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Thisweek Apple Valley-Rosemount MARCH 4, 2011
VOLUME 32, NO. 1
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Sen. Gerlach relishes Commerce Committee gavel Apple Valley Republican new chair of free market-oriented Senate Committee by T.W. Budig ECM CAPITOL REPORTER
Sen. Chris Gerlach has the gavel of a committee he relishes. “It’s a lot of topic areas I enjoy – it’s a whole range of things,” the Apple Valley Republican said of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. Gerlach is the new chairman of the 15-member committee. The committee oversees a range of topics, from lesser-known business complexities to better-known areas such as auto insurance and liquor sales. Gerlach points to auto insurance as a major topic for the committee this legislative session. Sen. Paul Gazelka, RBrainerd, is carrying several pieces of legislation dealing with no-fault insurance. “He’ll be doing some battle with trial attorneys – that’s usually the setup there,” Gerlach said. Gerlach shares Gazelka’s concern that no-fault insurance in Minnesota has failed to deliver the savings promised when adopted back in the 1970s. “I think that will lower automobile insurance rates for just about everyone in the state,” Gerlach said of Gazelka’s legislation. Another car insurance
Photo by T.W. Budig
Sen. Chris Gerlach, R-Apple Valley, is the new chairman of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. It’s a committee Gerlach believes fits him. bill the committee will explore has been dubbed “No Pay, No Play.” Currently, about 15 percent of Minnesota motorists drive without car insurance, Gerlach explained. “Even though it’s against the law, they are,” he said. “No Pay, No Play” may be one means of correcting this, he explained. Under the bill, uninsured motorists who get into crashes will still have some coverage. But they would no longer
be able to sue for damages such as pain and suffering, Gerlach explained. “That’s sort of a challenge to Minnesota residents out there, that you’re not going to be allowed to flaunt the law and cash in down the road,” he said. Gerlach views the two mandates of his committee, commerce and consumer protection, as anything but mutually exclusive. “What we’ve got to do is figure out where the balance point is,” Gerlach said.
“We have to decide what’s appropriate for the government to get involved in,” he said. “Where you draw that line on restraint is going to be the difference between Republicans and Democratic, conservative and liberals,” Gerlach said. Asked about the role of the Attorney General’s Office in consumer protection, Gerlach said that there always has been a “tug of war” between whether the lawsuit model or enforce-
ment model is the best. “In some cases, one is better than the other,” he said. Legislative commerce committees, at least under Republicans, prefer the regulatory actions of the Commerce Department to legal action by the attorney general in consumer protection, Gerlach explained. “And maybe a little less governing through press conference and lawsuits,” he said. Where does Minnesota stand in terms of welcoming business compared with neighboring states? “Depending on what statistics you look at, you can argue the case either way,” Gerlach said. But Gerlach views the loss of Delta Air Lines, formerly Northwest, and other historic companies as indications the state is struggling. Taxes aren’t the only factor in where business locates, “but it’s a significant factor,” he said. “If your bottom line doesn’t work, you’re going to find a location where it does.” Gerlach views his committee as something of a band of brothers in terms of marketplace philosophy. “It’s a pretty free-market committee,” he said. Generally, committee members See Gerlach, 12A
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District 196 officials recommend $3.5 million in cuts by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Officials in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District are looking to cut $3.5 million from the district’s budget for next school year. The recommendations include eliminating approximately 48 full-time equivalent positions, removing high school figure skating and increasing fees by $10 for all high school sports and fine arts. The staff cuts could be a combination of layoffs and attrition, said Tony Taschner, communications director for District 196. A recently approved retirement incentive could prevent some layoffs since it resulted in a higher than average number of retirements, he said. Raising activity fees could result in steep fees for some popular sports, Taschner said. For instance, hockey and football fees would be raised to $185. Additionally, district officials are considering reducing transportation services by increasing eligible See Budget, 12A
Eastview book club sends a message:
REAL MEN READ Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page is club’s first guest speaker by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
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Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt
Rosemount man killed in Afghanistan A military policeman from Rosemount died last weekend in an attack in Afghanistan. The Department of Defense announced on Feb. 28 that Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt was killed the previous day when insurgents attacked his unit in Kandahar province using a homemade bomb. Wilfahrt, 31, graduated from Rosemount High School in 1997. Rosemount High School Principal John Wollersheim described Wilfahrt as “a good student who was involved in choir and marching band.” Wilfahrt enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2009 and was deployed last year. He belonged to the 504th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. —Jessica Harper General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000
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Real Men Read. That is not only the name of one Eastview High School book club, but also the message its founder hopes to send to male students. The club was created two years ago by social studies teacher Todd Beach to boost readership among male students. “We already had a book club but not many boys were joining,” Beach said. “I decided it may be due to the books being selected.” Unlike the school’s general book club, Real Men Read offers literary genres aimed specifically at male audiences. “I aim to find books boys want to read,” he said. “I don’t want it to feel like homework.” Students then choose from a list which book they want read and discuss that month.
