Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from my new office at the Minnesota State Capitol complex. I am officially now a State Representative after participating in the House’s swearing-in ceremony Tuesday and it has been fantastic so far.
For those who don’t know me, I was elected to the House last November to fill the District 13A seat Rep. Jeff Howe vacated to run for the Senate. I am a married (to Nick) mother of four, an 11-year member of the ROCORI school board and manager of a commercial property. We go to River of Life Church in Cold Spring and are involved in the community a number of other ways.
Taking the oath of office was an amazing experience, something I always will remember. Walking into our gorgeous House Chamber at the beautifully renovated Capitol just brought a mix of emotions. I have a strong sense of gratitude I feel for the people of District 13A placing their trust in me to come to the Capitol and work on their behalf.
This is an immense responsibility to serve in the House and I am committed to doing all I can to advocate for the people of our area. A great number of challenges await us this session and I am excited to participate in the process of finding solutions. I have been selected to serve on three committees this session and they are:
- Early Childhood Finance and Policy
- Education Finance
- Greater Minnesota Jobs and Economic Development Finance
All three assignments really fit right in my skillset as good matches for my background. This will allow me to bring good, common-sense ideas to the table. I look forward to doing all I can to help make Minnesota an even better place to live, work, go to school and run a business.
Otherwise, much of this week is being spent getting things in place, such as getting my new office set up, getting my schedule in order, meeting fellow members and staff, and learning my way around the Capitol.
In these first few days, I have been focusing on developing relationships that will help me as a legislator. I attended an annual legislative conference in Minneapolis on Wednesday and came away with more knowledge about the other personalities in the House. Experiences and backgrounds shape our opinions, so understanding where someone has been will allow me to better understand where they may want to go.
Constituent outreach is a top priority of mine in my commitment to serving the people of District 13A to the best of my ability. Look for periodic email updates throughout the session, especially as committees get into gear and issues develop. I also look forward to reaching out to constituents over the airwaves, starting with an appearance on KASM 1150 at 12:30 p.m. today. Tune in for more of my thoughts on Week 1 in the Legislature and a look at what the session holds in store.
Until next time, have a good weekend. I am honored to be your new State Representative and look forward to staying in touch.
Sincerely,
Lisa