Candidate Forum Questions

Updated January 22nd, 2009

The following list provides suggestions for questions you could ask at an upcoming candidate forum. Please feel free to modify the questions to make them better reflect your own experiences or the issues facing the residents of the district where you plan to ask the question.

Affordable Housing

Many people who work are unable to afford housing despite having a source of income. Since these jobs do not pay enough to afford housing, how do you plan to ensure that people who are employed can afford safe, stable housing?
In Minnesota, an average hourly wage of $14.69 is needed to afford a two bedroom apartment; a minimum wage worker makes $6.55 per hour. What can you do to ensure that minimum wage workers can afford safe and stable housing?
What is your position on raising the minimum wage to a point where all minimum wage workers can afford a fair-market rent apartment?
Zoning laws often prohibit or impede the construction of affordable housing, as some zoning ordinances virtually outlaw low-income housing. What is your position on changing or modifying zoning laws to allow more low-income units to be built?
No major political party includes housing as a priority issue on its party platform notwithstanding the ongoing foreclosure crisis and rapidly rising numbers of vacant properties. If elected, would you join or support the housing caucus being established at the Minnesota State Legislature designed to bring more attention to housing?

Homelessness

Given the growing unemployment rate, falling job availability rate, and current economic outlook, what will you do to address the growing number of people at risk of becoming homeless? What can be done to ensure that people at risk of becoming homelessness never do?
Single adults make up a large proportion of Minnesota’s homeless population. Single adults do not qualify for many of our state’s social safety net programs. When the do qualify, the often times receive significantly fewer benefits than others. What is your position on expanding the coverage of supportive programs to include single adults experiencing poverty?
What role do you see faith-based organizations playing in regards to helping individuals and families who experience homelessness?
Do you support funding for a comprehensive sheltering system that includes detox and other services for people who are homeless?
Would you support allocating additional revenue, including taxes, to fully fund emergency shelters for homeless people?

Manufactured Housing

There are 50,000 families living in manufactured (mobile) home parks. These critical sources of affordable home ownership are at extreme risk. Do you support increased access to public affordable housing funds to preserve these communities?
(Please Note: Question provide by All Parks Alliance for Change)
The Minnesota Manufactured Home Relocation Trust Fund was established in 2007 to provide reasonable compensation for moving homes or to cover the loss of homes when a park community is closed. It is a self-financing with the home owners making an annual $12 contribution, but the collection method of home owner contributions has left many home owners unprotected. Would you support home owners making this payment directly through their property tax statement rather than having to send it in through the park owner?
(Please Note: Question provide by All Parks Alliance for Change)
When traditional homes are eliminated by road projects, the owners are usually able to find replacement housing in the same city. This is not the case for owners of manufactured homes due to limited incomes. Do you support a requirement of one-for-one replacement of affordable home ownership opportunities within the same community when a manufactured (mobile) home park is lost due to road expansions and other MnDOT projects?
(Please Note: Question provide by All Parks Alliance for Change)
The time and expense of going to court creates a major barrier to enforcement of laws related to manufactured (mobile) home parks. This makes it difficult for home owner to defend their rights. Would you support a simple, self funding, state agency run alternative for resolving disputes between home owners and park owners.
(Please Note: Question provide by All Parks Alliance for Change)

Employment

Minnesota’s minimum wage was increased to $6.55/hour in July. However, the “standard living wage” in Minnesota – the wage that covers basic needs for one parent and one child – is $16.78/hour. What is your position on a continued increase of the minimum wage to make sure that all workers can reach a standard living wage?
What is your position on the current status of the minimum wage, and what do you see as its future beyond July 2009, when it will increase to $7.25 per hour?
Many people on welfare and other support programs are hurried out of these programs into low-wage jobs for the sake of “working,” yet many of these jobs do not provide a living salary. What is your position on the orientation of these support programs toward securing employment?
Half of Minnesota’s jobs do not pay a standard living wage. What is your position on providing subsidies or incentives to employers who provide a livable wage?

Jobs & Job Training

What is your position on providing more/more efficient access to job-training resources?
Many people of color struggle to find and secure jobs including those with college degrees. What do you see as the state’s role in addressing this issue?

Transportation

Transportation is a primary reason why people have trouble securing employment and housing. Given the significance of transportation and in light of the rising cost of fuel, what do you see as the state’s role to improve access to and the affordability of transportation, both public and personal?
Senator Marty recently proposed that the cost of all public transit fares be reduced to 25 cents per ride in order to promote ridership and increase affordability. What is your position on lowering the cost of public transportation?
Often, the only affordable housing is several miles away from a person’s workplace. What is the state’s role in making sure that affordable, low-income housing exists near large places of employment?

