Opposition to Rochester tax questions emerges as election looms
Oct. 20—ROCHESTER — A formal effort to oppose a Rochester city sales tax extension and Rochester Public Schools technology levy is stepping into the spotlight.
"I will always fight to keep the money I make and not give it to government waste," Casey McGregor told the Rochester City Council during its Oct. 16 meeting.
The Rochester business owner and former council candidate cited work with the "Just Say No To The TaxMan" Committee, which was created and officially filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State last month.
She said the group's website —
— seeks to outline opposition to the two tax-related questions set for the Nov. 7 ballot, while encouraging people to get out and vote.
"We will be adding more content as soon as we can," she said. "We are a volunteer-led committee, not paid staff."
John Whelan, a former candidate for the Rochester School Board, is operating the committee out of his southwest Rochester home, and fellow former 2022 school board candidate Kim Rishavy rounds out the official three-person committee.
Whelan said the committee size does not reflect the actual participation in the effort.
"We have people getting things out on social media," he said. "We have people writing letters."
He said the group has raised approximately $1,500 to support its effort. An Oct. 4 finance report filed with the Rochester City Clerk's Office shows $1,083 had already been raised in cash donations, with another $1,421 in in-kind contributions recorded.
With the goal of defeating both tax questions facing Rochester residents, Whelan said his effort started with the
proposed school levy,
which is seeking to generate $10.15 million a year for 10 years through property taxes.
The district estimates the monthly cost at $11.25 for someone with a $325,000 home, which is the average home value in Olmsted County.
Whelan said past school district practices and outcomes cause him to question whether the funds will be spent appropriately.
"The school district is not educating students in my opinion," he said. "They're indoctrinating into a political ideology, which is very clear when you look at their government speech statement and you look at their equity statement.
"That's the philosophical situation that leads us to say, 'Why would we send another $100 million to people that are doing this,'" he said.
On specific practices, he points to a letter from a recently retired district maintenance employee, Paul Pendergrass, who stated he's observed poor stewardship of taxpayer dollars.