Anne Buckvold, St. Joseph
Last week, I traveled to the state Capitol with five leaders from the area. There were two college students (now leading the Rally for Rail Minnesota campaign), two leaders with the GRIP/ISAIAH #finishnorthstar campaign and a rail enthusiast whom I met for the first time. He wanted to come to voice his support as a retired grandfather for an efficient and safe way to visit his grandchildren, and go to games in the Twin Cities.
We met with Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska), who is the new chair of the House Transportation Finance Committee, to discuss the decisions being made at our state legislature about the future of passenger rail.
To our disappointment, Torkelson confirmed the decisions of his caucus to both de-fund the passenger rail office at MnDOT and furthermore to prohibit the use of any state dollars on passenger-rail projects in the future. These decisions eliminate the possibility of the governor’s proposal for a Northstar Demonstration Project to begin this fall (extending passenger rail to St. Cloud for six months to determine possibilities for a future ongoing extension). The decision to de-fund will also eliminate the possibility for any rail connection between the Metro area and St. Cloud in the future.
#finishnorthstar was not a small campaign, and it encompassed the support of every demographic from the greater St. Cloud area. It had support from businesses, churches, veterans, seniors, those with disabilities and much enthusiastic support from students and faculty at area college campuses. It was an engaged and engaging campaign. More than 6,000 signatures of support and numerous visits to the Capitol during the last two years in addition to local activities, meetings and press conferences. Despite this widespread support and repeated advocacy from across the St. Cloud region and in St. Joseph for more than the last two years, our elected officials chose to disregard our public voice.
This is the ultimate failure of our public officials, those we elect and pay to serve the public. They fail to listen and to act in our collective best interest.