Ray Cox

Last Saturday the Northfield News reported that I do not plan to mount a campaign to reclaim a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives. It noted that while I enjoyed the many years of public service that I’ve given this community, I have grown weary of the spirit of politics that has developed in Northfield. If you have paid attention to the things happening in this city in the past year, I trust you can understand my feelings.

In the recent Senate Special election I was honored to receive the endorsement of the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper. That meant a lot to me. The editors and writers there conducted a thorough review of my voting record. They conducted a comprehensive interview about current issues. While they were careful to keep partisan politics out of their discussion, the editors are well aware of the environment that the legislature must conduct its work. They noted my ability to work in a bipartisan manner on state issues in an attempt to resolve some of the more pressing concerns. But the ink was barely dry on that endorsement when people started in with nasty emails and comments in area papers. And they couldn’t leave my construction company out of the melee either. When serving as a public official starts impacting the lives of my 30 employees and their families it becomes a significant concern.

The Northfield News also ran an editorial commenting on the political scene. In part, it reads…

The local political conversation should be diverse and constructive and at times, perhaps even heated. That’s how consensus is reached and good decisions are made.
This is a critical time not only in local politics, but also at the state level. Serious issues need to be discussed and the discussion needs to happen now. We need people who have ideas to step up and lead.
And if you decide to step up you can expect criticism and scrutiny.
But who’s going to do that if they are needlessly bashed? The price the rest of us pay on behalf of a rude minority is an ever-shrinking pool of quality candidates.

I concur with their comments. Just exactly who is going to step forward and run for city council seats, Mayor, and legislative offices if the focus of elections boils down to a rather pathetic negative process…..sort of ‘I’ll win, not by promoting my ideas and thoughts, but by attacking my opponent through misstatements and half-truths.’ It is very important to discuss issues with the voters in an open and honest manner. I enjoy doing that and have always tried hard to accommodate reasonable requests to do so. While elected to the Northfield school board and the Minnesota House I made every effort to meet with my constituents on a regular basis. I believe I was honest at all times, never promising them things that I knew I could not deliver on. That is not always a message that is well received….but it is an honest one. Nakita Khrushchev was probably noting this when he said “Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.” I wouldn’t promise the bridge if I couldn’t see the river— and I also wanted to see a clear need for the bridge over the river. Others are happy to make wheelbarrows full of promises to voters, never thinking about policy or how to pay for the promises.

Minnesota has some very tough issues ahead. Our economy is struggling. Workers in Minnesota are going to be asked to support a growing number of retirees that are demanding more and more services. I believe we have created a dependency in our society that is going to be incredibly difficult to deal with. Alexander Tyler, a Scottish historian at the University of Edinburgh put forth a comment in the 1780’s about America and its democracy. Among other things, Tyler said…

“A democracy is always temporary in nature: it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to a loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

In looking at the various promises our state makes to individuals, either in a collective manner or as individual promises, it seems Professor Tyler may have been onto something. Then when you look at some of the actions the United States Congress has taken in the past 25 years….as well as the actions they have failed to take…it seems Professor Tyler is spot on with his assessment of a democracy.

I do hope our elected leaders at state, county and local levels will understand that Minnesota is changing. We cannot create protectionist policies that simply preserve the status quo. If that is the result of their work Minnesota will be heading down a dark path that will create significant problems in the near future. With vigorous dialog and sound fiscal policies we should be able to create an environment where individuals are successful in life and take care of their own and their family needs. I do hope that is what happens. I do not care to see an even larger dependency culture created as I agree with Professor Tyler that such a culture is not sustainable.

This will be my last raycox web site posting for a bit…or maybe forever. I started this site in 2002 after I was first elected to the Minnesota House. It proved to be a powerful tool to solicit and receive comments from my constituents. I thank my blog coach, Griff Wigley, for introducing me to weblogs and for helping me get the most out of the site. I’ll continue to post things to my construction company website. Feel free to contact me at any time. I set up this website to get feedback and I always enjoy getting it.

And to all those that supported me during my 19 years of elected public office….a big Thank You.

Yesterday the brought to an end the activities that created the Special election in Senate District 25. Tom Neuville was installed as a Judge in the 3^rd Judicial District of Minnesota, at the Faribault bench.

