16:27 Wednesday, August 28, 2024
What issues are most important to you in the elections this fall?
That question was posed to state House candidates vying to represent parts of Maple Grove Tuesday night at a forum hosted by the North Metro Mayors Association.
Republican and DFL candidates from Houses 37A and 37B all agreed that affordability is a top priority, but candidates from both parties offered different approaches to the issue.
“Last year, state government spent a surplus of $17.5 billion. On top of that, they raised taxes by $11 billion. And the people of Minnesota simply cannot afford that,” said incumbent Rep. Kristin Robbins (R-Maple Grove). “They grew government by 40 percent in two years. That’s completely unsustainable. And now we’re facing deficits, so the people of Minnesota need to get our finances in order.”
Robbins, who was first elected in 2018, is being challenged in House District 37A by DFL candidate Laurie Wolfe, a Maple Grove resident and professor at Anoka-Ramsey Community College.
“Minnesota has higher taxes than some other states, but we get a lot of services,” Wolfe said. “So when you compare taxes to services, I think the services we provide are worth it. And I would like to see the affordability issue addressed by providing affordable housing. That’s a concern for us, especially in Maple Grove.”
House 37B Race
Republican candidates also cited crime and education as top concerns. DFL candidates said protecting reproductive rights was a top concern for voters.
In the race for House seat 37B, incumbent state Rep. Kristin Bahner, DFL-Maple Grove, is being challenged by John Bristol, also a Maple Grove resident.
Both candidates discussed how to improve student achievement after math and reading proficiency declined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What we’ve seen over the last two years is record spending on education to create those conditions,” said Bahner, who has been in office for the last six years. “Obviously it takes some time for these things to work, but it’s really important to have teacher aid, to reduce class sizes and to make sure that students get the attention they need and deserve so they can catch up.”
Bristol, who participated in Operation Desert Storm, raised concerns about nationwide education requirements.
“The one thing I know for sure, having served on the school board here in Maple Grove … one of the problems is when you try to exert local control, what happens to the mandates that come with the money?” Bristol said. “Even though there was record spending on education, there’s no debate about that, it came with 68 mandates. And by the time school districts are able to actually implement that, they’re actually even further behind than they were before.”
Maple Grove
