♪♪ >> ERIC: THERE WERE LOTS OF NEW LAWMAKERS AT THE LEGISLATURE THIS YEAR, AND MARY LAHAMMER HAS BEEN INTRODUCING US TO MANY OF THEM.

TONIGHT WE MEET A FIRST-TERM HOUSE MEMBER WHO MADE THE JUMP FROM SIBLEY COUNTY COMMISSIONER TO STATE LEGISLATOR.

>> Mary: REPRESENTATIVE HARDER, FIRST QUESTION, WHY DID YOUMENT TO RUN -- WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE, FOR THIS OFFICE, IN PARTICULAR?

>> ERVING AS SIBLEY COUNTY COMMISSIONER, I WAS GOING TO BE UP FOR RE-ELECTION, AS COMMISSIONER, AND THEN WITH ALL THE REDISTRICTING AND THE MOVES OF PEOPLE, PEOPLE RUNNING, YOU KNOW, EITHER THEY WEREN'T GOING TO RUN AGAIN OR THEY WERE RUNNING FOR SOMETHING ELSE, REATED AN OPENING.

>> Mary: AND IT ALSO MEANT THAT YOU PROBABLY HAD A REALLY GOOD CHANCE OF WINNING.

YOU RAN UNOPPOSED, IS THAT CORRECT?

>> I DID.

PRAISE THE LORD.

I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT CAME ABOUT.

BUT IT'S PRETTY THRILLING TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN.

>> Mary: YEAH, WAS IT 93% OF THE VOTE YOU GOT?

>> YEAH, 97, 98.

YEAH, IT WAS UP THERE, YEAH.

>> Mary: OKAY, THAT'S A LOT.

YOU MIGHT COME IN WITH THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE.

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THAT IN THE LEGISLATURE?

[ Laughter ] >> I DON'T KNOW.

BUT THAT IS PRETTY PHENOMENAL.

>> Mary: YOUR VOTERS KNEW YOU, THEY KNOW ABOUT YOU.

HOW MUCH DOES THAT HELP HAVING THAT COUNTY EXPERIENCE?

>> I THINK IT HELPS QUITE A BIT.

BECAUSE THE LAWS, STATUTES, POLICIES THAT COME DOWN FROM THE STATE OR THE AGENCY AND THEN THE COUNTY LEVEL, YOU HAVE TO SOMEHOW MANAGE THAT.

A LOT OF TIMES THE MANAGING JUST COMES, YOU NEED TO DO THIS, AND YOU FIGURE OUT HOW YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR IT.

THAT'S THE FRUSTRATING PART.

>> Mary: SO WHAT'S THAT INTERACTION, BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT WHEN THEY COME INTO THE LEGISLATURE THAT THE STATE GOVERNMENT INTERACTS QUITE A BIT WITH VARIOUS LOCAL VERSIONS.

HOW DO YOU SEE HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE, IMPROVE THAT INTERACTION?

>> WELL, I HOPE TO IMPROVE IT.

THE ONE THING THAT MANY PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THE RELATIONSHIP FROM THE STATE WITH COUNTY GOVERNMENT.

SO, COUNTY GOVERNMENT WAS CREATED TO BE THE ADMINISTRATIVE ARM OF THE STATE.

SO, WHATEVER THE STATE SAYS THAT KNEW HE HAD -- THAT YOU NEED TO DO AS A GOVERNMENT, THEN WE NEED TO FOLLOW THROUGH AND FIGURE OUT.

THE PROBLEM IS, I'LL TAKE SIBLEY COUNTY AS AN EXAMPLE, WE HAVE LESS THAN 15,000 PEOPLE, AND WE HAVE TO DO THE SAME THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED OF, SAY, A LARGER COUNTY.

>> Mary: I'VE BEEN TO HENDERSON MANY TIMES.

>> YEAH.

YES.

>> Mary: I'VE EEN THERE AS A NEWS REPORTER.

EVERY TIME HENDERSON'S TURNED INTO AN ISLAND AND I'VE BEEN THERE, WHEN HENDERSON HAS BROUGHT LAWMAKERS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH HELP THEY NEED BECAUSE THE TAX BASE WASN'T THERE TO HELP WITH THE CONSTANT FLOODING THAT YOU SEEM PRETTY PLAGUED BY.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?

>> YES.

THE FLOODING IS A GREAT CONCERN.

