At a gathering at East Bay Suites on March 23, 2010 (l-r) Howard Hedstrom, Bruce Kerfoot, Mark Sandbo and Mark Dayton discuss hot-button topics.
Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton told a small gathering of Cook County business people March 23, 2010 that he could balance the state’s budget with a progressive tax that would make the state’s richest people “pay their fair share.”
Dayton said that if “the top 10% of wage earners pay the same portion of income tax as the rest of Minnesotans, we would generate about $4 billion dollars more annually in revenue. Thatwould go a long way to solving our budget crisis.”
As an heir to one of the richest families in Minnesota, Dayton said that selling his “tax the rich” theme is a hard sell in his own family. “Some of my cousins aren’t going to vote for me,” he said.
Dayton held two meetings with Cook County residents the day he was here. He met with business owners at East Bay Suites at 4:30 p.m. and with the public at Blue Water Restaurant at 6 p.m.
When asked about his support for broadband, Dayton replied, “Broadband is essential border to border. It’s essential for tourism and education. Right now I carry an ATT phone in one pocket and a Verizon phone in the other. And there are still some places where I can’t get cell phone service.”
Tourism was another topic of high interest. Sally Nankivell said that 70-80% of all Cook County businesses are either directly or indirectly affected by tourism. “But we need a lot more support from the state office of tourism,” said Nankivell.
Bruce Kerfoot, owner of Gunflint Lodge, said, “We are literally being outgunned by the Dakotas, Iowa, even the Wisconsin Dells, when it comes to promoting our state. If the state had the courage and conviction to spend money to get tourists to come here, business owners would be able to give back more money in tax dollars than the state would have spent getting them here.”
“This is Déjà Vu all over again,” said Dayton. “I worked with Governor Rudy Perpich in 1977 and ‘78 when we first established a million dollar tourism budget. Perpich understood that this was integral to developing jobs. I learned this lesson from him. If I get elected, call me and we can work on this. I get it. I know how important this is.”
Howard Hedstrom of Hedstrom Lumber Company said he appreciated Dayton for caring about rural Minnesota. “I appreciated your leadership in the Senate. I think two pieces that are important are your selection of who runs the DNR and MPCA.
“I like the current DNR commissioner,” Hedstrom continued. “He understands sawmilling and the timber industry. If you get elected, you might want to consider keeping him, or someone like him, in that chair.
“If the commissioner of the MPCA is all about rules and regulations and is anti-business, it’s very discouraging. We all want a clean environment and want to do things the right way, but the rules have to be understandable and workable.”
Dayton followed up by saying, “I will appoint people in the DNR and MPCA who are knowledgeable and skilled but are nonpartisan. Arbitrary and arrogant decision-making will end. An atmosphere of mutual respect must begin.”
The recent passage of the health care bill seems to have stymied Dayton. “I am still trying to get through the weeds on this bill. I don’t know what it exactly entails. When Bush left office we were spending 16% more than we were taking in. Thatwas called unsustainable. One year into the Obama administration and we are now spending 60% more than we are taking in. By adding 30 to 35 million more people to the health care rolls we are somehow not going to add to that spending? I don’t know how that is possible. Right now we’re in a real vicious financial downward spiral. A day of reckoning is coming due.”
Although he won’t seek the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) endorsement, Dayton plans to be on the August 10 primary ballot.
As a former U.S. senator and state auditor, Dayton feels he is uniquely qualified to take on the job of governor.
“I have rolled up my sleeves and worked hard for the people of Minnesota over the last 35 years,” said Dayton.
Focusing on hot-button topics such as cuts to schools and local governments, soaring budget deficits, and a job market that is sagging, Dayton came out swinging.
Criticizing the current governor, Dayton said that local governments have lost a lot of state funding through unfair budget cuts and Pawlenty’s “unallotment” of funds.
“Local Government Aid (LGA) to cities and counties has continuously been cut during Pawlenty’s eight years in office,” said Dayton.
“I used to write thank-you cards when I traveled from place to place. Now I can’t keep my pen on the paper because of all of the bumps in the road,” said Dayton.
Funding K-12 education would also be a top priority of a Dayton administration. He called for all-day kindergarten and a reduction in class sizes and said that teachers need a raise. The state pays its teachers 3.3% less than the national average, he said.
And Dayton noted that while there are 200,000 more people living in the state since Pawlenty took office, there are 33,000 fewer residents working.
To get people back to work, he proposes a state stimulus package. Funds would be allocated and spent on rebuilding and refurbishing the state’s highways and roadways he compares to those of Third World countries, and more funds would be allocated to education.
“Leaders lead in tough times,” said Dayton, adding that many of his political heroes emerged when taking charge during lean years.
Leave a Reply