(light music) (soft music) - [Announcer] Welcome to "Meet the Candidates," the local election forum from Pioneer PBS.

This season we asked every candidate the same list of questions to learn more about what type of legislator they will be if elected.

In this episode, we will meet candidates from Minnesota House District 21B.

District lines have changed since the 2020 census.

District 21B is made up of Jackson County and portions of Nobles, Cottonwood, Watonwan, and Martin Counties.

Major cities include Worthington, Windhom, and St. James.

To find out which district you live in, visit MNVotes.org.

And now let's meet the candidates.

We will start with the DFL candidate, Jon Wilson.

- First of all, I wanna thank Pioneer PBS for hosting this event.

Forums like these are great way for voters to get to know their candidates.

I come to you today from St. James where I've been an educator and coach for the past 18 years.

Those years have been a fulfillment of dreams for me, teaching history, government, coaching baseball and football.

However my path to teaching is not an ordinary trek.

I first attended Grandview College, played baseball, and earned my political science degree.

After college, I worked through different career choices until I finally went back to school to earn my teaching degree.

After graduating I was fortunate enough to find St. James as my final resting place as teaching career.

While at St. James, I've been blessed with a stepson and two daughters and I'm grateful I raised them in St. James.

In 2022, I decided to run for mayor, but once again, not an ordinary trek.

When I observed a lack of leadership in our candidates, I decided to run as a write-in candidate.

I have been so honored and humbled with massive support I received in election victory and as the mayor.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the courage to let him down."

The people of St. James believed me in a non-partisan way because they knew my character, my dedication to hard work, my loyalty and my leadership drive to get things done for them.

I worked to do my very best to not let them down.

In my two years of mayor, together we have continued also the work that so many have started in our multicultural community, specifically working to make this community a place where all people, no matter where they come from and what they look like, feel welcomed and have fair opportunities to succeed.

I feel now is the time to lead other communities in southern Minnesota the same way I've led in the classroom, on the field, or as city mayor of St. James.

I look forward to joining the fight to bolster local economies, improve greater Minnesota infrastructure, provide valuable and equitable funding for EMT services, promote affordable housing, healthcare, and oversee government spending accountability, and improve our educational system for teachers and families.

(soft music) - [Announcer] Why do you wanna be the representative for your district?

- I've either lived or competed in baseball throughout our district for much of my life.

I am extremely proud to have my kids grow up in an area that can offer such an upbringing of this multicultural world.

As mayor of St. James, we have developed the One St. James organization with a mission to create an active, interconnected network of local businesses and organizations that can facilitate greater collaboration, marketing and support for many ongoing and new efforts to strengthen and improve the city of St. James.

Under my leadership, our group decided on key goals to improve our community.

In less than a year, our One St. James organization delivered on promise goals of promoting a new splash pad, welcome packets for new residents, conversational Spanish classes, and worked with the DNR on late concerns and introduced the community to new technology to help our language barrier.

Our district deserves common-sense leadership that is open to hearing multiple ideas, researching those ideas, and working to accomplish those together.

As a legislator, my job is always to look forward to what may be in the future, not to look backward.

We need to work to solve the issues on the horizon.

Children are critical to our rural communities and must feel valued to receive a high-quality education.

As a teacher, I've served my students, building relationships with them and their families.

It has been my privilege to work in St. James and educate all the students that I have had opportunity to meet.

I've also served and worked hard for St. James, networking with mayors across our district.

I've heard and discuss many common threads to each and every community.

I would be honored to serve and deliver the same type of leadership for our district 21B.

(soft music) - [Announcer] What are your priorities for the next legislative session?

- My priorities for the next legislative session are fighting to bolster local economies, improve greater Minnesota infrastructure, provide valuable and equitable rural EMT services, promote affordable housing and healthcare, oversee government spending accountability, and improve the educational system for our teachers and families.

I work to help small businesses improve and thrive in our towns throughout the district.

Many of our small towns have lost their downtown heritage that was and I was as I was growing up, my parents would always buy furniture in Odin.

My grandmother would take me downtown to Ben Franklin in St. James, both are gone.

As a veteran history teacher, the history of our community means quite a bit to me, so I will work to find funding or grant opportunities to provide cities an opportunity to fix up old buildings and bring them back to life.

As an example, St. James has an opera house downtown.

