Letter: Nancy Remakel Responds to Recent Letter to the Editor

In response to Tom Spencer’s :

First, I served as a member of the Woodbury City Council from 1995-2000.

State Farm closed its Woodbury campus in 2004, four years after I retired from the Woodbury City Council position. 

The Woodbury mayor, city council, and staff have been working diligently on redevelopment of the State Farm property.

No formal proposal to redevelop the State Farm property has come before the Woodbury Planning Commission since I have been chairperson (2005 to present).    

Tom Spencer letter to the editor stated: “Sadly, the most devastating economic loss for Washington County over the past seven years was the closure of State Farm’s Woodbury operations and the 1,500 jobs that went with it. During that same period, Ms. Remakle, while serving as a member of the Woodbury City Council and the Woodbury Planning Commission, has failed to advance even one idea that would result in the development of the still-shackled State Farm complex.”

For more information on the facts, refer to the Woodbury Patch article: “Deal for Woodbury’s State Farm Building Killed,” posted April 19, 2011.

Second, in response to the Mr. Spencer’s statement “she would raise county taxes to develop public transit along the I-94 corridor and to improve the county library system.” I have never stated that I would raise taxes to develop public transit along the I-94 corridor.

Third, I did say I would support raising taxes to keep the libraries open for one year until a more practical solution was found. The citizens of Washington County have paid for a multimillion dollar library system that has been closed for two full days per week for an entire year. This is a 25 percent reduction in the use and access to our library facilities. 

Our county faces several challenges due to growth of and diversity of communities within our county, and the current economic times. Strong leadership, with foresight to anticipate and address potential budget issues before they require a significant reduction in services or a tax increase to our citizens and businesses, is needed in Washington County. 

We must get more out of our tax dollars, and we must develop and implement strategic planning to accomplish our goals. This is why I am running to serve Woodbury as your District 5 Washington County Commissioner. 

—Nancy Remakel, Woodbury

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