The investiture was held at the Northfield High School auditorium. There were dozens of judges and lawyers from the area in attendance, as well as many Senators and family, co-workers and friends of Tom’s. Chief Judge Bill Johnson opened the event by welcoming Tom to the bench. Former Senate colleague and current judge Dave Knutson also spoke words of welcome, as did Senator Dick Day. Tom’s law partner of over thirty years, Marv Grundhoefer, gave a wonderful personal tribute to Tom.

After the investiture was completed people were invited to the Northfield Golf Clubhouse for a reception. Many area residents joined Tom and his family there, wishing him well in his new job. Tom’s children made and showed an 8 minute video presentation that took him from childhood through 17 years in the Senate.

It was wonderful to be there for Tom’s investiture. He will be a thoughtful, quality judge, joining a stellar Minnesota judiciary.

I was able to spend some rest and relaxation time with Ellen at our cottage this weekend. It was good to be alone and read, do some woodwork….and also have a chance to build a snowman

I’ve been getting lots of emails from people in the district that have been thanking me for running a good, clean campaign in this Special Senate election. While I’m proud of the fact that I do not condone or use negative and misleading ads, several people thought I should have countered some of the ads being run against me with a more forceful message. I personally believe that the nation as a whole has seen enough negative messages—you have to draw the line somewhere. Here are some selected messages….

Ron and I both made a special effort to make sure we voted for you yesterday. (One of our vehicles even got stuck in a ditch and I had to pull it out with our tractor before I could vote.) We just want you to know how much we have enjoyed meeting you. You truly have been a breath of fresh air. I have never been so impressed with the efforts of a local politician before. Your caring for the community and kindness to people you meet was evident the first time we met you. Thank you for restoring our faith in politicians. Should you choose to run again at some point, we will be there to vote for you again!

One from this Northfield resident identifies all the political ‘hoo-ha’ going on at the Iowa caucuses and in the Nation as having some impact in the Senate race. I think he is correct, and I agree that the Democrats seem to be creating more excitement than the Republicans are….

It has to be a bitter pill to get thumped in your hometown. I’ll spare you the analysis but clearly there was a lot more on the ballot than just a couple of names. It certainly was not a referendum on your service to your community. You can’t help but compare the 25 results to the business they held to the south of us last night. For all the talk about Huckabee’s stunning victory, he came in a DISTANT fourth among all candidates–this in a state that went for Bush in 2004.

This comment raises a concern that I heard a lot on the campaign trail, namely that Northfield is too much of a concentrated ‘power’ source that essentially negates much of the rest of the District. The way to deal with this is for the balance of the District to turn out voting percentages like the City of Northfield….

Thanks for running for Senate, I liked your aggressive approach and your willingness to come to LeCenter on a couple of different occasions. I am really bothered about Northfield. Basically this is proof we have no representation in our smaller towns if Northfield voters decided the election. From what I heard you had a lead until Northfield was counted. I did not see nor hear of your competitor during the election.

This resident expressed support for my integrity.

Thank you for your willingness to offer to serve the common good in our community and state, as well as for your integrity as a public servant, campaigner and neighbor. I will miss your voice and leadership in that Senate position; yours is a moderating presence that is useful to all of us. I trust that Kevin and others have and will benefit from observing the way you carry yourself in public office, community service–and simply as a sound human being.

Finally, several people sent me this quote from a speech Theodore Roosevelt gave in 1910. I have read several books about Roosevelt and greatly admire the man….our first true giant in Republican environmental conservationists…..

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face in marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” — Theodore Roosevelt, Address delivered at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

I want to extend a big Thank You to all the people that supported and worked with me in the Special Senate election. I came up short last night and will not be representing you in the Senate, but your hard work and dedication is appreciated and valued. To quote the famous baseball player Yogi Berra “It was deja vu all over again.” Just like my 2006 State Representative race, I came into Northfield with a comfortable lead at the polls. And just like the 2006 election I was pounded by Northfield voters.

I spent yesterday out in the District, starting off with a couple of hours at Carleton College speaking with students. I then moved on to Lonsdale and New Prague to visit on main street, and ended up back in Northfield visiting with people. As I noted in earlier posts, I visited every city in the District and contacted thousands of people. It was a great experience to be involved in this 35 day campaign. I wish the election would have turned out in my favor, but the voters have spoken and it is time to move on.

