On August 9, and starting now for early/absentee ballots, voters in Hennepin County District 5 will have the opportunity to vote in a primary election for one of six candidates vying for the Commissioner seat currently held by Randy Johnson.  District 5 essentially encompasses the cities of Richfield and Bloomington, Eden Prairie south of Highway 5, and a portion of Chanhassen; it does not include Edina, Minnetonka or other areas of Eden Prairie.  The two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary will proceed to the general election in November

All six candidates filed as non-partisan.  To learn more about them and how they stand on some of the current issues facing the County, we asked the candidates to answer the questions below and to add any other comments they felt would help us to better understand how they would serve as County Commissioner:

1. Briefly highlight why you feel you would be the best candidate for  County Commissioner
2. County government has grown at a rate consistently higher than the growth in the economy.   What steps will you take to implement Fiscal Responsibility and reduce the rate of growth in the Hennepin County government?
3. How do you plan to evaluate the county budget and identify programs that are not meeting their intended needs?
4. The Met Council is pushing in a number of areas not related to water and sewage.  Would you support limits on the power of the Metropolitan Council, particularly where it is really pushing for higher density housing in the south metro?  Do you have any issues with its Thrive MSP 2040 Plan?
5. What are the hard questions you're going to ask about funding further Light Rail in Hennepin County?  Would you vote for an increase in the County sales tax to fund SW Light Rail?

By our deadline, three of the six candidates provided responses.   Their answers are posted individually and listed in alphabetical order of their last name.

Maureen Scallen Failor  CLICK HERE to read her answers

Andrew K Moller  CLICK HERE to read his answers

William Reichert CLICK HERE to read his answers