The other woman who ran to be Governor of Minnesota
 PHL-Thirty two women have served or are serving as the Governor of a U.S. State. Most of these women were Democrats. Minnesota has never had a female Governor. Why do you think Minnesota has never had a female Governor and why do we need one?
Susan Gaertner- Most often the political parties are inclined to nominate long-serving legislators to be their candidates for governor. The simple answer is “long-serving” is almost always descriptive of a man. It would be nice if a woman would win the office. But the way I look at it, we need a governor that is willing to make tough decisions, govern like there is no political tomorrow and have no desire higher office. That’s me and I just happen to be a woman.
PHL- In a recent “My Take” Email Newsletter you talked about the Governor and the Legislature working together to cut the budget and create jobs. You found an editorial in a Greater Minnesota daily newspaper, a Mankato Free Press editorial,that recognized the governor and the DFL for working together to bring about“reasonable” compromises—on tax credits for businesses that create jobs and spending cuts that were not as brutal to local governments as feared—all for the benefit of the taxpayers. This is an about-turn in comparison to unallotment days at the Capital. What do you believe brought on the spirit of change to do the people’s business as it was intended, as a participatory process?
Susan Gaertner- I believe it was because of pressure from local government leaders. I doubt that legislators, Republican or DFL want to run for re-election this fall with their Mayors and County Commissioners upset with them. I have been a county elected official for almost 16 years and my husband served three terms as the Mayor of Wabasha, so believe me, in a Gaertner administration, I will embrace local government leaders; not ridicule them as Governor Pawlenty has.
PHL-You said in “MyTake” that the tanning tax is likely just the tip of the taxing iceberg to come. Can you explain what you think is to come related to taxing the public. If tanning is the tip, what’s the iceberg?
Susan Gaertner- I believe that consumption taxes in general will be in the future of Minnesota. It would be nice, especially for the middle class taxpayer, if we could lower the overall sales tax but extend the tax to non-essential services such as tanning, manicures and non-essential cosmetic surgery and other so-called “luxury” services.
PHL-You have pledged as Governor to change the culture of leadership in Minnesota by having the courage to do the right thing—even if it isn’t politically advantageous. That’s a refreshing and uncommon statement. Are you really saying that getting the people’s business done supersedes political competitiveness or gamesmenship? In other words, let’s do the right thing, not the Republican or Democrat thing?
Susan Gaertner- Yes.
PHL-You have said that “until the Governor and the Legislature make the tough decisions to get this state on a course of structurally balanced budgets, it would be fiscally and morally irresponsible to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a football stadium for a professional football team. Think about this: in this years bonding bill, the Governor line-item vetoed, among other projects, a mental health facility in Willmar designed to serve rural veterans and a $42.3 million science and engineering laboratory at St.Cloud State University. Yes, there are some who still think he is actively working with the Vikings to pass a stadium bill this year.” Can you explain what you think is wrong with our budgeting process under Governor Pawlenty and why it’s fiscally and morally irresponsible to invest hundreds of millions in a football stadium for a professional sports team instead of support for health and educational facilities?
Susan Gaertner- Here’s what I will say to the Vikings: If you are good corporate citizens of Minnesota, you will agree to wait until the legislature and the Governor have a plan in place to pay back the money we have taken from education to balance our budget; a plan in place to properly fund health care for the “least of those among us”; and a long range plan for future investments in our state’s infrastructure. If we can accomplish that in the 2011 legislative session, then I will work on a solution to a Vikings stadium.
PHL- You said in “My Take” that Pioneer Press business page columnist Ed Lotterman wrote that “Self paying tax cuts are a popular delusion, except among economists.” In other words, do tax cuts generate additional economic activity sufficient to offset the revenue loss from the tax cut?
You said "Lotterman supports his claim with testimony from leading economists from both ends of the political spectrum. He is convincing, and you tend to agree with him. However, that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t cut taxes. For example, some taxes are fairer than others and some taxes may have outlived their best use, both good reasons to cut them. However, for the same reasons, other taxes could also be raised. Your point is, with regard to taxes, we must get beyond the absolutes of tax cuts versus tax increases because generally the answer is some of both. "What’s wrong with the no new tax pledge that most, if not all Republicans support?
Susan Gaertner- What is wrong with the “no new taxes” pledge is that it’s a fraud. “No new taxes” on a state leve ends up meaning increased taxes in the name of “fees” and indirectly increased property taxes. No honest leader should ever take possible solutions off the table.
PHL- In “My Take” you pointed to a column by Lori Sturdevant in the Star Tribune that began like this: A commendable thing happened last week after the Minnesota House failed to override Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of the bill preserving General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC)for the very poor: The two House members leading their respective parties' efforts on the matter, DFL Rep. Erin Murphy and GOP Rep. Matt Dean, just kept working.