If that opera house is bought back to life, I have no doubt it would bring life to the downtown area along with many other businesses.

For far too long, money and resources have been used in metro area and greater Minnesota has been forgotten.

Money needs to be appropriated to our towns for roads, update our underground infrastructure, ensure water quality, and fixed levees and dikes to find a way to prevent flooding that we saw in this last summer.

Rural EMT services are in danger of going completely bankrupt or without high quality first responders.

I'm extremely passionate about working with other legislators to ensure funding is there for rural services.

Change the classification to an essential service and work to get retirement and pension for our EMT personnel.

Housing availability is also a top priority as the mayor of St. James.

One of the first actions we had as mayor is to renew our land use plan.

In that land use plan, we worked with the EDA director and board and myself and now we have a new fourplex going up in 2024.

New short-term rental apartments are going up.

Promises made and promises have been delivered.

At St. Paul, I make it a priority to continue programs to help access to purchasing home, updating their existing home, or ensuring high-quality affordable rentals.

(soft music) - [Announcer] What unique perspective do you bring to the Minnesota House?

- I have lived through ups and downs of life just like many of you.

We decided years ago to worship at a church and St. James has the motto, "God loves and accepts you just the way you are."

I've tried to live my life in that manner.

Whether I'm in my classroom, leading a team as a coach, or as mayor of St. James, as life as a dad, son, or brother, I'm passionate about building up communities where all people, no matter where they come from or what they look like, feel welcome to have the opportunity to succeed.

In the classroom, I've taught in US history and government for much of my 18 years at St. James.

I've seen firsthand what MCA testing can do to students, teachers, and families.

Teachers work extremely hard day in, day out to improve the lives of their students.

Teachers need to be able to simply teach.

Remove the mandates and regulations put on teachers to take the time away from their planning in their classroom.

Teachers need to be able to discipline their students and not get handcuffed by the state statutes or no backing from administration because state of interference.

The testing process needs to be relooked as well.

A one-day test for students can never be used to show data on one student.

We need to make sure students are assessed, but in multiple ways.

I've seen numerous examples of my past students that have struggled in high school and grades and now are extremely successful.

As a coach, my experience to lead and rebuild struggling programs show us that can work side by side with other coaches, parents, and others to improve lives.

Like any coach, I know that the main goal of the team is to win, no matter if we hang out or like each other off the field.

I bring that attitude to the state legislature.

We need to work as a team to meet goals of our residents.

I may not agree with every colleague I meet in St. Paul, but my experience allows me to find ways to work together to better lives of Minnesota.

I would work for you, (soft music) not for a party.

- [Announcer] What is your vision for the future of Minnesota?

- Minnesota I want to see as a Minnesota that we truly have a place for people to live, work, and retire in.

As legislator, we need to work to ensure policies are put in place to help all Minnesota succeed in their own way of life.

Legislators need to be fiscally responsible for the revenues taken in by the state and ensure that programs are run the way they're intended to.

People need to be open to tax cuts for the middle class to help them get more of their paycheck on a monthly basis.

We need to make housing affordable for both people that wanna purchase the home and those that prefer to rent.

I wanna see families have access to affordable childcare options so they can have more money to spend on their families.

As our population needs to age, we need to make sure elderly care is also affordable and available for all.

That also means making sure we have quality caregivers and nurses that are well-compensated and taken care of.

I would also like to see a repeal of the social security tax as they have already paid their taxes along the way throughout their lives.

And finally, I wanna see a high-quality public education that allows every child an opportunity to learn, grow, succeed in their path to life.

Minnesota will have a high-quality education workforce to fill many different jobs that the community functions, teachers, doctors, nurses, farmers, technology, entrepreneurs, and many others that will improve the quality of life of Minnesota.

(soft music) - [Announcer] And now a closing statement.

- Again, I'd like to thank Pioneer PBS again, for this opportunity for voters to get this unique opportunity to meet our candidates.

I want to leave you with some lyrics of one of my daughter's favorite songs that has resonated with me from "Dear Evan Hansen."

"Have you ever felt that nobody was there?

Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere like you would fall and no one would hear?

Even when the dark comes crashing through, when you need a friend to carry you, and when you're broken on the ground, lift your head and look around."

I, Jon Wilson, will be there for you.

