Time for new leadership

Talk about it

MINNEAPOLIS — There’s a windmill on a hill not far from the dairy farm where I grew up. My great-great-grandpa Louis Seppman built it stone by stone. By himself Grandpa Seppman dragged lumber from the woods and fashioned the walls by hand — walls two feet thick and 32 feet tall. It threshed 150 bushels of wheat per day. Farmers across Blue Earth County pulled their crops by ox teams to Grandpa Seppman’s mill.

With his bare hands Grandpa Seppman created opportunity for himself and his community. His vision and strength helped farmers earn more from their crops, and provide a better life for their families. That’s the promise of Minnesota: that hard work matters, and good ideas do more than make people think — they get people back to work.

But right now 204,000 Minnesotans are out of work — including 340 people in Worthington. These are people who have worked hard. They pay their taxes. They play by the rules. They do everything —but they aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

In Minnesota, we can and must do better.

As governor, I will fight for you — because I know where I come from, and I will never forget who I’m fighting for. I’m fighting for hard-working Minnesota families. I’m fighting for small business owners, teachers, students, and seniors. And now, more than ever, Minnesotans need a governor who will fight for them.

As your governor, I will stand up and fight for Worthington. And I’ll start by bringing home federal dollars to cover 20,000 more Minnesotans with health care and create 30,000 jobs in our hospitals and clinics. That single action will deliver almost $752,000 in badly needed funding for Worthington Regional Hospital (Sanford Medical Center Worthington).

As a working mom with two kids in public schools, I will fight to give our children a world-class education — because a great education is the foundation of a strong economy. I will do that by finally fixing the way we fund our schools, so that every student has the opportunity to succeed.

As your governor, I will direct needed resources to improve the efficiency and production of biofuels. I will promote the Rural Finance Authority to help farmers expand and preserve their operations. I will immediately implement a “buy local” order to ensure state government supports Minnesota businesses and farms whenever possible.

As your governor, I will make needed investments in Minnesota’s aging infrastructure. By passing two major bonding bills in my first two years as governor, we can create 46,000 Minnesota jobs, and support long-term economic growth into the future.

As governor, I will continue investments in the clean energy economy and help small businesses grow through better access to capital and technical support. To do that I will: 1) provide low-interest loans of up to $250,000 for high-growth potential small businesses; 2) streamline costly and time-consuming permitting processes; and 3) help small business owners take better advantage of existing state resources.

As governor, I will beat back skyrocketing property taxes. By reforming the way we fund our schools, we can reduce property taxes by at least $600 million over the next six years. And I’ll cap property taxes for Minnesotans over the age of 65 — because our parents and grandparents need a Governor who will fight to protect their independence and financial security.

That’s the kind of governor Minnesota needs. Now is the time for new leadership in this state. And after 24 years without a DFL governor, it’s time to put a real progressive leader back in the governor’s office.

Six months ago, thousands of DFLers gathered in classrooms, cafeterias, and libraries to begin the process of picking their next governor. I was honored to receive the overwhelming endorsement of the DFL party — an endorsement from thousands of Minnesotans who, like me, believe our best days yet to come.

On Aug. 10th, DFLers in Worthington and across Minnesota will come together again at the polls to choose who they want to be their next governor. These are challenging times, and there is too much at stake in this election to sit this primary out.

We need a DFL candidate who will beat Tom Emmer in November — someone who will fight for Minnesotans no matter how hard it gets. I will be that governor. I don’t quit, and I will never stop fighting for you. I ask for your vote on Aug. 10th. It would be my honor to serve as your governor.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher is the DFL-endorsed candidate for Minnesota governor.

Tags: margaret anderson kelliher, opinion