Deadlocked
Senate District 41's Legislators talk about the Session that was, and Session that could have been

Despite the widely seen video of drunken debauchery at the state capitol by DFL politicos, it was Senate District 41's three legislators who looked like they could have used a stiff drink after a long and difficult session with Dean Johnson's do-nothing DFL Senate caucus. Tired but resolute, Representatives Ron Erhardt (41A) and Alice Seagren (41B) along with Senator Geoff Michel, spoke to an anxious crowd awaiting to hear their views on the 2004 session.

Diners Enjoy Good Republican Conversation Before Officials Speak

Alice Seagren set the tone of the discussion by half-comically stating, "It's all the senate's fault", a comment agreed to by Erhardt and Michel. Despite feeling like she was in "limboland" after the session's results, Seagren spoke movingly of being "let down" by the session's partisan sting and the failure to confirm now ex-Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke. Both Seagren and Michel, who serve on the House and Senate education committees, spoke with angst over the Senate DFL's refusal to appoint Yecke.

"Losing Cheri is a real loss for the state of Minnesota", Seagren said. "She brought in federal money and found misappropriated federal money", Seagren continued. "She gave our educational system direction after four years of being adrift under Ventura."

Sen. Geoff Michel Discusses the 2004 Senate Session

Geoff Michel, who as a Senator found himself on the frontlines of the state's political battlefield, tried to put the Senate DFL's behavior in a larger context. "The seeds of the conflict were planted last year in balancing the budget without raising taxes," the freshman senator observed. The DFL caucus felt "steamrolled" by Pawlenty and the House and sought revenge in the 2004 session. Michel said the tone of the session was evident when Senator Dean Johnson, the former Republican minority leader, replaced Senator John Hottinger as the DFL's majority leader.

"The Governor extended a hand to solve the deficit and Dean Johnson whirled and danced away....Dean said he felt they [the senate] didn't need to do anything this year and did exactly that." Michel was the most upset by the fact the do-nothing senate session cost the state an estimated $7 million of the taxpayer's money in addition to not solving the $160 million deficit. "This year was the poster child for why we don't need yearly sessions. If this is all we'll do, we shouldn't do it!"

Rep. Ron Erhardt, Rep. Alice Seagren, and Sen. Geoff Michel Listen to Questions from the Audience

Ron Erhardt viewed the session slightly differently. "We did a lot...it was considered a 'do-nothing' session because the big-ticket items were ignored." Erhardt pointed to the number of bills passed in the House and Senate surpassing even last year's number, a year in which many high-profile bills were passed into law. In total, 163 bills were passed in 2004, compared to 156 last year. And the possibility of a special session could even increase that number. 

One of Erhardt's major accomplishments for the year was the redistricting of Edina's precinct 16. Designed on the 2000 census, precinct 16 ran down the middle of an apartment complex, dividing the building not only by precinct but also by legislator. Half the building was represented by Erhardt, the other half by Seagren. The precinct line was moved and Erhardt gained an additional 715 Republican voters, making 41A the largest legislative district in the state.

Jack McCann, Carol Kerr, and Nancy Vetter Prepare Food for the SD 41 Full Committee Meeting

As the evening's comments concluded, all three legislators spoke of the likelihood of a special session this summer. All agreed the odds were at best, "50-50", and in the words of Michel, "we shouldn't come back unless Dean Johnson agrees to actually get something done.

Minnesota Senate District 41 Republicans
Edina Community Center, Suite 323, 5701 Normandale Road, Edina, Minnesota 55424
phone - (952) 848-4272 / fax - (952) 848-4271

E-mail: sd41gop@hotmail.com

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