No matter your background, your political views, or what you think of me as a legislator, I will be there to meet with you in St. Paul.

I'll be there for you on the phone, by Zoom, at your house, or in your community to discuss what I can learn from you to help me be a better legislator for the District of 21B.

Thanks again, I will ask for your vote November 5th to be your voice for greater Minnesota.

(soft music) - [Announcer] You can find more information online about Jon Wilson at his website, jonwilsonformnhouse21b.com.

(soft music continues) Next, the Republican candidate, Marj Fogelman.

- My name is Marj Fogelman and I am the current state representative for District 21B.

My husband and I reside in rural Fulda where we have a small business, Mike's Mini Excavating.

I am a Christian and I rely on my conservative values to lead me in my daily life.

I have lived in southwest Minnesota my entire life.

I decided to run for office because many of our liberties and freedoms were disappearing.

My experience with volunteering at our church and hockey association and running our small business is the kind of real-world experience that is desperately needed in St. Paul.

During my first term, I have met and received correspondence and phone calls from many residents and various groups in and around the district.

It is so rewarding to help individuals and groups with an issue.

When out and about in the district, I have enjoyed conversations and meetings where I have been able to have one-on-one conversations.

I am thankful to all of those who have voted for me in the last election, and I will continue to listen and advocate for this district.

(soft music) - [Announcer] Why do you wanna be the representative for your district?

- I am running because I want to fight for and with the people of District 21B to ensure a responsible and prosperous Minnesota with less government, less regulations, lower taxes, and an economy that works for everyone.

I'm running to protect the integrity of our election systems.

I am running for school choice.

Our children are falling further and further behind with our children's test scores at less than 50% of grade level.

I'm running to protect our constitutional rights, the right to bear arms, the right to free speech, the right to health freedom, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

(soft music) - [Announcer] What are your priorities for the next legislative session?

- My priorities for the next legislative session will be District 21B and the state of Minnesota.

I will do my best to work with other legislators to cut taxes and shrink government, putting more money in your pocket and letting you decide what to do with your hard-earned money.

I believe the government is supposed to work for you and not dictate your life.

Last session, Democrats wasted a nearly $20 billion budget surplus and raise your taxes by another $10 billion.

This increased government spending nearly 40%.

This kind of spending cannot continue and is not sustainable for the residents of Minnesota.

(soft music) - [Announcer] What unique perspective do you bring to the Minnesota House?

- I feel that my work experience and operating our family business gives me a unique perspective when it comes to the state legislator.

When you are working for the government, taxpayer money should be treated like your own.

Being frugal and spending for state and district needs that are actual needs and not wants.

It is hard making those decisions.

It means looking at what is constitutionally responsible and making decisions based off of that.

With a tighter budget at the state, our citizens will have more of their hard-earned money to spend the way that they see fit which helps our economy and it makes everyone more prosperous and makes our state better.

(soft music) - [Announcer] What is your vision for the future of Minnesota?

- My vision for the future of Minnesota is a future with less taxes and less government interference.

My conservative values will help provide some balance that is missing right now in the state legislature.

I want to ensure a responsible and prosperous Minnesota.

I want people to keep more of what they earn so they can spend it how they see fit, not the government.

I want to see Minnesota where there are more business opportunities and where communities are growing and thriving.

I want to see a government led by honor and trust that listens to its citizens, and that is my vision for the future of Minnesota.

Let's make Minnesota great again.

(soft music) - [Announcer] And now a closing statement.

- I decided to run for office to try and make a difference for my children and my community.

This campaign has been and will continue to be about the Districts of 21B and the citizens of Minnesota.

My strong Christian faith leads me in my daily life.

Being a conservative voice in our state is what we need right now.

Having Democrats in full control of the state government has been disastrous.

Know that I will be working to cut taxes and shrink government, allowing you to have more of your hard-earned money and spend how you see fit.

With your help, together we can make a change to have everyone prosperous in Minnesota again.

My name is Marj Fogelman, thanks for watching.

- [Announcer] You can find more information online about Marj Fogelman at her website, marjformnhouse.com.

Learn more about voting, how to register, and what district you live in by visiting the Minnesota Secretary of State website at MNVotes.org.

Remember election day is Tuesday, November 5th.

Thank you for watching "Meet the Candidates" on Pioneer PBS.