State House District 4A: Three running for open seat

Oct 29, 2008 (The Bemidji Pioneer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- WMT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- An open race for the Minnesota House 4A seat prompted high-profile visits from both Republicans and Democrats eager to take the seat.

And it's also drawn third-party interest in a crowded field to win the seat being vacated by Assistant House Majority Leader Frank Moe, DFL-Bemidji, who is not seeking a third term.

Vying for the post are Democrat John Persell and Republican John Carlson, with Independence Party candidate Sharatin Blake trying to split that vote.

Persell tried twice before for the 4A DFL endorsement, and has it this time with the support of a host of Democrats, from House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher to U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar. An environmental policy analyst for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Persell is also a Frohn Township supervisor and a Beltrami Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor.

Carlson, who owns an American Family Insurance agency, also is an adjunct instructor in business administration at Bemidji State University. He worked on the initial finance committee for the Bemidji Regional Events Center and is a long-time youth hockey and baseball coach and leader.

Those trooping to Bemidji to support Carlson's candidacy include Gov. Tim Pawlenty and House Minority Leader Marty Seifert.

Blake, a 2002 Bemidji High School graduate, is a support manager at Wal-Mart in Bemidji. More Libertarian than Independence Party, Blake says the major party allowed him easier access to the ballot, forgoing the need for a 500-signature petition. His platform is to follow the Constitution in determining government services, and that the less government is the best.

"There doesn't seem to be a silver lining in any clouds that could pull us out before we get to St. Paul," Persell says, acknowledging the possibility of a state budget deficit that could reach $2 billion.

"We've got to have our education, we've got to have funding for education," Persell says of his top priority. "I very much believe we can find the funding for that. We've got to do some things in health care. There's savings in health care, for sure."

Persell would go after "exorbitant administrative costs" in health care that he says amounts to up to 40 percent of health care costs. "We could come up with some very significant dollars that we can use on the budget deficit."

In addition to health care savings, Persell also calls for fairness in tax policy, advocating that Minnesota's most wealthy pay a fairer share of their income for taxes, as the middle class now pays a higher percentage of income.

He favors more spending on early childhood education, which he says will save future state budgets in welfare and corrections costs.

He also pushes the idea of "green jobs," hoping to spur economic activity by promoting manufacturing of alternative energy sources such as solar panels or wind turbines. Persell has his own wind turbine that powers his home.

The state handled a $4.5 billion budget deficit before, and Carlson said the state can handle the current one without raising taxes. The best budgeting, he said, is zero-based budgeting or starting from scratch and building a budget based on needs and not on an increase in the previous budget.

"I understand how to do budgets, I understand how to make payroll in tough times," he said. "If we could do it (zero-based budgeting) on a department by department basis, maybe not necessarily in one year, but looking at some of the bigger departments up front where there's the possibility of the largest amount where we could cut spending -- we have to balance the budget by tightening our belts and have government live within its means."

But Minnesota can't continue to tax the businesses in the state or the people "to the point where they want to leave this state."

There are exceptions, however. Carlson believes education is a state obligation and wants to stop having local school districts need to pass operating levy referendums. He would raise taxes for education, but hopes the Legislation can consider education funding first, and then the rest of state spending after that.

Carlson also wants to get health care costs under control by promoting more private insurance competition in the state, and would seek energy independence through solar, wind, biofuels and nuclear energy.

Blake would have the state divest itself of services not mandated by the Constitution, such as social services which he would turn back to non-profits and church-related groups, and would pay more for education and roads, both part of the constitutional duties.

In education, however, Blake believes in parental choice and would advocate a voucher system that would promote competition among all schools public and private, thus increasing education quality.

Government "has grown too large," he said. "Right now, government takes out of everyone's paycheck about 35 percent of your money in order to pay for government projects and programs."

Minnesota's corporate taxes rank near the top, he said, "and are breaking people's backs."

He believes in the free-market system, that industries can police themselves better than stifling government regulations.

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