Roper emerges to challenge Steier
Sarah Day — Staff WriterBLUE EARTH - A new face in the area political scene is gearing up for a battle against an incumbent.
John Roper, a 28-year resident of Blue Earth, is facing off against six-year incumbent Barb Steier in Faribault County's District 1. The district includes Ward 3 in Blue Earth; the cities of Elmore and Frost; and the townships of Blue Earth Elmore, Rome and Emerald.
When Roper saw the filing notices, he felt compelled to give it a go.
"Blue Earth has educated my kids, I thought I'd give back," he said. "I thought it over for quite a while. I talked to different people and they encouraged me to do it. I've gotta try it. "
His platform is based on communication, and his belief there needs to be more of it.
"I just want to listen," Roper said. "I feel that we'd like to get better communication lines between county commissioners and the constituents. My door is open for anyone."
"Communications could have been better during the building of the new jail, but that's not the single issue," he said.
As he campaigns, he is handing out a survey asking residents if they feel they are adequately satisfied with decisions about the law enforcement center, property taxes, county spending, wind power, road maintenance, feedlot and setback permits, and other topics.
"I don't have any pre-opinions," Roper said. "I'm open to talk, to listen to any of the people in my district that would like to express their views. I don't think the communication lines are open."
Roper believes that overall, communication could be improved by better utilizing the county Web site. Instead of only posting a summary of the agenda and synopsis from commissioner meetings, a more in-depth recounting should be posted. Roper recalls it was more in-depth in the past.
Roper works at Roper Financial Resources in Blue Earth and drives a van part time for Espeland of Winnebago. Previously, he worked at Telex for 32 years and was a farmer for 13 years.
Incumbent Barb Steier said she is happy to face the challenge.
"I guess I kind of expected to have a challenger," she said. "It's nice to see the residents take an interest in how their local government is run."
Steier was elected in May 2002.
"I've always had an interest in business and policy and procedure," she said of why she ran. "My husband and I have been in a highly regulated business for 35 years."
She and her husband manage the Blue Earth airport. The Steiers also are livestock producers.
Steier says she loves serving in public office and wants to continue to see through all the projects the county has begun.
Those projects include Drug Court, sewer system overhauls, the Main Street bridge project in Blue Earth, GPS locations for 911 signs for rural residents, drainage system projects, updated feedlot ordinance, bridge replacements in townships and road reconstructions.
Steier says she is proud of the Subsurface Treatment System program. In an effort to clean up ground water, the county required all shoreland landowners to update their septic systems.
"There were 350 shore land septics and they're all updated except five, and they're all in process of updating," she said.
The most significant project Steier wants to see through is the new Law Enforcement Center.
"I know we did the right thing," she said. "We certainly put enough hours into looking at all the options."
Steier's goal for the next term, if re-elected, is just to maintain and improve the quality of life in the county.
She sees it in examples of younger generations coming back, including her three children.
"They know it's a quality place to live," she said. "I think there's going to come a point that other people want to come back too. The younger people starting a family, they want the quality of life they had."
