Commissioner Dan Salomone is the State’s Commissioner of Revenue. This is him:
I had the opportunity this week to participate in a meeting this week with Commissioner Salomone, who was the guest of the Municipal Legislative Commssion. The group he was speaking to consisted of the City Managers from Plymouth, Minnetonka, Bloomington, Edina, Eagan, Apple Valley, Burnsville, Shoreview, Woodbury, Maplewood, and, of course, Eden Prairie.
This is a good shot of Minnetonka City Manager John Gunyou in the foreground, Edina City Manager Gordon Hughes in the middle, and Woodbury City Manager Barry Johnson in the background listening intently to the Commissioner:
Commissioner Salomone is an interesting fellow. He is an old-timer. His description, not mine. He has been around government, especially state government, for over 35 years. He’s seen the management and trends and political winds go full circle. He is a straight-shooter. I believe he is honest and candid. Tough qualities to maintain working in such a political environment for so many years.
Commissioner Salomone told us a number of interesting things. He is not very optimistic about an optimisitic state economic forecast in November 2003. He said the Governor will not endorse any tax increases in 2004. He said the Governor will be receptive to development incentive proposals in 2004.
He told us that he was realtively pleased with the ways that cities have gone about cutting their budgets in response to the $330,000,000 decrease in Local Government Aid and Market Value Homestead Credit aid to cities in 2003-2004. He said he was very confident that the State would return Market Value Homestead Credit revenues back to cities in 2005. The audience was respectful, but a bit skeptical, about that one.
It was a good meeting. I’m sure that I can speak for the other City Managers there when I say that we appreciated the opportunity to meet with the Commissioner in small group setting. He’s got a tough job. He does it pretty well.
