1) Please tell us a little bit about yourself:
I was born, raised and educated in Duluth. 9 years ago, I was widowed and shortly after that, bought a bungalow on the East Hillside where I now live. I’ve been working for St Louis County Health & human Services since 1973. In my job as child support officer, I advocate for people from all walks of life. This work has uniquely prepared me to meet the needs of the people who live in the 3rd district.
2) Family
2 grown sons, Mark and Brian, 2 animal friends, Nikita the dog and Vidder the cat.
3) Educational background
Denfeld High School graduate, attended UMD, life long learner.
4) Employment background:
Child Support Officer for St Louis County Health l& Human Services since March 1, 1985. I’ve worked for the County in various capacities – including as a financial case worker for families and children and quality control research since 1973.
5) Volunteer background:
Duluth Playhouse, Duluth League of Women Voters, DFL party, AFSCME Local 66 steward and executive board member, Northland Anti-war Coalition steering committee member, delegate to the Duluth Central Labor Council, member of the Minnesota Support and Recovery Council, Progressive Action member.
6) Hobbies:
Gardening, history, current events, voracious reader, writing, theater, films, travel, amateur theatrics and musician.
7) Your address and contact information
Sharla Gardner campaign address: 1428 E 10th St Duluth MN 55805. Phone: 218-390-4403. Email me through my website: http://www.gardnerforcouncil.org/
8) The Hillside and the Lincoln Park neighborhoods are some of the most ethnically diverse areas in the city of Duluth. How do you see this ethnic diversity as an asset to Duluth?
I believe our cultural diversity is one of our great strengths as a community. Living closely with people of different ethnic backgrounds broadens our horizons as people and teaches us better ways to be good neighbors, solve problems and celebrate together.
9) Some people blame the increase in neighborhood problems such as crime on immigrants from Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. Do you think it's true?
People who come to Duluth to find a safe place to raise their children, improve the quality of their lives and to become productive members of the community, should be welcomed to our neighborhoods and should not be blamed for the crime increase.
9a) If so, what do we do about it?
Anyone who comes to Duluth from ANY other place, for the purpose of buying or selling drugs, is a criminal and should be dealt with as such. Community policing, which allows our police officers to truly become a part of the neighborhoods they patrol, has been proven effective in reducing crime. Duluth has a dedicated group of community police officers. Unfortunately, this program was scaled back as a cost-saving measure. Restoring our neighborhood community policing program is my top budget priority.
9 b) If not, why not?
I object to characterizing our fellow U.S. citizens as immigrants. We live in a very difficult economic and social time. The core problem is poverty; we need to work together as a community to solve the problems of job outsourcing, lack of mid-range jobs, elimination of community youth centers, etc. We should strive to increase and preserve the middle class.
10) It is estimated that 15 percent of Duluthians are living below the poverty line including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65. What are some of your ideas to bring Duluthians out of poverty?
We need more jobs that pay wages in the mind-range ($14 to $20 per hour). As your councilor, I will work with the city administration to create living wage jobs and attract forward thinking employers; green collar and green professional jobs to our community, because these are the career opportunities of the future. As a child support officer, part of my job is to evaluate people’s income. I’ve learned that jobs that pay at least $14 per hour are what it takes to make a modest, decent living.
11) The city has a mandatory recycling law yet walking by many people’s homes it is obvious that they do not recycle. Is recycling important?
Yes, recycling is an important way to (1) reduce the amount of land needed for landfills, (2) reduce the need for creating new mines to extract raw materials from the earth, and (3) reduce our society’s use of petrochemicals that contribute to climate change.
12) Why do we have a law on the books if it isn’t going to be enforced?
Due to budget cuts, we have only one solid waste compliance officer for the entire city. We all need to help out by contacting the city when we see violations. While this situation is not ideal, having a law on the books makes it possible for officers to issue tickets for violations in response to citizen complaints.
13) Over-flowing garbage cans are a problem in lower East Hillside. Many of the homes where this is a problem are rental units. What kinds of ideas do you have to prompt landlords to encourage their tenants to take better care of their property?
Landlords can include garbage pickup as part of the rent and provide a dumpster that is large enough to service the number of tenants in the building. Selecting a solid waste collection service that makes recycling easy can also help to encourage tenants to recycle, which decreases the amount of garbage that goes into the dumpster.
14) In the last census, Duluth had a dearth of people age 24 to 35? What can be done to attract and keep this population in Duluth?
See my answer to #10 – work to attract employers that pay wages between $14 to $20 per hour. Duluth has a healthy population now, in 2007, of people in that age group, who should be given first consideration for these jobs, to ensure we keep the good people we already have here, as well.
15) This city has yet to settle the retiree’s health care budget. What type of action would you take?
Implement all 15 of the 2005 task force recommendations without delay. Every day they’re not implemented, the costs increase. The task force was composed of a blue ribbon panel of citizens from the business community, retired people, insurance people and attorneys. Politicians must stop using this issue for political gain and solve the problem now; it’s within their power to do so without blaming city workers or damaging their job security and contract language.
16) Is paying for health care a problem that needs to be addressed on the city, state or national level?
I believe health care is a right. The U.S. is the only industrialized western nation in the world that does not have a national health care program that covers all citizens.
Ultimately, single payer health care is the solution. In the meantime, we must work with what we have, encourage the State to take a leadership role on this issue, to set an example to the rest of the country that it CAN be done, much like the province of Saskatchewan did for Canada’s health care system. On a local level, we must continue to support programs like Health Care Access, which provides a crucial safety net of care to the uninsured.
17) Have you or anyone you know, had trouble paying a health care bill or worried about how much health care would cost?
Yes, I have two uninsured family members, one of whom is seriously ill.
18) Do the city departments work well together? How can inter-department work be done more efficiently?
Unfortunately, they do not. The city administration is in charge of the city departments and defines how they work together (or not). Many small business people have encountered numerous roadblocks and duplications within city hall. I would work with the city administrator to bring these issues to light so they can be resolved.
19) What makes you unique as a candidate for city office?
My work as a child support officer for St Louis County has uniquely prepared me to meet the needs of the people of the 3rd District. Because I advocate daily for the interests of children and their parents from all walks of life and help them navigate a government system that can be overly complex and frustrating, I can and will bring that same dedication to stand, speak and if necessary, shout for the needs of the people who live here. In addition, my background and knowledge of legal systems will be valuable for developing resolutions and ordinances for the benefit of all citizens.
