Front Page - Joe Mullery - Joe Mullery

Joe Mullery. No matter what we now believe will be the issues facing Camden, new ones will arise. I have proven over and over that I have the ability to get in the forefront on responding to new issues facing our community.

I now have the seniority, experience, knowledge and long-established personal connections to get things done.

The most recent issue to arise is the predatory lending and foreclosure crisis which is devastating our neighborhoods. A law professor and I had the ideas for most of our predatory lending laws, which are considered to be the most advanced in the country and were copied by Congress. Then, I organized a "working group on foreclosures," bringing together every interested association. My "working group" developed a package of 11 bills which were so well worked out that they all became law. Almost no other bills on foreclosure became law.

I am reconvening my "working group" to solve more problems. We need more time for owner-occupants to restructure and reinstate their payments. We need to keep houses occupied until sold. We need sales to long-term owner-occupants, not investors with problem renters. We need gangs, drug-dealers and "squatters" out of vacant houses. We need houses resold to restore our property values.

Crime has plagued the Camden area in recent years. As the new Chair of the Public Safety and Civil Justice Committee, I have been working on real ways to reform our anti-crime efforts.

Recidivism is an enormous problem. I am trying to get treatment, both in prison and afterwards, for the 60-80 percent of prisoners who have mental illness or drug addiction, and to get prisoners at least a high school education plus specific job training so they are employable. We need more probation officers so they can check on people under supervision to keep them from going astray.

I'm also researching new laws to enable law enforcement and the courts to convict criminals. Our police chief labeled one of my recent ideas as a great way to get guns off the street. Unfortunately, a senator killed the bill in conference committee. Likewise, that same senator killed my bill, which was strenuously supported by inspectors, fire and police, to get at copper strippers who leave houses ready to explode.

Additionally, I'm working with the Gang and Drug Strike Force on some new laws.

In the past, many of my ideas to stop crime have become law and helped Camden.

In the long run, my leadership on Youth Development will probably have the most effect. Senator Moua and I are leading the effort to interconnect all initiatives in the state which affect youth development, and greatly expand them. I'm especially interested in judgment and character development so youth will become productive members of our society.

Property taxes are a real problem in our community. A few years ago, I blocked a bill backed by many Minneapolis legislators, which would have increased your property taxes by hundreds of dollars per year for 20 years to solve the teachers' pension deficit.  The next year, I helped get the state to pay for the deficit, not your property taxes. I've also worked on various ways to reduce property taxes, but the Republicans have blocked them. I will continue to try new approaches, plus push for more Local Government Aid, which keeps taxes down.

Our schools are our future. According to teachers and many parents, the biggest impediment for learning in Minneapolis schools is the lack of discipline. But legislators can't do anything about discipline; the Minneapolis School Board and administrators control discipline. 

Keeping Patrick Henry High strong is important to out community and I work closely with Henry to help other legislators understand our special problems and the need for extra funds.

Post-secondary education and job training are vital to our economy and I will continue my leadership on job training initiatives. As a member of the Board of Hennepin Technical College, I am very aware of the importance of state funding.

While the state legislature can't initiate local economic development plans, whenever local government has come to the state for such funding, I've delivered the state money.  For instance: Lowry Redevelopment, Humboldt Greenway, Penn-Lowry pollution cleanup, Lowry Bridge grant, etc. I've obtained commitments from the Commissioner of Employment and Economic Development, and the CEO of the Neighborhood Development Center to help economic development in Camden if local government and the community are willing.

We need to make sure out neighbors of color have an equal opportunity for a good job.  I'm responsible for the state's minority recruitment initiative. Now, I'm working with the Council on Black Minnesotans to wind-down the endless cycle of black poverty in some neighborhoods.

As you can see, I've provided leadership on each new issue as it arises. Together, we can create a bright future for the people of Camden.