Improving Participation in Democracy

I believe we need to remove barriers to participating in our government. One of the primary barriers is lack of trust in our system. Can one person make a difference? Yes.

TRANSPARENCY

Minnesota was one of the first states to have "sunshine" laws which required open meetings and posting of information so that people could participate in their government. Today, public meetings are often sparsely attended and Capitol hearings have an audience of lobbyist paid to sit through the night to provide testimony and comment.

The Internet provides a great opportunity for Minnesotans to become aware of and participate in their government on line. It also can provide a tool for accountability. As a local government elected official, I pushed in the late 1990s to have our meeting minutes posted on-line so that spending decisions were open and accountable to the public (www.dakotacountyswcd.org).

Each branch of state government has web pages, as a legislator I will push for:

1) Annual web page posting of a summary of fiscal year spending. This would include executive branch agencies, the legislature and judiciary;

2) Annual posting of state elected officials and commissioner's office spending, including travel and bonuses;

3) Posting of fiscal notes for agency initiatives and proposed legislation.

I believe transparency will provide awareness of spending and help hold down costs.

DAY AT THE CAPITOL

We need to improve public participation in our legislative process. As a candidate I want to hear from you (651-451-1189) and if elected, I want to hear from you.

Many groups, organizations and committees have legislative days at the capitol during the session. I have participated in these as a Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor. They do a good job of bringing citizens to the capitol for specific issues or policy areas. They also provide an excellent role in educating legislators.

However, I think a legislator should be open and innovative in bringing people to the process. I would propose having a District 39A Know Your Government Day at the Capitol to invite folks from Mendota Heights, West St. Paul, Mendota, Lilydale, Eagan Precinct One and South St. Paul Precinct One to come to our Capitol. I think this would help build community and bring folks from diverse backgrounds together so that I could provide you with better representation.

VOTING

Minnesota has one of the most accessible voting processes in the country, but we can do better.

I support no excuses absentee balloting. This means when you ask for an absentee ballot, you will receive one.

Current law requires that you provide a reason why you need an absentee ballot. Why does your goverment need to know why you need an absentee ballot? Our elections officials need to know that you are who you say you are and that you don't vote twice in an election. If you do, there are current laws on the books to provide consequences.