>> ABSOLUTELY, IT IS.

>> Mary: THANK YOU, SENATORS, BOTH OF YOU, APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

WE'LL TALK AGAIN.

THIS WEEK'S FIRST-TERM LAWMAKER RESIDES IN FORMER LAWMAKER FRANK HORNSTEIN'S DISTRICT AND SHE HOPES HER BACKGROUND IN ENGINEERING WILL KEEP THE DATA FLOWING IN HER WORK AT THE CAPITOL.

>> I RAN FOR THE MINNESOTA HOUSE BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT PEOPLE AND THE PLANET, AND I WANT TO BUILD A MORE JUST, RESILIENT AND THRIVING MINNESOTA.

>> Mary: AND IT WAS AN OPEN SEAT, DID THAT HELP?

>> IT DID HELP THAT THAT WAS AN OPEN SEAT.

I NEW REPRESENTATIVE FRANK HORNSTEIN FOR A LONG TIME.

I WORKED WITH HIM ON A NUMBER OF TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING, LAND USE BILLS.

I SAW HIS LEADERSHIP AND THE WAY THAT HE WAS REALLY BASED IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND HAVING ALSO WORKED IN OUR COMMUNITY, ON MY NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD, A NUMBER OF OTHER COMMUNITY COMMITTEES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, I THOUGHT, HEY, I THINK I CAN DO THIS.

I WANT TO TAKE A CRACK AT IT.

>> Mary: SO YOU KNOW FRANK HORNSTEIN, AND YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT HE WAS MAYBE ONE OF THE MOST LIKED MEMBERS IN THE ENTIRE LEGISLATURE, LIKE HE MIGHT BE THE NICEST GUY IT EVER UP HERE.

YOU KNOW THAT?

>> OH, YEAH.

>> Mary: IS THAT DAUNTING TO FOLLOW IN THOSE FOOTSTEPS >> YES, I'VE BEEN TOLD MULTIPLE TIMES THAT I HAVE HUGE SHOES TO FILL.

AND, SO, YOU KNOW, I TAKE THAT AS HUMBLY AS I CAN AND SAY, LIKE, I KNOW I'M NOT FRANK, FRANK CAN NEVER BE REPLACED, BUT I TRY TO TAKE LEARNINGS FROM HIM AND DO THE BEST WITH THE SKILL SET THAT I'M GIVEN.

AND ALSO WOULD IT -- WORK ON A NUMBER OF SAME THINGS THAT HE WAS WORKING ON, IT TURNS OUT, OUR DISTRICT REALLY CARES ABOUT WORKING ON CLIMATE AND ENERGY, WORKING ON TRANSPORTATION, MAKING SURE WE HAVE GOOD GOVERNANCE, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO DO GOING FORWARD.

>> Mary: YOU'RE NOT FROM A VERY OMPETITIVE SEAT OR AREA, HORNSTEIN WAS REALLY KNOWN FOR HIS BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL APPROACH.

HE BUILT A LOT OF ALLIES AND FRIENDSHIPS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE, IN THE OTHER CHAMBER.

IS THAT A LESSON YOU CAN TAKE FROM HIM?

>> YES.

AND HONESTLY I'VE STARTED PUTTING THAT INTO PRACTICE.

JUST EARLIER THIS WEEK, I DROVE OUT TO WESTERN MINNESOTA, WAS SITTING DOWN WITH ONE OF THE OR FRESHMAN, SO GOPers, AND WE HAD A GREAT LUNCH.

WE BOTH RECOGNIZE, THERE'S CERTAIN LINES THAT WE CAN'T CROSS BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, THE VALUES AND THE PARTIES THAT WE'RE REPRESENTING, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE CAN WORK ON.

HE BROUGHT UP CHILD CARE, I BROUGHT UP TRANSPORTATION, WE WERE BOTH, LIKE, THOSE ARE THINGS WE NEED TO SOLVE.

HOUSING IS ANOTHER THING THAT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HEAR A LOT ABOUT THIS SESSION.

>> Mary: HOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, YOU'RE AN ENGINEER, THAT'S KIND OF UNIQUE IN THE LEGISLATURE.

THERE'S A SENATOR WHO'S A PAVEMENT ENGINEER, AND SHE SAYS SHE'S THE EVER.

IT'S A UNIQUE JOB TO HAVE HERE.

>> YES, IT IS.

I THINK THERE ARE A COUPLE OTHER.

I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE ENOUGH TO FORM AN ENGINEERING CAUCUS.

I THINK WHAT I'M GOING TO BE BRINGING FROM THAT THAT GROUND IS DATA AND STATISTICS, MAKING SURE WE'RE GROUNDING HE SOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD IN SCIENCE.

AND ALSO THINKING ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF FOLKS, WE GET REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, LIKE, THE PROMISES OF CERTAIN BILLS, BUT I WANT THEM TO HAVE IMPACT, AND I THINK ENGINEERS ARE REALLY GEARED TOWARDS THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN ON THE GROUND, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BUILDING THE POLICY THAT IS UTTING THE LIGHT RIGHT PEOPLE AND RESOURCES IN PLACE SO THAT IMPACT CAN BE FULFILLED.

