Statement by Jon Jensen about the Decorah Power PAC

(decorahnews.com contacted Jon Jensen to ask for a statement about his serving as Treasurer on the Decorah Power PAC):

"Decorah Power, including the required political action committee, is a volunteer, grassroots effort of local citizens who are passionate about our community and its future.  While not everyone involved in Decorah Power lives within the city limits, we are all active members of this community.  We work and shop in Decorah, our kids go to school in Decorah, and, like our neighbors who live within the city limits, we care deeply about Decorah.  The effort to explore public power with local control for Decorah is a community effort that is fundamentally about what is best for the Decorah community, of which I am a part.

Personally, I have chosen to live with my family in the country a few miles from town, but I do not think this makes me an "outsider" or that we do not have an interest in the future of our community.   Like many others, I am not able to vote in the May 1st referendum, but I believe that I still have an obligation to engage in community affairs.  This election is about moving ahead with a conversation about our community's future, and that future matters to my family, not just to city residents.  I trust my friends and fellow community members to educate themselves and to vote 'Yes' for this continued conversation, which can and should include those of us in the greater Decorah community.  There is a strong financial interest from outside that is working to sow fear and to divide our community. Decorah Power is working hard to educate citizens so that the vote on May 1st reflects the highest ideals for Decorah."