Again, I thank everyone that supported me in so many ways. And a huge thank you to my family…they were true workhorses for me. My wife Ellen campaigned day in and day out with me and my children were always there when I needed them.

I plan to take a break from blogging for a bit and get some rest and relaxation. I can enjoy the sunrises on my own, hike, hunt, fish, read and get back to some woodworking projects.

Tomorrow is Election Day in the Senate Special election. I hope you will go to the polls and support me in my effort to become the next Senator for District 25.

My campaign staff and I have worked incredibly hard in this short election period. As you can see from earlier postings, Ellen and I have been all over the district in every city visiting with people. The Main Street meetings I’ve had have been wonderful. The door knocking volunteers have done has provided great insight into local and statewide issues.

I’ve had great assistance from various groups supporting my campaign. I’ve heard a series of radio ads from Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund running on my behalf. I very much appreciate the positive message that they transmit. I appreciate the Star Tribune’s endorsement of me for Senate and their words…”As a legislator, Cox impressed us with his bipartisan working style and independent thinking. He stands to be an important contributor in the Senate, particularly on environmental, higher education and transportation policy.”

Now it is up to the voters of the District. Please head out tomorrow and vote for me. I promise to help create good government that will serve all Minnesotan’s.

Last Sunday evening I participated in a candidate discussion at the Contented Cow pub in Northfield. The Cow…as it is affectionately known in the area….has hosted a series of political discussions each Sunday evening. Called ‘Politics and a Pint’ they provide an informal setting to discuss issues of interest in the community. A big thank you to Julie Bixby and Norman Butler for hosting these discussions at their pub.

The discussion on Sunday centered on the Senate District 25 Special election. I joined the DFL candidate at the front of the room. Bruce Morlan served as moderator, asking us questions submitted by the audience.

One of the questions I found most interesting was submitted by an audience member who wanted to know if the candidates supported light rail to Northfield. I explained that I would have to gather a lot more information about such a plan before I could support it. I went on to say that light rail would most likely be cost prohibitive to Northfield. I then explained that I was much more interested in using our regular rail tracks to create some passenger service to Northfield. It seems to me we could be doing a lot more with our rails. Amtrack travels in many parts of the country using regular rails. I’m not advocating for Amtrack service to Northfield. We have that nearby in Red Wing. But I believe it is possible to do a lot more work on creating commuter rail service on our existing rail lines. It may involve some type of public-private partnership where the state could contribute capital for the purchase of a self-propelled passenger car, and have a rail company operate the car. These are the type of plans I’d like to put on the table and discuss in the Senate.

We also fielded a question about Minnesota’s higher education system, asking whether we supported increased financial aid to students, or providing dollars to our public higher education institutions with the understanding that they use more dollars for student support. I am a huge believer in Minnesota’s State Grant Program. I feel qualifying students should be able to decide which institution best meets their needs, then receive support to attend that institution using our State Grant Program. However, this isn’t an ‘either-or’ issue in my mind. Minnesota generates sufficient revenue each biennium to provide financial support to our public higher education institutions as well as properly funding our State Grant Program, Work Study Program and Child Care Grant programs.

It was nice to see a good crowd of interested people at The Cow for the ‘Politics and a Pint’ discussion.

In talking about my visits in Senate District 25 I forgot about Veseli. Veseli has Czech roots and is located just north and east of Lonsdale in Rice County. It is a cute little village with gently rolling hills. One of the things they have been doing for many years is hosting a fun July 4th celebration, complete with parade around the village. I’ve always enjoyed attending that as a State Representative. In the center of the town is the Holy Trinity Catholic church—a very nice brick church located on the highest point in the village. On July 4th the lawn of the church is a perfect vantage place to view the parade.

While out door knocking this year I came across a rather humorous item….a Veseli Transit bus. It doesn’t look like it has had much action this winter, but as the front sign indicates, it is for hauling race fans. I suspect there have been some trips to the Elko Speedway in the bus. You never know what you are going to find when walking a community street by street!