Education

Financial education is one way to provide youth with a sense of fiscal responsibility that can act as a preventative measure against predatory lending. What is your position on mandating financial literacy training in high schools?
What is your position on providing new and/or expanding existing financial literacy programs to be accessible to all people?
In light of the fact that impoverished children who change schools as a result of moving to escape homelessness are often months behind their classmates, what is your position on standardizing curriculum?
In Minnesota, only 9% of adults with a high school diploma have incomes below federal poverty guidelines. What is your position on creating incentives for keeping children in school?
Less than 4% of Minnesotans with a bachelor’s degree meet federal poverty guidelines. However, college is not an affordable option for many low-income students and for those who do complete high school. What do you see as the state’s role in making college a realistic and affordable path for Minnesota students?
Disparities between the educational achievements of Caucasian students and students of color have been widely documented. What would you do to address these disparities?

At-risk youth

Are you familiar with developmental assets, and if so, how do you plan/what do you see as the state’s role in developing assets for children?
Teen pregnancy can lead to homelessness. What will you do as a state legislator to help us delay parenthood for children in the community until they are financially and emotionally prepared for it?

Child Care

At $13,000, the average annual cost for full-time infant child care in Minnesota is more than a full-time minimum wage worker earns in one year. However, child care is necessary for people to secure and maintain employment. What will you do to ensure that all people, especially minimum wage workers, have access to affordable, quality childcare?
What is your position on expanding child care assistance to make sure that all families who qualify for this aid will receive it?
Nearly 80% of families in Minnesota have all parents in the household working. With working parents, children need care – how will you ensure that children will receive the care necessary for their parents to remain in the workforce?

Hunger

In many communities the rate of visits to food shelves has increased faster than the amount of food distributed by the shelter. Especially in light of the rising cost of food prices throughout the country, what will you do to address this disparity so that the amount of food distributed by a shelter accurately reflects the increasing number of people using its services?
Funding for emergency food shelves has not changed since 1995. In these 13 years, the number of visits to food shelves has steadily and significantly increased. What is your position on expanding funding for these services?
55% of families who rely on food shelves are working families. Especially in light of rising food prices, what will you do to ensure that people, especially working families, can afford basic needs such as food?

Energy Assistance

Across Minnesota, hundreds/thousands of families who qualify for assistance with utility bills did not receive aid last year. In light of the reduction of federal funding and the rising costs of fuel, what will you do to ensure that the gap between those eligible and those served will be closed? How will you make energy assistance affordable and available to those who need it?
The prices for propane and fuel oil have increased much faster than natural gas, and yet there is only Cold Weather protection for natural gas customers – the fuel customers have no consumer protection. What is your position on creating Cold Weather Rule legislation for those people who use propane/fuel oil, not just natural gas?

Drug Rehabilitation

Chemical dependency often prohibits a person from securing a job or provides a challenge to securing housing. What is your position on expanding health care coverage to guarantee coverage for substance abuse?

Health Care

More than 47 million Americans -16% of the population- and 20% of all working adults, even those who aren’t considered to be in poverty, do not have health care. What is your position on providing health care to a broader spectrum of the population, including those who work, are unemployed, homeless, etc?
Individuals who receive Minnesota Care or Medical Assistance must provide the state with information in regards to their sexual preferences and racial identity. What is your position on this policy?

Domestic Violence

Many people, particularly women, are at risk of falling into homelessness as the result of domestic violence. Often, an abuser’s credit can be used against a victim’s credit score. What is the state’s role in assuring that domestic abusers do not negatively influence a victim’s ability to build or maintain credit?

Ex-felon re-entry

People recently discharged from correctional facilities are often at high risk for long term homelessness. Given that 47% of the homeless population in Minnesota are ex-offenders and that a criminal record is consistently listed as a barrier to securing a job, what is your position on ensuring that those re-entering society are given a fair chance at securing employment and housing?
Given that many neighborhoods aspire to be “crime-free,” what is your position on providing opportunities for ex-offenders to secure stable, affordable housing while still reassuring a community of its safety?
Because a criminal record is such a large barrier to finding a job or securing housing, what is your position on eliminating misdemeanors, UDs, and/or arrest records?
The State prohibits ex-felons from voting until they are “off paper” (i.e. off probation and parole). What is your stance on restoring an ex-felon’s right to vote once released from incarceration?

Foreclosures

Nearly all counties statewide have seen significant increases in foreclosures in the last year. What is your plan to address the growing foreclosure crisis and how do you plan to provide victims of the crisis with options?

Assets Limits/Welfare Reform

Current asset limit tests often prevent families and individuals from receiving critical assistance. What is your position on eliminating asset tests (like Ohio and Virginia have with TANF) or increasing the limits so that these programs allow needy families to receive the assistance they require?
Do you believe there should be a safety net for our community’s most vulnerable members? If so, what form should this safety net take?

Budgeting, Appropriations, & Expenditures

Do you recognize any limitation on the ability of the State to fund programs for the needy?
Do you believe that a State-funded safety-net for our community’s most vulnerable members should exist? Why or why not?