|
From the Winona Daily News, August 31, 2022
I first met Chris Meyer in 2015 when we attended a week-long Blandin Foundation Rural Leadership training seminar. Chris’ passion and commitment to the Winona area was evident from the beginning. One of my favorite things about Chris is that she takes times to listen, think and reflect, rather than jumping on a partisan bandwagon. This can be frustrating to her opponents, both on the right and left, who might prefer that she react in an ideological fashion to the question or problem at hand. Chris has listened carefully to my, and other citizens, concerns about the sometimes dangerously low staffing levels in some county departments. We all saw the impact of inadequate staffing during the recent pandemic. She has become a tireless advocate for adequate staff because Chris understands that our community is only as strong as the most vulnerable among us. Chris is now a leader on several committees working to provide training and information for referral agencies on how county residents can access help when needed. She has also recently engaged the full board to review the past several years of state audits. She is striving to empower the interim administrator to correct issues identified in these audits related to deficient controls on federal Medicaid program eligibility that were because of too few Health and Human Services employees. Chris has been an excellent county commissioner and she should be re-elected. She understands the needs of the community, is realistic about budget constraints, and is knowledgeable about the laws and requirements that face Minnesota counties. Let’s re-elect Chris Meyer. Marcia Hintz, Winona From the Winona Daily News, 8/28/2022
I support Chris Meyer as county commissioner. She has been working hard during her four-year mandate already, to effectively support the needs of Winona County residents (especially during the Covid-19 pandemic). I appreciated then her commitment to following public health protocols for controlling the spreading of the deadly infection, rather than relying on unscientific ideas that were proposed by some incompetent leaders. Chris operates within this rational framework, and she is rigorous, transparent in fulfilling her responsibilities as a commissioner. She is always available to hear her constituents’ opinions and she listens and responds to dissenting thoughts with distinctive grace and humility. The latter stems from the recognition that any decision will never be perfect, yet it is the outcome of a rational process that aims at the welfare of a community rather than a few individuals. This combination of traits such as education, dedication to community and values like humility, make (in my opinion) a good leader. I think that Chris Meyer embodies these attributes. Quality of life for all stands at the top of her goals because she understands that this kind of quality is unattainable without effective approaches that boost environmental sustainability, through stewardship and conservation of natural resources (soil, water, air, energy). Therefore, I applaud her for opposing requests about increasing the cap for animal units in farms of our county, or for expanding silica sand mining operations, and similar extractive ventures. Meyer understands that these are relevant economic activities though; however, she recognizes that these should be highly regulated due to the fragility of the territory we all inhabit here in Winona County. For these reasons I think Chris Meyer is deserving to be re-elected on November 8. Bruno Borsari, Winona From the Winona Daily News, 8/20/2022
I have followed Commissioner Chris Meyer’s work on the county board and appreciate her thorough knowledge of the details. She understands that parts of the county have high percentages of well contamination and that incorporating best farming practices could have a positive impact on ground and surface water, reducing soil erosion, and ultimately keeping our ground water safe to drink for future generations. Meyer has proposed to increase the county SWCD budget to be in line with smaller less populated counties. Doing so could add staff to a depleted SWCD and enable workers to apply for and obtain more grants, and state and federal dollars that will help landowners put best practices to work on their land. Prior to the board, while on the Planning Commission she addressed the Frac Sand debate using data that showed the industry would only benefit a very few people, while lowering property values on nearby ownerships and along trucking routes, while damaging the surrounding environment. Chris understood the concerns with chronic wasting disease (CWD) and the potential negative impact the disease could have on the county deer population and encouraged state officials to take action. She knows our Minnesota values include caring for the environment, that farmers are in a tough industry and need our help and support to be the stewards of the land that they want to be, and that our trout streams are a precious resource. She has my vote and I encourage all her constituents to vote for her. Eric Nelson, Winona |
RSS Feed