As I’m sure you can imagine, for the past 30 days I have been very busy on the campaign trail. I simply could not do this job without the support of my wife Ellen. I’ve said that many times in the past while serving in the House….and it holds true for the campaign for Senate as well…I simply could not do the job without her. She has been a remarkable ‘trooper’ with me through thick and thin.

I’ve tried very hard to contact people in all parts of this Senate district. It has been very fun and enjoyable meeting so many new people in small cities and towns. I had a wonderful chat with Wendy  Becker, the City Clerk of New Auburn in Sibley County. She said residents were very proud of their new water tower and hoped that the new high pressure water system will allow them to attract some new businesses to the city. With my involvement in the construction industry I always keep an eye out for older buildings. New Auburn has an interesting old creamery building. Many creamery’s were very ornate and well constructed by the farmer cooperatives that owned them. While door knocking in New Auburn I also came across one of the most interesting, knobby, twisted old trees I’ve ever seen..

Cleveland in LeSueur County is a charming city with several points of interest. They have a historical society to make sure people are aware of Cleveland’s beginnings. Ellen and I found this 1870 log cabin there. It has very tight, well made joints and seems to be going strong 137 years later!

A bit further on in LeSueur County is Kasota. Kasota is in the heart of the limestone rock quarry area. Over the years I’ve picked up many loads of cut stone from the Vetter Quarry nearby. We found a very nice older brick and stone buildings in downtown Kasota. Kasota has a handsome old brick and stone bank building in town. No longer in use as a bank, it is getting good care as an adaptive reuse. They also have larger old brick building with fantastic large, arched doorways.

Heidelberg is a very small city just off highway 19 in LeSueur County. Even though it is small, I’ve been there and found a nice brick building in the center of the community. I’m not sure what originally housed, but I suspect it too may have been a creamery.

Kilkenny is in the heart of LeSueur County. They have an interesting water tower in that it appears to be a Harvestore silo. Being able to locate the silo on a good hill gives the city water pressure without having an elevated water tower. The green shamrock on the tower hints of Kilkenny’s Irish roots.

While in Belle Plaine yesterday I needed a stocking hat…I forgot mine and for door knocking in January a hat is a must have item! Ellen and I stopped in to visit with the people at The Lutheran Home Association’s Thrift store. I found just what I needed. We also found a very nice display on the history of The Lutheran Home Association. It is nice to see people remembering early philanthropic efforts that created such a valuable important institution as the Lutheran Home Association. The crew of volunteers I had with me yesterday included State Representative Sarah Anderson (R-Plymouth) and her husband and baby. I’ve known Sarah from her work as an Assistant to Speaker Sviggum in the House. In 2006 she moved from that position to State Representative and was willing to come out an a January day and help my Senate campaign. Thank you Sarah and Paul!

I’ve made many trips to New Prague to visit with people. Last Thursday I was there with Governor Tim Pawlenty. We chatted with a lot of people in the coffee shops and stores up an down the main street of the city. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the folks in this community. They have Rep. Laura Brod as their State Representative and have worked with her on lots of legislative issues over the years.

LeCenter is a busy little city that is the county seat of LeSueur County. I showed the pretty Christmas scenes on the courthouse lawn in an earlier posting. My last visit to LeCenter included a visit to the public safety building. The older portion is undergoing some restoration work. You can see that it is a very nice building. It has an annex for city offices that seems to work well.

St. Thomas is not a city, but I came across this beautiful little Catholic church there. It was a brisk winter afternoon with the American flag whipping proudly in front of the church. Ellen and I enjoy seeing these well cared for places of worship. We often stop and check to see if they are open for visits as we travel the District. Not far away we were traveling a county road and came across this corn crib. I had to stop and snap a photo. First of all, you don’t see so many corn cribs in use any longer. And secondly, this is a pretty, symmetrical crib of corn.  With the picker-sheller combines in use today it is harder to find farmers that store cob corn in this manner.

As I noted earlier, I have ancestral roots in Henderson. My Grandfather and Great Aunts grew up in Henderson in the home my Great Grandfather constructed. Henderson Mayor Keith Swenson now lives in the home. Henderson has some of the nicest, most well kept older downtown buildings in the District. They also have a beautiful Christmas tree at the Community Building.