Although the club is comprised of mostly male students, females are also welcome. Approximately 15 students, mostly juniors and seniors, attend each monthly meeting, Beach said. However, more students will often join the club when it discusses more popular books, he said. For instance Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons” attracted about 40 students a few months ago. The club’s latest book, “All Rise: the Remarkable Journey of Alan Page” by Bill McGrane attracted approximately 15 students – both male and female – who discussed the biography Feb. 25 with guest speaker Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page. Focus on the journey, not the destination was the recurring theme of the discussion. “One message I’d like
Photo by Jessica Harper
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page met with members of Eastview High School’s book club to discuss his biography, “All Rise: The Remarkable Journey of Alan Page.” them to take away from this is the notion of seeking excellence in education – one way to do that is by reading,” said Page, the club’s first guest speaker. Page spoke about his experiences as a pro football player with the Minnesota Vikings from 1967 to 1978 and his thoughts on how the sport has changed, both positively and negatively, since then. Page also shared how he transitioned into his current
career as a judge. He told of the bigotry he faced while pursuing a juris doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School in the late 1970s. “They thought of me as just a dumb football player, meaning just a dumb black football player,” he told the students. Yet he never gave in, working his way up to the state Supreme Court, which he joined after being elected to an open seat in 1992.
Eastview junior Zane Larwood said he was inspired by Page’s drive to overcome obstacles and by how he never looks negatively on the past. “The lesson I took away from this is to work hard and not take everything too seriously, except what you want to do,” Larwood said. The club’s next literary adventure will be “The Innocent Man” by John Grisham. E-mail Jessica Harper at: jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com
Massage business owner facing criminal charge found dead City officials’ debate over massage therapy ordinance continues by Andrew Miller THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The owner of an Apple Valley massage business that had been the subject of a prostitution investigation was found dead Monday in his Eagan home. Andy Ming-Lueng Kor, 55, the owner of iMassage at 7540 W. 149th St., had been charged last week in Dakota County District Court with one count of “disorderly house” following the police investigation. Yin Hsin Chu, Kor’s wife and the co-owner of the business that opened in October, was charged with disorderly house along with one count of prostitution. Police did not release details of Kor’s death but foul
play was not suspected. Kor’s death sounded a grim note in a months-long effort by Apple Valley officials to thwart prostitution rings from hiding behind a facade of massage therapy.
Stopping prostitution Concerns about massage businesses being fronts for prostitution have been on public safety officials’ radar for some time. A massage parlor that opened in October in a home on Garden View Drive caused an uproar among neighboring residents who alleged the business was a front for a prostitution service. Police investigated the business, located about a
block from Westview Elementary School, and it has since closed. The Apple Valley City Council is now looking to revise an ordinance it approved in December that regulates massage businesses by requiring licensing and background checks. Following council approval of the ordinance, city staff mailed notices about the new regulations to 37 people and businesses involved in massage therapy in the city, and feedback received – including concerns that some provisions would be harmful to business – prompted the council to reexamine it. “We do want this to be workable for the business owners in town,” Council Member Clint Hooppaw said. Central to the debate is
a 90-day residency requirement for massage therapists, which was written into the original ordinance. Police Capt. Michael Marben said the regional residency provision will help prevent human trafficking – in which women from other countries are brought to prostitution dens for sex work, typically for 30 to 60 days, then moved to other locations. “We feel the 90-day residency requirement would act as essentially a barrier to prevent this type of activity from occurring in our community,” said Marben, explaining the position of the city’s police department. Council Member Tom Goodwin expressed uncertainty as to the fairness of the residency requirement – if other types of businesses
don’t need their employees to establish residency, why should massage therapy businesses? “If the city of Apple Valley hired someone to come and work for ‘em from Colorado, they wouldn’t have to wait 90 days,” Goodwin said. Mayor Mary HamannRoland said the intent of the ordinance is to stop prostitution, not to create challenges for legitimate practitioners of massage therapy. “The goal is public safety, but also (to) make sure there’s balance for business,” Hamann-Roland said. “We’re getting there.” The City Council is set to review and possibly vote on the ordinance revisions at its March 24 meeting. Andrew Miller is at andrew. miller@ecm-inc.com.