THE LAST ONE, WHICH WAS THE BIG ONE IN 2014, I THINK IT WAS, I MEAN, THE ROADS IN AND OUT OF HENDERSON, THEY WERE BLOCKED OFF.

AND THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE NORTH OF HENDERSON, WHEN THERE'S FLOODING, THEY HAVE TO GET IN AND OUT BY BOATS.

>> Mary: THAT'S A BIG DEAL, IF I CAN JUMP IN.

>> IT'S A HUGE DEAL.

>> Mary: YOU CAN GET STRANDED, ESSENTIALLY, THERE.

THEY GET LIKE LANDLOCKED BECAUSE OF THE WATER.

>> THEY DO.

YEAH.

IT'S A REALLY BIG DEAL.

SO, THE FACT THAT I WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH MY SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES TO HELP THAT AREA IS SIGNIFICANT.

WE GOT $14 MILLION, IN THE BONDING BILL, TO HELP WITH THAT.

I WAS JUST GLAD THAT I WAS THE COMMISSIONER THAT ASKED THE QUESTION.

CAN YOU HELP US?

AND THEY WERE WILLING TO HELP AND THAT'S JUST FANTASTIC.

>> Mary: I KNOW YOU'RE A FAN OF LIMITED GOVERNMENT AND CAMPAIGNED N THAT.

SO CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT BALANCE OF CERTAIN THINGS THAT GOVERNMENT, YES, CAN AND SHOULD DO AND OTHER THINGS THAT YOU DON'T WANT THEM DOING?

>> GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SMALLER.

WE, THE PEOPLE, SHOULD BE BIGGER.

GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SMALLER.

THE THING THAT'S HAPPENED IS THAT SO MANY PEOPLE RELY ON GOVERNMENT, LIKE THEY'RE THE SAFETY NET.

AND I COME FROM A FAMILY THAT SAYS, YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, YOU NEED TO FIND A WAY THAT IF YOU GET YOURSELF IN A PROBLEM, WHATEVER, YOU FIGURE IT OUT.

DO NOT ALWAYS RELY ON GOVERNMENT TO HELP YOU.

>> Mary: WHEN YOU WERE OUT THERE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, WHAT WERE THE ISSUES THAT YOU HEARD THE MOST FROM FOLKS?

>> HIGH PRICES, THINGS ARE GETTING HIGHER, WAGES DON'T INCREASE, THE PRICES INCREASE, IT'S HARD TO MANAGE.

CRIME.

CRIME WAS A BIGGER ONE.

>> Mary: AND ARE YOU SEEING MUCH CRIME OR IS THERE JUST FEAR OF CRIME?

>> SOME OF MY NEIGHBORS THAT HAVE MOVED OUT TO THE AREA HAVE MOVED MAINLY BECAUSE OF CRIME.

SIBLEY COUNTY, OVERALL, IS A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE.

WE KNOW OUR NEIGHBORS, WE TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER.

THE OTHER THING THAT PEEMED TALKED ABOUT IS EDUCATION, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM.

>> Mary: HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DISTRICT?

>> I DESCRIBE IT S GREEN ACRES.

IF I WANT TO GET IN THE BIG CITY, I CAN GET IN MY CAR, GO HALF AN HOUR, HOUR TO THE CITIES.

I COME BACK OUT TO THE COUNTRY AND IT'S JUST FANTASTIC.

I LOVE IT.

IN MY LITTLE AREA THAT I LIVE, WHERE DO YOU WORK, WHAT DO YOU DO, THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE NOW THAT ARE WORKING FROM HOME THAN EVER BEFORE.

>> Mary: AND YOU HAVE GOOD BROADBAND, GOOD INTERNET IN THE AREA, IS THAT AN ISSUE AT ALL IN THE DISTRICT?

>> WHERE I LIVE THERE'S NO PROBLEM.

BUT ONE OF THE FARMS THAT WE HAVE, IT'S HORRIBLE.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.

>> Mary: YEAH, OMETHING YOU'D LIKE TO WORK ON, BIPARTISAN STATEWIDE INTEREST IN IMPROVING BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WORKING REMOTELY NOW.

>> IT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT.

THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

>> Mary: YOU HAVE A HARDER ROAD AHEAD IN THE MINORITY.

WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO GET BILLS HEARD AND GET PASSED?

>> IT'S A STRUGGLE.

NO DOUBT ABOUT T.