Union Advocate News Article

One of the organizations which granted me an endorsement during this campaign for Maplewood Mayor is the St. Paul Region Labor Federation. The Union Advocate is the official newspaper of that organization. On October 23rd they published an article(pdf) for all of their endorsed candidates in Maplewood - Kathleen Juenemann, James Llanas, and myself. I am providing it to you as just one more piece of information put out to the public during the campaign.

Halloween Hoedown

The Maplewood Area Historical Society recently held its 10th annual Halloween Hoedown at the Maplewood Community Center. This is one of the many events that the Historical Society sponsors as a fund raising effort. The event offers a wide variety of games and crafts for the younger crowd along with a child oriented music/dance/sing along. There was also a silent auction for us older kids and the spooky room. My wife Beth and myself are lifetime members of the society and I try to help out where I can. At this event I was working the putting event. (which was very popular) This child in the pumpkin costume had to be the cutest youngster I saw that evening. ( Not to diminish the other great costumes I saw that night)

Please look at the link I provided above and consider becoming a member. It is a great way to help provide activities for our youth and at the same time learn about Maplewood's history.

St. Paul Pioneer Press Story

The St. Paul Pioneer Press ran a short story about Maplewood's election on 10/22/09. It includes short comments from the candidates.

LMV Candidate Forum

Last night, Thursday the 22nd, the League of Women Voters hosted a candidate forum. The audience provided questions and each candidate was given two minutes to respond. The debate was taped and will be replayed many times between now and the election. This link will take you to the Maplewood website so that you may view the channel 16 schedule. The LMV also has information about the candidates in Maplewood you may wish to view.

This photo has nothing to do with the forum but it is snowing today and my mind wandered to the winter and the ice rink we build up north each year. This is the Northwoods Coliseum. (click to enlarge)

Lillie Review Candidate Information

The Lillie Review has posted the information supplied by the candidates for the upcoming elections. Click this link to see what we had to say.

ELECTION DAY

NOVEMBER 3RD

GET OUT AND VOTE

Yesterday I was honored to receive the endorsement for Mayor of Maplewood from the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation. The federation represents over 100 affiliated local unions and has almost 50,000 member households in the east metro area.



I am grateful to the labor federation and the other organizations who have given me their endorsements in this campaign.



The list of endorsements is now:

Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation
IBEW Local 110
St. Paul Area REALTORS
American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees,Council 5
Democratic-Farmer Labor Party
Maplewood Voters Coalition
Teamsters Joint Council DRIVE 32

IBEW Endorsement

( Click to enlarge letter)

I received the letter above from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers yesterday.
I of course am excited to have received their endorsement.

The script is a little fuzzy in the attachment so I have repeated the body of the text below.

Mr. Rossbach:

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Local 110, which represents nearly 2,500 members, has chosen to endorse you for Mayor of Maplewood. You have represented our members and our interest well as a Council member and we are confident that will continue in the future.
Maplewood has gone through some turbulent times, but with your leadership on the Maplewood City Council, those times are in the past and we are looking forward to a bright future that all working men and women can be proud of.
With our endorsement, feel free to use our organizations name on all communications that you deem necessary.

In solidarity.
Michael J. Redfund
Business Manager/Financial Secretary
IBEW Local 110

My endorsements are now as listed below.

IBEW Local 110

St. Paul Area REALTORS
American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Council 5
Democratic-Farmer Labor Party
Maplewood Voters Coalition
Teamsters Joint Council DRIVE 32

SPAAR Endorsement

I was notified today that I have received the endorsement of the St. Paul Area REALTORS. I am excited to have SPAAR's support as we move forward in this campaign. As I have stated in the past I enjoy going through the process of presenting myself to a group, answering their questions and listening to their concerns about Maplewood, or this particular election process. Different groups use varying processes but the most common involves a screening panel which conducts the candidate interviews and forms a recommendation for endorsement. The panel brings their recommendations to the main body of the organization which then chooses whether to ratify the recommendation. This is the type of process that SPAAR uses.

I am particularly excited about this recommendation because SPAAR represents a different set of viewpoints from some of my other endorsements. I believe that this shows my positions and my desire to work with a wide range of interests are understood by the organizations involved.

St. Paul Area REALTORS

American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Council 5

Democratic-Farmer Labor Party

Maplewood Voters Coalition

Teamsters Joint Council DRIVE 32

Teamster Joint Council DRIVE Endorsement

I was pleased to be told today that I have received the endorsement of the Teamsters Joint Council DRIVE. DRIVE stands for Democrat- Republican-Independent-Voter- Education. I had screened with the Joint Council early in the campaign. Before the primary they had given their support to Marv Koppen which was not surprising since Marv has a long and well known history with the Teamsters. Now that we are past the primary and Marv is not on the general election ballot the Teamsters DRIVE organization still wanted to be involved, which I of course appreciate. As I have written in the past I enjoy the challenge of presenting myself and my ideas to different groups that are willing to make a decision as to which candidate is best qualified for the position from their perspective.

I have now been endorsed by:
American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees- Council 5
Democratic-Farmer Labor Party
Maplewood Voters Coalition
Teamsters Joint Council DRIVE 32

Upcoming Events Volunteers Needed

If you want to help just raise your hand!

October will be a busy month on the campaign trail with a number of events if you wish to participate. I am hoping that you will all be able to pitch in and help see the campaign through to its conclusion on November 3rd.


The first big event will be a literature drop on Oct 10th. Scott and Julie Wasiluk have graciously volunteered their home as the base for the event. Their address is 1400 Curry Street North. We will have some pastry items and coffee etc as you arrive ( 9:30- 10am ) We can hit the streets and then return for sloppy joes and hotdogs for a late lunch. Bring your tennis shoes!

Phone Banks are planned at several times during October. First are the Wednesday night calls Oct 7th , 21st, and 28th. We are fortunate to have access to the Carpenters Hall phone room at 700 Olive Street in St. Paul. Each night we will start at 5:30 and go to about 8:30. Some minor refreshments will be provided. These calls are talking to people and seeking support. We also have Get Out the Vote calls on November 1st and 2nd at the same location. These calls are to people that we know are our supporters and we are just reminding them to vote. It is more fun than it sounds like. Really.

Will, Kathy and Jim Fundraiser. Oct 14th you have the chance to mingle with the candidates and your neighbors at a social event. We will be gathering 5:30-8:30pm at the Sheetmetal Workers Hall at 1681 East Cope Ave. in Maplewood. This is the classic campaign event with some food and beverage and the opportunity to find out what the candidates and your neighbors are doing, how the campaigns are going, and get answers to your questions. I hope to see you there.

If you wish to be a part of any of these events you can reserve your spot by either calling 651-484-5427 or email me at Will@willrossbach.com . Thank you for your help.