Among the many decisions Hutchinson area voters must make this election, one is the choice of whether or not to give Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen a sixth term in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Gruenhagen, a longtime Glencoe resident and Republican who owns a small insurance business, represents District 18B, a seat he first won in 2010. He has defended his seat in five straight contested races, winning more than 60 percent of the vote in each of the past four.
Running against Gruenhagen this year is Heather Bakke, a Democrat who has lived in Winthrop for the past 11 years and who works as a special education teacher at Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop High School.
The two candidates took a moment to answer questions from the Leader about what their priorities and positions are, should they be elected. The candidates were limited to 100 words in their responses.
If reelected, what would be your top priorities in the next two years?
GRUENHAGEN: School choice: Minnesota has one of the worst academic achievement gaps for minorities in the nation. Studies prove that academic performance increases for all students when school choice is implemented, including private and parochial. I believe much of our social unrest in Democrat-controlled cities is connected to the achievement gap.
Supporting law enforcement and opposing Democrat-led defunding initiatives.
Health care reform: A 2017 study by the Minnesota Department of Health reported 1.2 million Minnesotans did not seek needed health care due to Obamacare’s skyrocketing premiums and deductibles. I will continue to advance private sector reforms to increase access to critical health care.
BAKKE: My top priorities would be education, farming, health care, rural broadband and transportation. More specifically, Greater Minnesota is in need of improvements in infrastructure. We need to complete the project to have U.S. Highway 212 a four-lane roadway. This will help reduce motor vehicle accidents and will help our farmers get their crops to the grain elevators around the region. We think of public transportation as a metro issue, but there are many of our neighbors who want to work in the community but can't because they aren't able to drive, and the options for rides don't work for them.
What should the Legislature do in the next legislative session to aid Minnesotans affected by COVID-19?
GRUENHAGEN: Initially I supported the governor’s emergency powers to allow hospitals time to get prepared. However, the criteria to flatten the curve has been met and it is time to reopen and get businesses and schools back to normal. Republicans have unsuccessfully tried several times to end these emergency powers, which are unconstitutional and prevent the Legislature from doing its job, allowing the governor to dictate all of Minnesota’s policies for the past six months. While we must protect our most vulnerable, such as those living in nursing homes, I believe we can trust Minnesotans to practice safe behavior.
BAKKE: The first thing the Legislature needs to do is stop the blame game of refusing to approve assistance for small businesses because they want to punish Gov. Walz for his executive orders, or they want to make sure that businesses in Minneapolis and St. Paul won't receive funding. Businesses need access to low interest loans and funding to keep their staff on the payroll. This aid should not be given to huge corporations who don't need it, but to small family businesses. Funding should also be given to small businesses to obtain personal protective equipment for public safety.
Rural Minnesotans often feel their communities miss out compared to metropolitan areas when it comes to state assistance for cities, schools and roads. How would you like to see the concerns addressed?
GRUENHAGEN: We in rural Minnesota must understand that the metro Democrats' agenda supports turning our state into a sanctuary state, which will draw in illegal drugs, sexual exploitation and a violent criminal element. This will exponentially grow our state welfare budget and reduce funding for rural Minnesota in all areas. Our Health and Human Services budget is already growing at an unsustainable rate, and if we allow metro Democrats to turn us into a sanctuary state it will explode the state budget. We need legal immigration, however illegal immigration exploits the illegals most and keeps many permanently dependent on government welfare.
BAKKE: I have seen so many local school districts struggle to keep up their facilities and programs. State funding for education has not kept up with inflation, so our schools are forced to ask our communities to vote on operating levies and building referendums. These votes raise local property taxes, but if they don't pass, school districts end up having to make cuts. Fully funding education would end the need for districts having to beg their communities for extra money, and give kids what they need to succeed.
What measures would you support to help farmers facing volatile commodity prices and market disruptions caused by COVID-19?
GRUENHAGEN: We need to lower farm expenses. The majority of metro Democrats do not understand farmers’ needs. I have authored legislation to reduce the tax levy for farmers on per-acre school bonding bills, which became law. I have also authored Section 179, full federal conformity bills, which help our rural businesses and farms. Portions of this bill have passed. A large percentage of local property taxes go towards funding welfare benefits and HHS expenses. Turning our state into a sanctuary state will dramatically increase your local property taxes and make it difficult for local officials to meet needs like transportation.
BAKKE: To help our farmers we need to expand their markets. One option I'm interested in is expanding the use of biofuels. Minnesota moving to E15 would increase the need for corn at ethanol plants around the state. I would support bonding of the Rural Finance Authority that would be able to give low interest loans to help small farmers get through these tough economic times. Many farmers have talked to me about the cost their families pay for their private insurance policies. Farm families should have the option to buy into a large state network to help lower costs.
What do you see as the most important step or steps to bolster rural schools in Minnesota?
GRUENHAGEN: Democrats' solution is to continue spending additional billions of state tax dollars on failing inner-city schools, which leaves less funding for rural schools. I support school choice for inner-city, failed schools. Competition will solve what billions of additional tax dollars will not. The state funding is also substantially less per student for rural schools compared to the metro. All students in Minnesota should be funded equally. Additionally, we need medical experts to investigate the reasons such a large percentage of Minnesota students are labeled and medicated compared to other states and nations, which also strains local school district finances.
BAKKE: As a special education teacher in a rural school district, I know firsthand the joys and the struggles that you encounter in Greater Minnesota. In a small school, all the adults in the building know your name, and it is more difficult for students to fall through the cracks. If you are struggling, a plan will be made to help you succeed. The struggles that our schools face have to do with lack of funding. Funding that could go to expanding programs and upgrading technology go to fixing leaking roofs and broken buses. Our schools need more funding to thrive.
