Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS 4-H celebrates 100 years Many 4-H accomplishments will be on display during Dakota County Fair this week in Farmington. Page 2A
OPINION Listen to gain school insight Columnist Joe Nathan says listening to and learning from families and students can help improve school success. Page 4A
THISWEEKEND
August 11, 2016 • Volume 131 • Number 24
Lewis wins handily in 2nd District GOP race Former talk show host to face Democratic candidate Angie Craig by Sam Brodey MINNPOST WWW.MINNPOST.COM
The general election match to replace Rep. John Kline in Minnesota’s Second District is officially down to two candidates: Democrat Angie Craig and Republican Jason Lewis. On Tuesday, Lewis — his party’s endorsed candidate — locked up the nomination with a strong showing in which he soundly dispatched three challengers. With nearly all precincts reporting as of Wednesday afternoon, Lewis, a former radio host from Woodbury,
e a r n e d nearly half (48.81 percent) of the 23,500 – plus votes cast on p r i m a r y Jason Lewis day. That was more than enough to beat his best-funded and most serious challenger, Burnsville business owner Darlene Miller, who took about a third of the vote. Former Red Wing mayor and state senator John Howe got about 14 percent, while Matt Erickson, who ran as an explicit proDonald Trump candidate,
got about 7 percent. Ahead of the primary, close observers of the 2nd Angie Craig D i s t r i c t were predicting a low turnout contest that could have broken for either Lewis or Miller. Backers of Miller, who was endorsed by Kline, believed she was gaining ground as the primary neared, and her campaign hammered Lewis in ads and mailers in hopes that she could encourage a wider swath of Republican
voters to turn out. In the end, turnout was relatively high — over 4,500 more voters showed up yesterday than did in Kline’s contested 2014 primary — but those voters broke for Lewis, not Miller. The general election battle between Lewis and Craig will command the attention of both parties on a national level. The 2nd District is a true swing district — Kline has won re-election easily in elections even when President Barack Obama, Sen. Al Franken and Sen. Amy Klobuchar also carried the district.
It should be an intense and acrimonious contest, too: As soon as Lewis won, each side was out with dueling statements accusing the other candidate of being a radical partisan who is out of touch with Minnesota values. Craig, an Eagan native and a former executive at St. Jude Medical, is a firsttime candidate, and Republicans will be making the case that she is too liberal for this swingy district. Meanwhile, Lewis’ two decades in talk radio and penchant for stoking conSee 2ND, 6A
Isaacs wins District 196 School Board seat
Fun begins at the fair
Second-time candidate to replace Rob Duchscher by Jessica Harper SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Beatles tribute concert Eagan Market Fest will play host to a performance by Beatles tribute band A Hard Day’s Night on Wednesday, Aug. 17. Page 13A
Center alternate board member. Freske is a technology director with BI WORLDWIDE, which delivers technical solutions to Fortune 100 companies. She said she oversees a multi-million dollar budget and continues to increase revenue and profitability year over year. She’s organized charitable events for nonprofit organizations and private citizens and has volunteered at Feed My Starving Children, Second Harvest and the Rosemount Area Athletic Association. Rivera is a project manager at Progressive Rail Inc. and was recently appointed by the city of Rosemount to serve on the Facilities Task Force. She has been active with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and is a current member of the League of Railway Industry Women.
Sachin Isaacs will soon take a seat at the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School Board. Isaacs beat six other candidates Tu e s d ay with 28.79 percent of the vote. W e n d y Sachin B r e k k e n Isaacs of Inver Grove Heights finished with 19.57 percent. She trailed Isaacs by a 2,124 to 1,444 count. “I’m incredibly happy and humbled and honored to have gotten his privilege,� Isaacs said. An immigrant from India, Isaacs brings diversity to the all-white School Board. “Coming from an immigrant background, I feel I have first-hand experiences that are shared by many in the immigrant community,� said Isaacs, who came to the United States in 1999. “My hope is that we can begin a discussion that will end with the best outcome for all children.� The 38-year-old father of two young children will also bring a youthful component to the board and the perspective of a parent with children just starting their educational journey. His daughters are 6 and 3 years old. Isaacs, a senior product manager of clinical assessments at NCS Pearson, focused much of his campaign on closing the achievement gap and promoting the use of technology to help District 196 “compete in a global economy.� Isaacs said he plans to “take a comprehensive approach� when addressing the achievement gap by looking beyond test scores and examining food insecurity and other factors that contribute to the achievement gap. Isaacs earned his busi-
See COUNCIL, 6A
See 196, 7A
The midway, above, was in full form Tuesday afternoon during the Dakota County Fair in Farmington with many rides and food options open for business. A youth tractor pull, right, sponsored by the Dakota County Fair brought out dozens of young people who pedaled their way to prizes. A violin group from Apple Valley plays during the talent contest, below, on the entertainment stage Tuesday during the Dakota County Fair. For full schedule of events visit, www.dakotacountyfair.org. (Photos by Andy Rogers)
SPORTS Fall sports practice begins Many area teams have high expectations for 2016 as the start of the fall sports season begins in the local coverage area. Page 8A
Rosemount council race reduced to four Wade Miller does not advance after primary by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District.
INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . 9A Announcements . . . . 12A Calendars . . . . . . . . . 12A
News 952-846-2033 Display Advertising 952-846-2019 Classified Advertising 952-392-6862 Delivery 763-712-3544
The four-person field for the Rosemount City Council general election was set after Tuesday’s primary. Advancing were incumbents Vanessa Demuth and Jeff Weisensel along with candidates Heidi Freske and Brenda Rivera. Candidate Wade Miller did not advance as he finished in fifth place. The primary was triggered since there was one more candidate than double the number of seats available. The remaining four will vie for two, four-year seats on the council. The unofficial results were as follows: Jeff Weisensel – 707 votes – 27.10 percent Vanessa Demuth – 669 votes – 25.64 percent Heidi Freske – 469 votes – 17.98 percent Brenda Rivera – 415 votes –15.91 percent
Jeff Weisensel
Vanessa Demuth
Wade Miller – 349 votes – 13.38 percent Weisensel, a construction project manager, has served on the City Council since 2008. During that time he has served on the Port Authority and has been the council’s liaison to the Youth Commission. He served on the city’s Planning Commission from 1997-2004 and has been on the Dakota Communication Center Board of Directors since 2010. He’s been involved with Dakota County 4-H, Dakota County Extension Committee, Red Cross, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church and the
Heidi Freske
Brenda Rivera
Rosemount Area Athletic Association. Demuth, a geologist with Dakota County’s Environmental Resources Department, was elected to the City Council in 2012. She is a State Registered Environmental Health Sanitarian and a State Certified Water Well Inspector. She has served on the Planning Commission and the Board of Appeals and Adjustment. She has represented the City Council on the Metro Cities Water Policy Committee, Rosemount Port Authority, Rosemount Utility Commission and Dakota Communications
%
A fee is charged at some locations to cover distribution costs.
&
!""'! !
$
$ $