>> Mary: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE.

APPRECIATE IT.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Mary: ALL RIGHT.

THIS WEEK'S FIRST-TERM LAWMAKER IS A REPUBLICAN WHO FIRST RAN FOR THE HOUSE 30 YEARS AGO.

OF BUT HIS PATH CHANGED AS HE WENT THROUGH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND IT HELPED PREPARE HIM FOR HIS NEW SEAT.

REPRESENTATIVE, FIRST QUESTION FOR ALL FRESHMAN, WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN?

I SHOULD SAY FOR THE SPECIAL ELECTION.

>> FOR THIS SPECIAL ELECTION, IT WAS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY.

I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR A LOT OF YEARS, AND BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN POLITICS AND WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR STATE OF MINNESOTA HERE.

AND, SO, WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY CAME ALONG, WHICH, HONESTLY, I RECEIVED A CALL, AND TO BE HONEST, I WAS EXTREMELY CONTENT TO WHAT I WAS DOING WITH OUR FAMILY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND I RECEIVED A CALL, ASKED IF I WOULD CONSIDER TO RUN FOR THIS POSITION, THIS SEAT.

>> Mary: HOW DID IT FEEL TO HAVE TO REPLACE SOMEBODY WHO CLIMBED TO THE VERY TOP OF THE LEGISLATIVE KIND OF ECHELON?

YOU'RE REPLACING A FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER IN KURT DAUDT.

THAT'S A BIG DEAL.

>> YES, IT IS.

I GLAD I HAD HIM IN MY DISTRICT, I'M GLAD I GOT TO KNOW HIM AS A FRIEND AND AS A REPRESENTATIVE.

YEAH, IT'S A BIG DEAL TO FILL THAT.

BUT HE WAS EXTREMELY ELPFUL, CAME ALONGSIDE, GAVE ME A LOT OF GOOD ADVICE, AS WE WALKED THROUGH THIS PROCESS HERE.

>> Mary: WHAT DID HE TELL YOU?

WHAT KIND OF ADVICE DID HE GIVE YOU?

HE'S SEEN A LOT, HE'S SEEN THE MAJORITY, THE MINORITY, THE GOOD, BAD, THE UGLY OF THE LEGISLATURE.

>> HE SAID I'D BE OKAY.

>> Mary: IF I HAVE MY RESEARCH RIGHT, YOU FIRST RAN FOR THE HOUSE ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO, RIGHT?

>> YES, I DID.

>> Mary: SO THIS HAS BEEN -- >> YOU HAVE DONE YOUR RESEARCH, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT.

>> Mary: VERY LONG TIME IN THE MAKING, WE COULD SAY, RIGHT?

>> YEAH, WE COULD.

I RAN AT A TIME WHEN TEVE SVIGGUM AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, I GOT TO KNOW HIM VERY WELL, TIM PAWLENTY WAS THERE, KEVIN KNIGHT, A LOT OF DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS.

AT THAT POINT IN TIME I RAN, I HAD A COUPLE OF GOOD RACES, KIND OF THE SAME SCENARIO, FIRST I HAD RUN PRIOR, WAS NOT GOING TO RUN AGAIN, THE COMMITTEE WAS LOOKING FOR A CANDIDATE, MY WIFE AND I WERE NEWLY MARRIED AT THE TIME, NO CHILDREN.

>> Mary: DO YOU THINK NOW WITH THE LIFE EXPERIENCE YOU HAD, YOU'RE BETTER SUITED TO SERVE THAN YOU EVEN WOULD HAVE BEEN 20, 30 YEARS AGO?

>> WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ENERGY 20, 30 YEARS AGO, I CAN TELL YOU THAT MUCH.

HOWEVER, THERE'S NO QUESTION, I AM SO GLAD THAT I WAS ABLE TO BE PATIENT AND WAIT, AS WELL AS BE INVOLVED DURING THE LAST 30 YEARS.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW BECAUSE OF BEING INVOLVED IN MY LOCAL BPOU, BECAUSE I SERVED ON THE TOWNSHIP BOARD, BECAUSE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN THE LOCAL COUNTY ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMMITTEES, THE KNOWLEDGE, THE EXPERIENCE I'VE GAINED, 100%, I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER PREPARED TODAY THAN I WOULD HAVE AT THAT POINT IN TIME.

>> Mary: MANY MANY LAWMAKERS HAVE KIND OF CUT THEIR TEETH IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND MOST WILL SAY, IT SHOULD ALMOST BE REQUIRED, THAT YOU ARE A BETTER STATE LAWMAKER WHEN YOU'VE SERVED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

ARE YOU ALREADY SEEING THAT COME TRUE?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I COME WITH A LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE OF MY LOCAL INVOLVEMENT IN OUR TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT THAT I BRING TO THE TABLE, NOT ONLY THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE REPERCUSSIONS OF HAT STATE GOVERNMENT DOES TO THE OTHER ENTITIES THAT IT GOVERNS, CITIES, THE COUNTIES, TOWNSHIPS, SCHOOL BOARDS, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT.

AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT I'VE GOT TO KNOW WITHIN THOSE POSITIONS AS WELL.

>> Mary: A LOT OF LAWMAKERS WILL SAY IT HELPS THEM BE LESS PARTISAN BECAUSE SO MUCH OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT HIGHLY PARTISAN.

DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE HELP YOU WORK THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE BETTER?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

MY EYES ARE OPEN MORE.

TO THAT.

AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, RIGHT.

SO SITTING IN THE HOUSE FLOOR RIGHT NOW, AS I'VE BEEN IN COMMITTEE A FEW TIMES, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE WORK TOGETHER, WHERE THE OTHER SIDE IS COMING FROM, WHAT'S IMPORTANT, AND REALLY WHAT THE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE RESIDENTS OF MINNESOTA.

>> OU HAVE, I GUESS WE'LL CALL IT THE DISADVANTAGE OF COMING IN, NOT EVEN PART WAY, BUT, REALLY, IN THE HOME STRETCH OF SESSION.

SO HOW ODD IS IT FOR YOU TO BE SERVING RIGHT NOW WHEN MOST OF THE COMMITTEE WORK IS ONE, IT'S JUST THIS FINAL SPRINT?

>> PERSONALLY, IT WORKED OUT VERY WELL.

I'M A QUICK STUDY.

AND, SO, GETTING INTO BUSINESS, THE BIGGEST THING IS UNDERSTANDING THE LEGISLATION THAT'S BEING PROPOSED.

AND, SO, IT'S TAKING A LOT OF STUDY AND QUESTIONS, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE REASONING, THE FOUNDATION OF THE BILLS AND THE LEGISLATION, AS WELL AS THE AMENDMENTS, THAT WE'RE VOTING ON THE HOUSE FLOOR AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND.

THERE IS TURF IN YOUR BACKGROUND.

RIGHT?

SOD IN YOUR BACKGROUND.

THAT WAS KIND OF THE FAMILY BUSINESS.

TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT.

>> MY BACKGROUND IS, I GREW UP IN A FAMILY FARMING BUSINESS.

WE RAISED REGISTERED HEREFORD CATTLE, AS WELL AS KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS SOD, MY FATHER AND MOTHER ARE ENTREPRENEURS AND HE WAS NOT SCARED TO START OUT IN BUSINESS.

HE STARTED SEVERAL BUSINESSES AND SOD FARMING IS ONE OF THEM.

I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THAT AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER.

IT'S AN INDUSTRY I'VE GROWN TO LOVE, WE'VE BRANCHED OUT INTO LANDSCAPING AS WELL, THAT WHOLE GREEN INDUSTRY IS SOMETHING I'VE REALLY ENJOYED BEING A PART OF.

>> Mary: THE LEGISLATURE USED TO HAVE A LOT OF FARMERS.

>> YEAH.

>> Mary: AND I THINK RIGHT NOW BETWEEN THE HOUSE AND SENATE, WE HAVE THE FEWEST NUMBER OF FARMERS PROBABLY IN STATE HISTORY.

DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU?

ARE YOU SEEING THAT AND FEELING THAT SO FAR?

>> I THINK IT'S UNFORTUNATE, BUT IT'S NOT A SURPRISE AT ALL.

PEOPLE -- SOCIETY TODAY IS VERY REMOVED FROM AGRICULTURE.

YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE IDEA THAT YOU GO TO THE CITY TO FIND WORK AND JOBS, THAT'S REALLY DEPLETED THE AGRICULTURE.

AND THEN ON TOP OF IT, TECHNOLOGY.

YOU KNOW, THE FARMERS ARE MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE BECAUSE OF TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS BEEN INRATE ISED OVER THE YEARS.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT NOW SERVING, PHYSICALLY BEING AT THE CAPITOL EVERY DAY, WHAT SURPRISES YOU ABOUT THE PLACE?

>> I THINK THE BIGGEST THING I FOUND SURPRISING IS THE CAMARADERIE THAT IS SHARED BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES AND THE RELATIONSHIP THERE.

THERE CAN BE EXTREME DEBATE ON THE HOUSE FLOOR AND IT SEEMS LIKE TENSION THRIVES AND MAYBE TEMPERS, AS WELL AS THE VOICES IN THE DEBATE, AND AFTERWARDS THERE'S A LEVEL OF CAMARADERIE THAT THEY CAN GO BACK TO COMMITTEE,