You said "The result was a compromise bill that provided a start down a road of reform and somewhat mitigating the cost of indigent care to hospitals and taxpayers. On the campaign trail we hear much about how politics gets in the way of constructive reform in the legislature,so when something like this happens it’s important to recognize there are those willing to rise above partisan politics and work together." How can we get this to happen on a consistent basis when party affiliation, expectations, loyalties and electability make working together, sometimes necessitating working against your own party, highly impractical from a party point-of-view?
Susan Gaertner- It takes courage to compromise. And in this case Republican Representative Matt Dean and DFL Representative Erin Murphy had the courage to cooperate and the determination to accomplish something. And, they did it in a way that enough legislators on both sides of the aisle followed. These leaders, and others who are willing to take votes that could lose them their next election, would be my allies if I was governor. Finally, if a local county elected official who works in a non-partisan environment—like me—is elected Governor, there is a much better chance of cooperation and civility.
PHL- The Attorney General’s office is of course an elected office. However, there are many critical positions statewide picked at the discretion of the Governor. These are political appointments based on his selection that include positions in MNDOT, the Met Council and on the MAC. Would you support having these positions converting to electable ones so that they are more representative of the public will?
Susan Gaertner- The only offices I would consider moving to elected positions would be the Met Council.
PHL-The 494/169 which is a key economic thoroughfare is finally going to get a new interchange that will allow free flowing traffic without stop lights and in particular it will eliminate the safety hazard created by backed up cars exiting the 494 to get to the 169 interchange. The entire area is a bottleneck and a traffic hazard.The area has been considered one of the most dangerous in the state. Many of us feel this was a long time coming and that critical road construction usually takes a back seat to other infrastructure such as expanded runways at MSP. What is your sense of the politics of transportation improvements in our state?
Susan Gaertner- Improving and upgrading our existing transportation infrastructure must be a priority over expansion. However, we must continue to improve our capacity to provide alternative transportation options.
PHL-Governor Pawlenty blames Education Minnesota for standing in the way of reform. Education Minnesota has been highly critical of the Governor for defunding public schools. His office blames Education Minnesota, the state's leading teachers union, for standing in the way of the kind of reform favored by the Obama administration.
The Star Tribune wrote that “Federal reviewers said Minnesota's application failed because of the state's inability to construct good policies supporting teachers, to dump bad teachers, to place the best teachers where they're needed most, or to find faster ways to get teachers into the classroom.
They also cited the state's inability to narrow the achievement gap between white students and students of color, and questioned whether Minnesota has the political fortitude to implement changes.
One reviewer questioned an assessment system that found "97 percent of the state's teachers to be highly qualified.”
Pawlenty said he will ask the Legislature to act on a bill that would make it easier for people to find "alternative pathways" into teaching, something he said would give the state "the ability to get the most highly effective teachers" in the classroom.
In its statement, Education Minnesota also referred to the achievement gap, saying that solving it and improving learning for children "must be a true team effort, inclusive of everyone who wants the achievement gap eliminated."
Minnesota finished 20th out of 41 applicants and earned 375 out of 500 points n the Race to the Top, about 70 points behind second-place Tennessee.
More than $3 billion remains in the fund, and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said he expects a larger number of winning states in the second round, possibly 10 to 15.”
What is your take on education reform in our state?
Susan Gaertner- Recently, I was on a long trip to Northwestern Minnesota and visited with community leaders in six cities. I heard a lot of concern about the future of education in greater Minnesota. But the one comment that really hit home was from a local elected official who said; “Our schools are having a tough time. Enrollment is declining and the pressure to further consolidate is immense. But how much more consolidation can we do?”
Indeed, consolidation as a tool to impact education finance is yesterday’s solution. Today, as the headline said, we need a sea change. We need a complete re-thinking of the way we deliver and finance K-12 education. Some ideas that intrigue me are:smaller schools integrated into community buildings, greater use of technology such as online learning and Interactive Television (ITV),restructuring instructional hours and school calendars and more flexible paths and timelines to undertake post secondary learning.
In addition, we must get back to the notion that it is the State’s responsibility to finance K-12 education and not local governments. The education available to a student in Sleepy Eye should be as good as one from Minnetonka.
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TORI HILL- As a parent of three children who utilized Miller Park I would consider safety first for all children. However, during these difficult economic times, one would have to weigh the safety needs vs. budget carefully. Since the funds for 2010 capital improvement have already been budgeted, I would move forward to replace the equipment deemed unsafe.
