Monday, October 8, 2012
Two House races and a Senate race will be on the ballot this November.
With the Nov. 6 election fast approaching, Patch wants to give you the chance to pose a question to the District 46 candidates. In the Senate District 46 race, incumbent Sen. Ron Latz (DFL) is taking on Republican challenger Paul Scofield. There are two local House races—in 46A, Democratic incumbent Rep. Ryan Winkler faces Republican John Swanson, and incumbent Rep. Steve Simon (DFL) takes on Republican challenger David Arvidson in 46B. In the comments below, we welcome you to post your questions. If you'd like to just question one particular candidate, please note that. Otherwise, we'll assume all questions are intended for all the candidates. Please keep questions civil and respectful. We'll gather some of the best questions we receive …
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
At a Tuesday night forum, local politicians said more funding needs to go to districts.
Local DFLers are making one thing clear—if they're elected into office this November, they will push to get more money to schools. At a Tuesday night forum in Hopkins, House members John Benson (District 43B), Steve Simon (44A) and Ryan Winkler (44B), along with candidates Yvonne Selcer (48A) and Paul Rosenthal (49B) said shifting funding back to school districts after last year's shutdown diverted money is a primary goal this session. "To me, the state's responsibility (to funding education) has been woefully lacking," Benson said. The deal that ended the two-week government shutdown in July 2011 included delaying $700 million in K-12 payments statewide. Winkler said that if he wins his reelection campaign against John Swanson, he'll …
Monday, June 18, 2012
With the filing deadline behind us, Patch looks at the local candidates for legislative offices.
Editor's Note: This week, Patch will be running bios on the candidates for District 46 seats. These races will be decided during the General Election on Nov. 6. Today, we look at Rep. Steve Simon, the Democratic incumbent in House District 46B. Tomorrow, we'll profile his challenger, David Arvidson. Party: DFL District: House District 46B Elected: 2004; re-elected in 2006, 2008 and 2010 Committees: Civil Law, Data Practices Subcommittee, Government Operations and Elections, State Government Finance Occupation: Attorney Education: B.A., political science, Tufts University; J.D., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Home: St. Louis Park Age: 42 Family: Wife, Leia Simon Proudest accomplishments in office:
Friday, May 18, 2012
Patch asked the legislator his session goals in January—today he takes a look at how he did.
At the start of this year’s session, Patch asked local legislators what they wanted to accomplish. After the session ended, we returned to the legislators to see how they thought they did working toward those goals. Below are the thoughts Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A) shared with Patch. The conversation doesn’t end here, though. We want to know what you think about the performance of your state senator and representatives. Did they make progress toward their stated goals? Were they stymied by the opposition? Were they working toward the right goals? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Here’s what Simon had to say: Goal: "First and foremost, I will focus on job creation and retention. A good start is the capital investment plan…
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The plan passed by a 38-28 margin late Tuesday.
Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) joined 37 other senators in passing a Vikings stadium bill late Tuesday. With the 38-28 vote, the plan will now head to a House-Senate conference committee so differences can be ironed out. The Star Tribune reports that both the House and Senate bumped up the amount the Vikings would pay—the House to $532 million, the Senate to $452. The team has proposed $427 million. In addition to changing the state's overall contribution, the Senate also tweaked how that money would be raised, adding a series of user fees on things like tickets and parking that would supplement money raised from expanded gambling, the Star Tribune notes. The conference committee will be responsible for reconciling the two bills and …
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The local legislators voted against a bill that would have renovated the state Capitol.
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Thursday, April 19, 2012
Editor's Note: The following is a joint press release from DFL Reps. Ryan Winkler and Steve Simon. The two voted against a proposal today that would have allocated $221 million for Capitol building improvements. The plan ultimately failed. Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives rejected a $220 million bonding bill that funded the restoration of the Minnesota State Capitol instead of important economic infrastructure projects throughout Minnesota. Rep. Steve Simon (DFL – St. Louis Park) and Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL – Hopkins) voted against the bill. Rep. Winkler says the bill doesn’t provide the statewide and regional investments that Minnesota needs. “Minnesota needs a comprehensive bill that invests in Minnesota’s statewide …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
A stadium bill failed in a House committee on Monday.
After a Vikings stadium bill failed in a House committee on Monday—a move that leaves the plan in "peril," the Star Tribune reported—an advocacy group is urging people to contact legislators, including two from Senate District 44 that voted against the bill. SaveTheVikes.org states that the setback could potentially send the team packing to Los Angeles. The group is asking people to contact the nine legislators in the House Government Operations and Elections Committee who voted against the plan. Senate District 44 DFLers Ryan Winkler and Steve Simon were among the "no" votes. Winkler questioned the value of the plan for the state. "How do we know we're getting a good deal?" he was quoted as saying by the Pioneer Press. "Are we subsidizing…
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The question will be headed to November's ballot as a proposed constitutional amendment.
On Monday, Gov. Mark Dayton symbolically vetoed the bill that will ask Minnesota voters whether photo IDs should be required at polling places. Dayton acknowledged his action won't stop the amendment from appearing on the general election ballot in November, because a constitutional amendment doesn't require his signature. "This amendment is a proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing," Dayton wrote in a letter to Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove). The amendment "goes far beyond its stated intention to require Photo ID's. Instead, it dismantles Minnesota's Best-in-the-Nation election system" by ending same-day voter registration and requiring new system of provisional ballots, Dayton wrote, adding that it "would severely …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Voters will weigh in on the constitutional amendment in November.
This November, Minnesota voters will decide whether photo IDs should be required the next time they go to the polls. The Senate, by a 35-29 vote, passed a bill on Wednesday afternoon that will send the question to the ballot as a proposed constitutional amendment. The House passed the same bill early Wednesday. Because it is a proposed constitutional amendment, Gov. Mark Dayton will not get a chance to approve—or veto—the bill. Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) voted against the measure. The issue has divided the Legislature on party lines, with Republican supporters saying it would add integrity to Minnesota's election system, while Democratic opponents say the measure is unnecessary and could disenfranchise some voters. Senate District 44 …
Friday, March 30, 2012
The legislation would allow liquor stores to sell store-branded merchandise.
After coming up short last year, it looks like the "Four Firkins" bill will pass into law in 2012. The legislation, which would allow liquor stores to sell store-branded T-shirts and other merchandise, was included in an omnibus liquor package passed by the Minnesota House on Friday afternoon. It was also included in the Senate's bill that passed on Wednesday, meaning Gov. Mark Dayton's signature on a final omnibus bill will make the legislation law. The Four Firkins bill first came forward during the 2011 session when Jason Alvey, owner of St. Louis Park craft beer store The Four Firkins, approached Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A) and Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) with his desire to sell store-branded gear. It was included in last …
Pam Rykken
4:41 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Do you believe that Minnesota's constitution should secure rights for all people? Should the constitution be amended when a state statute would do the job? more ›