Saint Paul mayoral race enters home stretch

Saint Paul, MN -- As Mayor Chris Coleman made the rounds at coffee shops on Grand Avenue Friday he found a lot of folks recognized him. What some didn't seem to know was that he's up for reelection Tuesday.

"I'm sorry," one patron at Bread & Chocolate told Coleman, "I normally vote but I just haven't heard much about this election."

"Now that I've reminded you," the incumbent quipped, "There's no excuse."

But, with the local media obsessed with Brett Favre, H1N1 and pilots who overshoot their destination the mayoral races in Saint Paul and its twin town of Minneapolis haven't garnered much attention in the mainstream media.

Coleman's defense of his record comes with the caveats that he inherited a budget that was in a structural deficit, and has managed to keep the Capital City solvent in spite of massive cuts in state aid and the worst recession since the 1930's.

"We've made some great progress on Light Rail, education, and on job creation," Coleman said of his first term, "If we can just continue this as the economy turns around, Saint Paul's really going to start to boom."

His challenger, Eva Ng -- pronounced "ing" -- is a political novice endorsed by Republicans, although she's running as an independent in the officially nonpartisan election. She won her spot on the ballot by placing second in the city's primary.

"I'd like to see us create a source of revenue that is ongoing, that would be the baseline for Saint Paul," Ng told KARE Friday, "So that we don't have to always go back to the residents for more money. I'd like us to do projects that are cash flow positive."

Ng was born in Hong Kong and moved to Texas with her family when she was 10-years-old. She was one of the first women to earn a chemical engineering degree from Texas A & M, and has spent 30 years as a technology consultant to businesses. Ng moved to the Twin Cities in 1997.

"America has been very good to me and I want to give back," she said during a campaign visit to the Saint Paul senior high-rise known as "1000 Edgerton" Friday.

She said she'd like to put her business skills streamlining city functions, reducing taxes and and removing red tape that can trip up small business development.

"I've survived turning around departments in Fortune 100 companies, so I know I can survive the political odds here."

Ng concedes she's outspent by the veteran Coleman, who has been airing a TV ad full of testimonials entitled "Good Guy."

"He is a good guy," Ng said, "But unfortunately he hasn't listened to the residents. They're saying 'Stop, we're being taxed out of our homes. We're being fee'd out of our businesses. Stop.' He didn't hear them."

Coleman said most municipal leaders in Minnesota know that raising property taxes is always a last resort because they're a regressive form of taxation. He's counting on voters to understand the fiscal and economic realities that forced him to recommend property tax hikes during his first term.

"Cities across the state have had to raise property taxes to keep police officers and firefighters on the streets," Coleman remarked, "When you lose $160 million in state since 2002 it doesn't mean your obligation to public safety goes away."

Coleman, an attorney who unseated fellow Democrat Randy Kelly in 2005, garnered endorsements from both the Pioneer Press and the Star-Tribune. He's also got history on his side.

Voters here in Saint Paul have only elected one Republican mayor since 1952. That was Norm Coleman -- no relation -- who won his first term while he was still a Democrat.

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The polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

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