Accessibility menu
State Representative Jeanne Poppe
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4193
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
WORKING TOGETHER FOR EFFECTIVE CHANGE
With the election of a new Governor comes the appointment of new commissioners for every state department. This week I had the opportunity to meet the new agriculture commissioner, Dave Frederickson, during our House Agriculture and Rural Development Policy and Finance Committee.
Dave Frederickson is a former farmer from Murdock, Minnesota, who served in the Minnesota senate in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. He was president of both the state and national farmers’ unions, and most recently handled Ag issues as a member of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s staff.
Gov. Dayton said he chose Frederickson as Agriculture Commissioner because he brings a deep commitment to public service and to improving our state’s critically important agriculture economy.
The Minnesota Senate will decide whether or not to hold confirmation hearings on each appointment made by Governor Dayton, and they will be responsible for confirming or not confirming the new commissioners.
On Wednesday of this week, I attended “One Minnesota", a legislative policy conference for members of the Minnesota Legislature held at the Hubert H. Humphrey Center at the University of Minnesota.
The day-long conference included information on the economic challenges our state faces and ideas on how to restart private job growth, among other topics. A lot of time was spent on how both parties can work together for effective change.
The recent tragedy in Arizona has initiated a lot of discussion about the need for increased civility in public discourse. While I don’t believe this was the cause of the shooting, people often wonder why the two political parties can’t get along better. Democrats and Republicans work and play side by side every day in the private sector, and they expect the same from their elected officials.
Our two party system helps keep our democracy strong and provides balance to our state and federal government. We will always have some areas of disagreement, but if we remain focused on solving the significant challenges Minnesota faces, I believe we will find there are many issues on which we can agree. Even when full agreement cannot be reached, we must put aside our political differences and find common ground and areas of compromise. This is the spirit I hope can prevail at the State Capitol this year as we look for both long-term and short-term solutions.
Please continue to contact me in the weeks ahead. I can be reached at 651-296-4193, by email at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn, or by mail at 291 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155.
News Items
- 2013 Legislative Session Wrap Up - (Posted: May 22 2013 2:49PM)
- Rep. Poppe: New Funding for Education Builds Well-Educated, Competitive Workforce - (Posted: May 22 2013 2:23PM)
- Rep. Poppe Praises 2013 Session for Focus on Education, Jobs, and Property Tax Relief - (Posted: May 21 2013 12:32AM)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.