EDUCATION.

>> Mary: WE'RE OUT OF TIME.

THANKS SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER.

GREAT TO GET TO KNOW YOU.

>> MARY: THIS WEEK'S FIRST-TERM LAWMAKER LEARNED HOW TO GET THINGS DONE IN THE NONPARTISAN POSITION HE HELD JUST BEFORE RUNNING FOR THE HOUSE.

HERE'S A LOOK.

REPRESENTATIVE, FIRST THING I WANT TO KNOW IS WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE HERE?

>> I'VE BEEN A MAYOR FOR EIGHT YEARS AND, YOU KNOW, IT INTRIGUES ME AND I WANT TO DO MORE FOR MY AREA AND MY CONSTITUENTS SO THEY ASKED ME TO RUN FOR THE HOUSE AND PUT MY NAME IN IT AND THIS IS WHERE I'M AT.

I WON THE ELECTION.

>> Mary: I BELIEVE YOUR PREDECESSOR MIGHT HAVE BEEN A MAYOR, TOO, AND THE STATE CAPITOL IS FULL OF SUCCESSFUL LOCAL OFFICE HOLDERS.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN AS MAYOR?

>> LANDOWNER ABOUT LOCAL AND SMALL CITIES AND WHEN I CAME INTO THE MAYORSHIP, IOWAS COUNCIL FOR TWO YEARS AND THEN RAN FOR MAYOR.

I MET WITH ALL OUR PEOPLE, CONSTITUENTS, FIND OUT WHAT THEY NEED AND WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR AND A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE BUT THEY ALSO WANT A VOICE.

>> Mary: LOCAL GOVERNMENT TENDS TO BE A LITTLE LESS BLACKBERRY THAN STATE GOVERNMENT, HAS THAT BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE?

>> ABSOLUTELY, OH, YEP.

IT'S LEARNING THE STATE THING IS A WHOLE OTHER AVENUE, LOCAL JUST EVERYBODY, SO THIS IS LEARNING ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER SIDE BUT GOT TO WORK IN THE MIDDLE, TOO.

>> Mary: HAVE YOU BEEN TOLD THAT MAYORS MAKE GOOD LAWMAKERS IN PART BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW TO GET THINGS DONE, YOU DON'T GENERALLY COME IN AS PARTISAN, YOU UNDERSTAND GOVERNMENT?

>> YES, I WAS ASKED TWICE TO RUN FOR THE HOUSE, ONE IN 201 AND NOW THIS TIME AND I WAS ASKED ONCE BY THE SENATE TO RUN.

MY WIFE AND I DISCUSSED AND WE SAID, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THE SECOND CALLING MEANS SOMETHING.

>> Mary: OPEN SEAT A LITTLE MORE ENTICING, AS WELL?

>> YEP, YEP, I HAD AN OPPONENT AND IT WAS AN OPEN SEAT, MARQUART RETIRED AND HE DID A NICE JOB FOR THIS AREA.

I'LL GIVE HIM A LOT OF CREDIT FOR THAT.

>> I'M ENCOURAGED BY WHAT I SEE.

>> Mary: WHEN I DID PAUL MARCH MARQUART TERSE EXIT INTERVIEW, HE SEEMED TO KNOW THAT THE SEAT WOULD FLIP.

DID YOU THINK THAT HE WOULD BE THE LAST DEMOCRAT -- >> I KNEW I WOULD HAVE TO CAMPAIGN HARD AND WHEN I COMMIT TO SOMETHING, I DO IT 100%.

>> Mary: BUT YOU HAVE TO FEEL PROUD YOU FLIPPED A SEAT AND COULD HAVE INFLUENCED CONTROL, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A DIEDER.

>> I THINK A LOT OF MY WORKING WITH THE OTHER CITIES AS A MAYOR AND DIFFERENT CITIES AND FIRST RESPONDERS AND BEING OUT IN THE WHOLE CLAY COUNTY AND BEING BORN AND RAIDED DOWN IN DETROIT LAKES, BECKER COUNTIES, I THINK THAT HAPPENS, TOO.

>> Mary: NOT TO TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT PAUL MARQUART BUT HE DID HAVE THE SEAT FOREVER, SEEMINGLY.

>> >> I THINK 20 YEARS HE CARRIED IT.

>> Mary: A LONG TIME, REALLY WELL-LIKED, RESPECTED, VERY MODERATE, DEEP FRIENDSHIPS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE.