>> Mary: TALK ABOUT YOUR DISTRICT.

MINNEAPOLIS IS A BIG PLACE.

>> YES.

>> Mary: IT'S A LOT OF DIVERSITY.

WHAT MAKES YOUR DISTRICT, YOUR SLICE OF THE CITY UNIQUE?

>> YES.

I LOVE MY DISTRICT.

SO I'M ORIGINALLY FROM A SMALL TOWN IN INDIANA, BUT I ENDED UP IN ONE OF THE MOST DENSE PARTS OF OUR STATE.

AND IT'S BECAUSE WHEN I MOVED HERE, YOU KNOW, MY HUSBAND AND I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE MULTIPLE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION TO OUR DAY JOBS.

AND I FOUND A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN WALK, BIKE, DRIVE, TAKE TRANSIT, AND IT'S JUST -- I THINK THAT JUST DIVERSITY OF TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS AND THE DIVERSITY OF SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS AND THERE'S NATURE BECAUSE WE'VE GOT THE LAKES IN THERE, WE'VE GOT DOWNTOWN, EVERYTHING'S HAPPENING, WE'VE GOT THE THEATERS IN MY DISTRICT, LIKE IT'S A VERY HAPPENIN' PLACE.

>> Mary: WHAT WAS, LIKE, THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU HEARD WHEN MEETING -- BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GO OUT THERE AND MEET FOLKS WHEN YOU'RE THE NEW CANDIDATE.

>> OH, YEAH.

>> Mary: WHAT WERE THE THEMES?

>> I DON'T THINK THERE WAS ONE SINGULAR THING THAT I HEARD ABOUT.

THERE WAS A LOT OF VARIOUS THINGS THAT WERE RISING TO THE TOP.

AFFORDABILITY IN OUR LIVES IS A BIG ONE.

AND I'D SAY THAT KIND OF CAME THROUGH IN A NUMBER OF THINGS.

HOUSING, I MENTIONED THAT, BUT FROM BOTH THE RENTER SIDE AND FROM THE HOMEOWNERSHIP SIDE, CAME UP, PUBLIC SAFETY WAS ANOTHER THING THAT KEPT COMING UP, AND, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT PIECE WHERE WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR CITY AND OUR COUNTY, JURISDICTIONS AND PARTNERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THAT IN MINNEAPOLIS.

I'D ALSO SAY CLIMATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO FOLKS IN THIS DISTRICT.

>> Mary: ECONOMY AND PUBLIC SAFETY, THOSE ARE ISSUES REPUBLICANS KIND OF THOUGHT THEY WON ON.

SOUNDS LIKE YOU RAN ON IT AND WON ON IT, TOO.

>> YES.

ACTUALLY THE TOP THING THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT SINCE THE FIRST CAUCUS SPEECH WAS ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS FOR ROADS THAT ARE UNDER RECONSTRUCTION.

MOST OF OUR COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS ARE 60 TO 80 YEARS OLD, THEY'RE ALL COMING DUE FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND OUR SMALL LOCAL INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES, THEY ARE NOT THE ECONOMIC DRIVERS THAT THEY USED TO BE, BUT WE VALUE THEM SO HIGHLY IN OUR COMMUNITIES, NOT JUST IN MINNEAPOLIS, BUT WORTHINGTON AND WILLMAR AND BEMIDJI.

AND, SO, YOU KNOW, MY THOUGHT IS THAT WHEN WE'RE COMING IN, YOU KNOW, EITHER AS A CITY OR AS THE STATE AND RECONSTRUCTING A ROAD, WE SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT OUR BUSINESSES CAN SURVIVE THAT RECONSTRUCTION.

>> Mary: ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S SURPRISING ABOUT THE PLACE SO FAR?

>> HOW FRIENDLY EVERYONE IS, HOW WELCOMING EVERYONE IS, TO JUST, LIKE, HEY, YOU'RE THE NEWBIE HERE, HEY, LET'S HELP YOU FIGURE OUT WHERE TO GO, HELP YOU FIGURE OUT, LIKE, THIS IS HOW YOU DO COMMUNICATIONS, JUST EVERYONE HAS BEEN SUPER FRIENDLY, SUPER HELPFUL.

IT'S OT AS DAUNTING AS I THINK PEOPLE MIGHT REALIZE.

>> Mary: AND DESPITE KIND OF CHAOTIC EARLY START TO SESSION, THAT MIGHT SURPRISE FOLKS THAT IT'S STILL A WELCOMING PLACE, DESPITE ALL THE UNKNOWNS.

>> YES.

I THINK THE BIGGEST THING THAT I'M TAKING INTO HERE IS JUST THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH THAT I CAN CONTROL.

I'M WORKING ON THOSE THINGS THAT I CAN CONTROL.

AND TRYING TO BUILD BRIDGES, BOTH WITHIN THE DFL CAUCUS AND