Last week, Lakeshore Management, the company that recently purchased the Viking Terrace Manufactured Home
Park in Northfield, announced that it would roll back nearly all the changes it had sought to instill in the park last Spring.
Lakeshore’s change of heart came after the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stepped in and contacted the company. The Attorney General’s Office pointed out that many of the rule changes conflicted with Minnesota law, and they would not be allowed to stand.
“My office stepped in,” Ellison said, “because we heard from the residents, and because they had credible claims.”
A statement issued by the Attorney General’s office enumerated several of the changes they felt were substantial modifications of rules under the previous lease, which is something that is specifically banned under Minnesota Manufactured Housing laws. Among the more troubling new rules, was a curfew that prevented residents from taking a walk through their own neighborhood after 10pm, a ban on vehicles that residents do not drive every day, the prohibition of vegetable gardens without Lakeshore’s permission, a ban on clotheslines for drying laundry, and the stipulation that Lakeshore could have any guest in any home removed at any time for any reason.
In response to these claims, Viking Terrace Residents have organized and asked for help from several governmental agencies and human rights organizations. The Housing Justice Center and Rice County Neighbors United offered advice on how to form a Resident’s Association. A large group of those residents appealed to the City Council at a recent meeting asking for help. And a letter writing campaign to Ellison’s office was organized in the hopes that the Attorney General would step in.
“The role of the Attorney General is to protect consumers,” Ellison said. “And residents of Manufactured Home Parks are consumers. We are empowered to enforce these matters.”
Ellison said he believes Manufactured Homes are a good option for housing so long as the homes and the parks are well maintained.
“Those residents have a right to live in a well-maintained area,” he said. “So, we stepped in.”
The situation in Viking Terrace is not a unique one. Several Manufactured Home Parks both in Minnesota and indeed across the country are seeing similar corporate takeovers that are leaving residents feeling threatened.
“This is an epidemic across the country,” Ellison said. “And there are a lot of barriers for residents of these parks, be it low-income, or language, or other issues, keeping them from coming forward and asking for help.”
He said he has joined with several other Attorneys General across the country to form what he called a “working group” to address the problem in a uniformed manner.
Rice County working to assure citizens of election security
On Thursday of last week, an article in the Minneapolis StarTribune, the fourth in a series centered around the
problems created by misinformation in our society, highlighted the pressure being put on the Rice County Tax and Elections Director, Denise Anderson, by activists who are concerned that there was widespread voter fraud within Rice County during the 2020 election and are pushing for changes to the way elections are being carried out.
“I’ve been doing this for 27 years, and I’ve never, ever experienced anything like this,” Anderson was quoted as saying. “The internet is providing them information that is not correct for Minnesota, and they’re going with it.”
Earlier last month, David Maeda, the elections director for the Minnesota Secretary of State, told the Rice County Board of Commissioners that Minnesota’s elections and election results are sound and can be trusted.
He said all voting equipment used in Minnesota must meet both state and federal standards. All equipment also goes through a rigorous testing process, which lasts about a month, before it goes into service. Voting equipment must also go through a public test before each election. Any piece of equipment that isn’t 100% accurate cannot be used, he said.
Furthermore, in a statement released by Rice County, Maeda praised Anderson for her expertise in running an election.
“Denise did a stellar job in 2020,” he said. “I look at her as a leader in this field. The way she ran this election is to be commended.”
However, despite every official in the state, and indeed the country, giving assurance that the 2020 election was valid, and despite a profound lack of evidence, rumors persist that the 2020 election was rampant with voter fraud. Maeda addressed the County Board in order to reassure everyone in Rice County that they can trust their elections.
In response to the campaign of misinformation, Anderson has presented the county election equipment for inspection by the public, and a drobox outside of the Rice County Government Center that some found particularly objectionable has been removed.
The special election to fill the 1st Congressional seat left vacant when Congressman Jim Hagedorn passed away earlier this year, along with several primary elections, including one to determine the candidates for one of Northfield’s At-Large City Council seats, are all set August 9, one week from today.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
[recent_post_carousel slides_to_show=”1″ limit=”5″ slides_to_scroll=”1″ category=”10″ media_size=”medium” dots=”false” show_read_more=”false”]
