborhood and cultural improvements, and consolidation of fire and police pension funds, saving city taxpayers millions.
Also appealing, though not endorsed, is Republican-backed Jerry Blakey, Ward One council member, whose top priority is to stimulate the production of housing for 20,000 residents downtown, thereby providing a base for retail growth. Blakey's vision for neighborhood improvements is less grand and his experience less extensive than Kelly's and Long's, but with the additional nurturing and opportunities, he could be an attractive option in the future.
The remaining three strike us as either more risky, more worrisome or both.
Bob Kessler, a city manager and bureaucrat for 28 years, has been a breath of fresh air in the campaign. However, he is untested in elective office. Though a fount of ideas for making the city work better and more efficiently, and distinctively frank about the need to increase property taxes, he has neither Kelly's extensive proven record nor Long's salesmanship skills.
Jay Benanav, DFL-endorsed and a City Council member since 1998, is possibly the sharpest interrogator on the council, but he has aligned himself with many interest groups who believe Coleman has been a terrible mayor, have fought to derail his initiatives and expect something different from Benanav. That something different includes more power for public employee unions, reduced economic development subsidies (Benanav voted against a subsidy to keep Dayton's -- now Marshall Field's -- downtown) and full funding for city services (rec centers, parks, libraries etc.) that have been part of Coleman's cost containment agenda.
Bobbi Megard, a former teacher, City Council member (1994-98), community organizer, Metro State professor and League of Women Voters executive, has injected useful ideas into the campaign about curbing handguns and reducing pollution-generated threats to children's health. But her promises to public employee unions are troublesome. Further, she seems less gifted as a cheerleader or saleswoman.
Of all the traits and assets needed in a successful mayor, we think Randy Kelly and Bob Long possess the greatest quantity and best blend.
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