It is very handy in this election campaign for Mayor Rossman to claim credit for the coming of Target store to round shopping opportunities for local people. In this, he is telling a half-truth, however. There is more than a Target coming, as those of us in Bridgewater Township who saw our land taken for this development, know very well.

There will be a big cub Foods alongside Target, driving out our newest and biggest grocery, County Market. And there will be four outlets of businesses as yet unnamed on a total of 37 acres. Traffic projections are horrendous. Incidents of "road rage" are already occurring as traffic is staggered to accommodate the Target entrance on south Hwy 3.

The referendum vote allowing "planned development zones for large retail establishments" effectively opened up the whole highway strip to big box, not just a target store. Other big box stores are jockeying for position on the Dundas side of the strip. A Menards store larger than the new one in Apple Valley is going through steps to its permit south of the K-Mart and Sears stores. A Walgreens is attempting to come in one the north end.

Mayor Rossman does not stop at turning our town into a regional shopping center. He is now working on bringing a regional medical campus to St. Olaf land, with alumni housing and other housing, on a total of 206 acres as part of the deal. Farmers in the area are stunned at the scale of it. City administrator Scott Neal has said this project is the highlight of his career.

Anyone out there who would like to see some of the good in our rural community remaining when the dust settles, my advice is to vote for one of the two challengers for mayor. Both look very good to me‹Lee Lansing of the local hardware store and Keith Covey, former director of facilities at Carleton College.

For the Council races, the Green Party endorsements could serve as a guide. Many thanks to St. Olaf student Meghan Milbrath who has thrown her support to Tom Kotula for Ward 3 on the St. Olaf side of town. Everyone can vote for the at-large candidates‹Victor Summa and David Garwood DeLong. Garwood DeLong has been a tireless worker on the Council, a true watchdog.