Ron Case has a passion for old wood. He took apart not one but two 1860s granaries and rebuilt them in his backyard, behind his house, which was also built well over 100 years ago.

So it shouldn't be surprising that he favors spending Eden Prairie tax dollars to preserve historic sites like the Smith Douglas More House.

Case was recently re-elected to the Eden Prairie City Council where he had served for 12 years. He spent the last two years as private citizen after losing the mayoral election to Phil Young.

Case teaches math and social studies at Oak Point Intermediate The classroom might seem like the last place we'd want to spend his free time, but it's not. He earned his doctorate from St. Mary's University during his time away from the council.

"I don't have to go to anymore classes the rest of my life, so I think the council stuff will just replace that," Case said at the Smith Douglas More House Dunn Bros. "It worked out really well actually, and the doctorate is in leadership, so ..."

Case is excited to be back on the council so he can advocate for the causes he believes in, like the preservation of historic buildings or keeping Eden Prairie competitive against other suburbs.

That's why he favors city backing for the Eden Prairie Art Center. He's heard from Eden Prairie residents who travel to surrounding cities to use their art centers.

"If we don't have the flow of people choosing [to live in] Eden Prairie then our home values begin to decline," Case said. "Edina has an art center, Minnetonka has an art center, Bloomington has an art center, Hopkins has an art center. There must be something there that suburban communities ... maintain and run their art centers as one of many amenities that attract people to a city."

Case said he believes savings can be found in the current budget, but he also thinks there are areas that might require new money.

"We can't do everything. We have to do enough," Case said. "In that light, I favor an art center. I favor working with community theater groups. I favor saving this very building we're sitting in right now for open public use, and to some extent these things require small amounts of tax dollars."

Although he likes to think of himself as fiscally responsible, he acknowledges that he'll probably be more of a liberal spender than incumbent Brad Aho, who was also re-elected to the council.

"I don't know how exclusive our votes were but I would guess pretty exclusive," Case said of his and Aho's vote totals in the election, "and he pulls fourteen-nine and I pull fourteen-eight, so what are voters telling us?"

The problem, as Case sees it, is that the city, like America, is evenly split.

"I'm very cognizant that I'm going into this on what's perceptually the two side of a three-two split," he said. "In a way it's very freeing for me to be in that position because my role now is just to articulate and advocate for the causes and positions I believe in ... and I will do that. Let the votes fall where they fall."

If his goal was only to get re-elected every four years, Case said he could pander to his base. But, "at the risk of sounding altruistic," he said it's more important for him to do what's best for Eden Prairie.

"I think both halves of Eden Prairie have valid arguments," Case said. "We, as a council, are best served - and we serve best - if we really do listen to both sides."

Case will take office in January 2009. Incumbent Sherry Butcher also ran for the council and finished third in the race for the two open seats.

The problem, as Case sees it, is that the city, like America, is evenly split.

"I'm very cognizant that I'm going into this on what's perceptually the two side of a three-two split," he said. "In a way it's very freeing for me to be in that position because my role now is just to articulate and advocate for the causes and positions I believe in ... and I will do that. Let the votes fall where they fall."

If his goal was only to get re-elected every four years, Case said he could pander to his base. But, "at the risk of sounding altruistic," he said it's more important for him to do what's best for Eden Prairie.

"I think both halves of Eden Prairie have valid arguments," Case said. "We, as a council, are best served - and we serve best - if we really do listen to both sides."

Case will take office in January 2009. Incumbent Sherry Butcher also ran for the council and finished third in the race for the two open seats.