Access To Democracy

What do Eagan’s Advisory Commissioners do? Sarah Alig, Assistant Eagan City Administrator, answers that question in conversation with host Bill Raker. She explains the relationships between the Eagan City Council, the Commissioners, and the public.

Learn the various areas the Advisory Commissions have impact on and how they serve and benefit the community. Sarah answers more questions: What are the traits of a good commissioner? How are commissioners selected? How does someone apply to be a commissioner? How long do commissioners serve? What benefits do volunteers get for serving as a commissioner?

The interview highlights citizenry engagement in local government.

Lisa Lovering, Senior Financial Exploitation Investigator with the MN Department of Commerce, shares with host Bill Raker how the Department of Commerce oversees some 40 different industries and licenses about 250,000 professionals as part of its efforts to protect Minnesota consumers.

That includes investigating financial frauds and scams and assisting victims. Drawing from her experience and expertise in law enforcement, she describes several trending scams and how to recognize their “red flags”.

Lisa’s advice: Verify! Verify! Verify! Learn what to do if you know, or suspect, a scammer has taken your money or your identity.

It’s exciting to hear Matthew Carter, Executive Director, Dakota County Historical Society (DCHS) review with host Bill Raker the numerous memorable experiences one can have visiting the DCHS museums. He also shares the plans being made for future exhibits and events.

Former DCHS Board Member, Buzz Anderson, joins the discussion to describe the critical and rewarding role the volunteer board members provide for the Society.

A highlight of this interview is Matt and Buzz recount when at the Society’s 2024 Annual meeting a panel consisting of an airline pilot, the manager in charge at the MSP Airport, and a controller with the FAA described how their daily lives were impacted by the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The connections to Dakota County may surprise you!

The importance and impact of efforts to sustain our environment and maintain the livability of our planet highlight the discussion Gillian Catano has with host Bill Raker. We learn about the history, vision and actions of Eagan’s sustainability program.

Gillian provides the context and responsibilities of her role as coordinator for the comprehensive program. She explains the mission of the Sustainable Eagan Advisory Commission and the Sustainable Eagan Academy that’s open to citizens. 90% of Eagan residents rate the natural environment a priority. Gillian shares with us how we can and should do our part.

Colleen Moriarty, Executive Director of Hunger Solutions MN, sits down with Access to Democracy host Steve Francisco to discuss how this amazing nonprofit organization is working in coalition with other anti-poverty and anti-hunger advocates to end hunger in our state. Colleen has spent most of her remarkable career dedicated to the fight against poverty and has spent the past twenty years leading Hunger Solutions MN.

In this interview, she tells us about how the MN Food HelpLine connects people with local foodshelves, how the Food Shelf Capacity program supports foodshelves, and how the innovative Market Bucks program helps customers increase their buying power. Colleen and her coalition at Partners to End Hunger won a huge victory at the Legislature in 2023 with the passage of the Universal Free School Lunch program. Colleen is retiring at the end of February after a remarkable career.