MN House 38A – Local Decision 2018

In 2018, voters in MN House District 38A will elect a representative. District 38A includes Lino Lakes, Centerville, Lexington, Circle Pines, and part of Blaine. You can read about the candidates below, or watch a forum held by the North Metro Mayors Association here.

About: Kevin Fogarty is a husband, father, grandfather, and a blue-collar union member. Kevin and his wife Mary have lived in Centerville for over 30 years and raised three daughters. Their family has since expanded to include three sons-in-law and seven grandchildren. Kevin grew up on his family’s farm south of Belle Plaine and at 14 started working on his uncle’s dairy farm. Kevin has been a Teamster since 1982 and used to be a truck driver for Lakeville Motor Express. He currently is a school bus driver for Centennial Public Schools and a member of the Teamsters 320. Kevin graduated from the University of Minnesota Waseca and served on the Centerville Park Board.

Important Issues: I have been focused on education, working families and transportation in this race.

This year alone there is a $4.23 million gap in state revenues at Centennial Public Schools, which has forced the district to place two levy referendums on the November ballot. In this time of budget surpluses, we should be investing in our schools, not cutting taxes for special interests.
Median wages in Minnesota have stagnated for nearly two decades while the costs of everything from education to healthcare continue to rise. Minnesota families need relief and that starts with investing in education, bring down healthcare costs, and protecting workers rights to collectively bargain.
Minnesota has a multi-billion gap in infrastructure funding and as vehicles become more fuel efficient, that gap will only grow. It is time we had a serious conversation about a sustainable revenue source to fix our crumbling roads and bridges and expand transit.

Goals if Elected: My primary goal if elected is to make sure I bring the views of working families to St. Paul. Some key priorities include making sure we use our surplus to increase state general education funding, crack down on exorbitant CEO salaries at our nonprofit health insurers, and pass a bonding bill that includes strong investment in our roads and bridges.

Endorsements:

Education Minnesota
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

Connect with Me:

Website: http://www.fogartyforhouse.com
Email: fogartyforhouse@gmail.com
Social Media: http://facebook.com/fogartyforhouse
Phone: 651-398-4361

About: Linda Runbeck has many years of experience in both the public and private sectors. She held executive positions at Super Valu Stores, Inc. and Dahlberg, Inc. She has been a small business owner and a co-owner of a small family business. She spent five years in the non-profit sector with the Taxpayers League of MN and the Minnesota Free Market Institute. She has spent6 terms in the Minnesota House and 2 terms in the Senate. Currently, she chairs the House Transportation and Regional Governance Policy Committee.

Runbeck is a graduate of Bethel University. In her community, she served for 10 years on YMCA Advisory Boards of both the Northwest and Chain of Lakes YMCA’s. She and her husband have been a host family for the AFS student exchange program in 2010 and 2014. They have been long-time residents of Circle Pines, and their daughter is a graduate of Centennial schools.

Important Issues: Many Minnesotans’ health care costs have ballooned under MNsure/ObamaCare. Revamping our health care to provide affordability and more plan options is a top priority for me. Other issues needing solutions include the aging water supply and treatment infrastructure in our cities, the mismatch of job skills with job openings, the opioid crisis, the high cost of higher education, and the achievement gap in our K-12 system. New transportation dollars for roads and bridges provided by the 2017-18 legislature has alleviated road funding concerns in the near term. Specific additional concerns I am working on include providing tools for teachers in helping dyslexic students, empowering local municipalities’ in areas of water governance and planning, and reforming the Met Council to make it accountable to the taxpayers and cities it governs.

Goals if Elected: If I am elected to be your representative, I will be working to achieve the following results in the upcoming legislative session: a taxpayer-focused state budget; initiatives that restore choice and provide cost reductions in health care; elimination of wasteful spending and fraud in our welfare programs; funding/bonding for water infrastructure in our cities; tuition and cost reductions in higher education and options for mid-life skills-building; support for tech careers in high school; reform of the Met Council to give member cities more authority and local control.

Endorsements: