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State legislative candidates share their priorities for office District 27A Peggy Bennett Age: 62 Family: I have a number of “fur-kids”… my new Shiloh Shepherd puppy, Hawken, and my friendly Ragdoll cats; a close circle of good friends and family; and my over 750 former first grade students whom I call my “kids,” many of with whom I still stay in contact! Livelihood: Retired elementary school teacher of 33 years; current state legislator for 27A
Q: Have you agreed or disagreed with the state’s COVID-19 response? What would you have done differently?
Bennett: I applaud the governor for the strategies he implemented in the first 30 days of the coronavirus. At that time, we didn’t have enough information about this virus. Peggy The governor acted quickBennett ly and did what needed to be done. However, after Easter I disagree with the governor’s handling of the virus. By Easter, we had much more data available to us. We could see that various areas of our state were Thomas Martinez, Thomas being affected differently Age: 36 Martinez by the virus. It was evident Family: Married to then that rural Minnesota Natalie Sue Martinez with four should have been treated differchildren: Eleanor, Henry, Theoently than the more heavily popudore and Mabel. lated metro areas, providing for Livelihood: Transportation a more targeted approach. This driver for St. John’s Lutheran has proven to be a correct evaluCommunity ation after examining the results
that Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas have. Each of those states has fared much better (all have significantly lower death rates than Minnesota) without universal one-size-fits-all mandates. I feel bad for the people who were hard hit in nursing homes (our state should never have released COVID-19 positive patients into nursing homes) and for the many people who had serious non-COVID health conditions who could not get treatment because of the hospital closure mandates. I believe we would have had better results for our state had the voices of all three branches of government been involved in the decision-making instead of the governor making the sole decisions. Martinez: Minnesota public health officials have been datadriven and have done a great job keeping Minnesota families safe under the circumstances. It was wise to provide schools with strong statewide guidelines, but also to allow schools to make
decisions this fall as to how and when to open, and when to adjust as the virus numbers go up or down. I found it especially helpful to allow individual students and staff the freedom to work or learn from home if they wish. When lives are on the line we must prioritize public health and our frontline medical workers. Of course, in hindsight, there are many things we could have done differently. We could insulate our food supply chain better and do more to protect Main Street businesses. I would like to see Senior Citizens safely get the social interactions they need to feel connected and some way that family can be with their loved ones dying of COVID-19 in their final moments. I can’t imagine the loneliness felt by those who passed away without family members by their side.
Q: The state will be entering the next year with a large deficit. Do you have ideas going into the next session of things the state
can do to address this?
Bennett: First, I want to see the Legislature protect the core responsibilities of state government from cuts — important core government functions like education, public safety and caring for the vulnerable such as people in nursing homes. We need to bring common sense to our state budget. There are so many government programs that don’t work and provide little benefit to our state. It’s time for us to eliminate these ineffective programs once and for all and continue to fund the programs that actually help people. People want to pay for things that work. Let’s get rid of the things that don’t work. I had a bill this last session that would address this issue. My “evidence-based government” bill would bring accountability to government spending by requiring goals to be set and data on program effectiveness to be collected. Unfortunately, the See STATE, Page 4
Frequently asked questions surrounding A.L. district’s proposed levy increase On Nov. 3, Albert Lea Area Schools will be asking local taxpayers for a slight increase to our operating levy. We are seeking approval of the levy for two reasons: One, to maintain our current programming, and two, provide the technology that is required for our students to be educated in today’s world. This money is for our students. The current voter approved levy was approved by district residents in 2013, and is due to expire in 2022. 99% of school districts have a voter approved levy in place at the local level, as state funding has not kept up with the cost of inflation. Fortunately, during my long tenure in Albert Lea, we have practiced fiscal responsibility. We have
Hammer Field update and Halverson project in 2018. Why do we need to increase taxes again?
Guest Column By Mike Funk
been able to improve the district, while holding taxes for our community members relatively flat. Since 2014, the school district tax on our average household of $100,000 has increased a total of $8. As superintendent of schools, I’d like to answer some frequently asked questions related to the levy: Question: We just approved the
Answer: The Hammer project was a bond. Bonds are utilized for building. Taxes did not go up with the Hammer project, as the district timed it to replace debt going off the books. Levies are for district operations and learning. We need this to educate our students. Question: Why is Albert Lea Area Schools always asking taxpayers for more money? Answer: Albert Lea Area Schools has asked for support from local taxpayers three times total in the last 12 years. This is
the lowest amount of referendum requests within the Big Nine during this time period. By law, school districts are the only entity between city, county and school districts that need voter approval for operating or building funds. Question: Why does the district need this money for 10 years? They will not need as much technology usage after the pandemic is gone. Answer: The pandemic has allowed school districts to reach students in a variety of new ways as a result of technology. We will continue to utilize technology like never before in the future.
Question: What will happen if the referendum does not pass?
Answer: Albert Lea Area Schools will come back to the voters in November 2021, and make a request for a new levy. If that request fails, Albert Lea will be among five school districts out of 336 in the state of Minnesota to no longer have a levy in place. District 241 is appreciative of the community support we have received to meet the needs of our students. Thank you for your consideration of this referendum request. Visit www.alschools. org/referendum for more information
Mike Funk is Albert Lea’s superintendent.