ARE THOSE LESSONS EVEN THOUGH HE'S FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE THAT YOU COULD LEARN FROM?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WHEN I'VE BEEN DOWN TO THE CAPITOL MORE RECENTLY, I HEAR THAT, PAUL IS A GOOD GUY, WE ENJOYED WORKING WITH HIM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE AND THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR, YOU WANT TO KEEP THAT LINE OPEN AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

>> Mary: YOU HAVE SHADES OF MODERATION ON ISSUES LIKE HIM, TOO, ISSUES WHERE YOU COULD ROBS THE AISLE?

>> HE SAT ON THE TAX COMMITTEE, DID A LOT OF GOOD THING WITH THAT.

PAUL UNDERSTOOD RURAL VALUES.

>> Mary: TALK TO ME MORE WHEN YOU SAY RURAL VALUES, WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT MEANS?

>> A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE, THEY DON'T WANT GOVERNMENT OVERREACH OR OVER REGULATED, THEY WANT TO STAY IN THEIR HOUSES UNTIL THE END.

THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO LIVER.

>> Mary: SO SOCIAL SECURITY TAX REPEAL, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A BIPARTISANSHIP ISSUE AND THE MAJORITY SAY THERE'S MONEY TO DO IT AND THEY WANT TO DO IT.

>> ABSOLUTELY AND I HINK THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE CAN ALL WORK ACROSS THE AISLE AND HOPEFULLY AGREE ON THAT THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.

WITH THE SURPLUS THAT HAS BEEN RELEASED, THE 17.6 BILLION, I THINK THOSE ARE PRIORITIES AGAIN, KEEP THE COMMUNITIES SAFE, WE'RE AG LAND UP HERE, WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR FARMERS AND NOT OVER-REGULATE THEM.

>> Mary: WITH THAT ENORMOUS SURPLUS AND SOME OF THE PRESSURE ON FOLKS IN MINNESOTA, WHAT ABOUT PROPERTY TAX RELIEVER, TOO, THAT'S ANOTHER THING WE'RE HEARING COULD BE BIPARTISAN.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THAT?

>> I WOULD LIKE TO SEE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF, AGAIN, THAT'S KEENING THE RETIRED PEOPLE OR ANYBODY IN THEIR HOMES.

WE OOK AT WHAT INFLATION IS DOING TODAY, I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE BEING FORCED OUT OF THEIR HOMES, THIS CAN HE NOT A HE STAY IN THEM BECAUSE OF THE PRICES THAT ARE HITTING US AND KEEPING THE CRIME IN CHECK AND HOLDING CRIMINALS ACCOUNTABLE SO WE DON'T HAVE TO MOVE AWAY FROM THEIR HOMES BECAUSE CRIME IS UP.

>> Mary: YOU HAD A BACKGROUND IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?

>> ONE OF THE BIG REASONS TO GET IN THAT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT A LOT SO MY MAIN THING WAS TO GET IN THERE AND RIDE ALONG AND JUST UNDERSTAND.

>> Mary: TELL US ABOUT THE DISTRICT AND HOW IT MIGHT BE REALIGNED FROM THE PREVIOUS SEAT.

>> BEFORE IT WAS NORMAN COUNTY AND NOW I HAVE CLAY COUNTY AND A LITTLE MORE OF BECKER COUNTY AND THE LAKES AREA ON MY CLAY COUNTY SIDE, I FACE THE NORTH DAKOTA BURDEN ARE BORDER WHICH YOU SEE BUSINESSES GOING TO NORTH DAKOTA.

WE NEED TO KEEP THE BUSINESSES AROUND HERE AND SMALL BUSINESSES IN TOWN.

TOWNS DRY UP BECAUSE OF SMALL BUSINESSES.

>> Mary: SO YOU GET TO HEAD INTO THE MINORITY, MAYBE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS GOING TO 'HA, REPUBLICANS DIDN'T PERFORM AS WELL AS THEY HAD HOPED SO WHEN CAN YOU DO TO BE EFFECTIVE IN THE MINORITIES?

>> WE MIGHT NOT GETS HEARINGS, WE MIGHT NOT FEIT GORD ON SOME OF THIS STUFF BUT THERE'S TRANSPORTATION, THERE'S STILL BONDING, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT OUR AREA ALSO ASKS FOR AND THOSE ARE THINGS WE NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON.

>> Mary: SIGNED LIKE YOU KNOW YOUR VOTE WILL BE NEEDED ON BONDING, THAT'S WHERE YOUR CAUCUS WILL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT.

>> ABSOLUTELY, THEY NEED A SUPER MAJORITY ON THAT AND WE HAVE NEEDS, TOO, SO THOSE ARE THINGS