These are some of the many, many stops I’ve made along the campaign trail to the Senate. With 4 days to go I will stay on the trail, focused on getting my message to the voters of the District. As you can tell from this quick series of photographs, I’ve put in a huge amount of work and energy into this Senate campaign….but have enjoyed every minute of it and have had tremendous support all along the way. Thank you to everyone that has helped me.

This morning I opened the Minneapolis Star Tribune to find an editorial endorsing me for Senate district 25. I am honored to receive the endorsement of the largest newspaper in the state and thank them for their support and recognition of my legislative abilities. In making the endorsement the paper said….

“As a legislator, Cox impressed us with his bipartisan working style and independent thinking. He stands to be an important contributor in the Senate, particularly on environmental, higher education and transportation policy.”

I believe it is important to keep a clear mind open to all possible solutions. I’ve always did that when serving on the Northfield school board, and I tried to carry that through in my legislative service. I can assure voters that I will bring that ‘independent thinking’ with me to the Senate. The Star Tribune goes on to note…

“A biology major at St. Olaf College and a founding member of the Cannon River Watershed Partnership, Cox played a leading role on several environmental bills, some of which were opposed by his fellow Republicans and finally enacted this year, after he was out of office and DFLers were in charge.”

I appreciate the Star Tribune’s acknowledgement of my environmental work in the legislature. I worked on many, many environmental issues, including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, waste electronics recycling, phosphorus reductions, and mercury emission reductions. I hope to work on some renewable energy issues in the Senate in 2008. They had a slight glitch in the comment on the Cannon River Watershed Partnership (CRWP), as I was a financial supporter, not a founder. But regardless, I have enjoyed working with CRWP on lots of legislative matters over the years.

This morning at 8:00 I participated in a candidate forum on long-term care (LTC) issues. It was held at the Community Resource bank in their spacious meeting room. I thank Community Resource bank for making the space available for the early morning forum. Area LTC administrators and staff members were present.

The forum was organized by a consortium of long-term care providers collectively known at Long-Term Care Imperative, which includes the Care Providers of Minnesota. Both organizations are actively working to address and improve issues facing long-term and adult care in Minnesota.

Like many states, Minnesota is quickly turning ‘gray’ as our residents are aging. The over 85 age group has about 85,000 people today , and is projected to have about 323,000 by the year 2050. In a parallel, our E-12 school age children are shrinking…we had about 1 million in school in the mid-1970’s and have about 800,000 now. These two factors will create significant pressures on the state budget to deal with schools and long-term care. And of course, if our student population is shrinking we can expect to see the number of working taxpayers shrinking as well. A perfect storm!

I have been very impressed with the way many long-term care providers have been responding to customer needs. We are seeing a variety of options established by care providers, including assisted living facilities, senior apartment or condominiums with ‘menus’ of service options, home health care, and many other care plans. I told the group gathered today that the state needs to encourage flexibility in all these options and not create a rigid, regulated environment that prevents quick adjustment to customers needs. My construction company has been involved in building several of these facilities in Northfield, Belle Plaine and other areas.

Funding has been a problem lately and the LTC providers are concerned about that. Last year the legislature granted a 1.87 percent cost of living adjustment in the first year, followed by a very complex formula rate in the second year. Many LTC providers will not see any increase in year two. I feel the legislature should have done a better job for our LTC providers considering they increased overall budgeted spending by 10 percent. This is a priority issue for me. While the difference between 1.87 percent and 3 percent increase in a year may not sound like much, it is something that is needed and should have been done.

LTC providers in this area are also very concerned about rate adjustments. The northern Rice County part of the Senate district is not compensated at Metro rate adjustments. However, the proximity to the Metro area means the LTC providers must try and attract workers by paying Metro rates. This creates additional problems for them. I support having a non-partisan legislative office, possibly even the legislative auditor, look at this issue and make recommendations. It is difficult for the legislature to draw lines in any meaningful manner on such an issue.

At the end of the forum Governor Tim Pawlenty popped in to say hello to the group. He was in the area helping me with outreach to voters. He gave his thoughts on LTC issues, noting that he told legislative leaders at the start of the session that he would sign any reasonable cost of living adjustment rate increase for LTC providers. I don’t think he thought it would end up at such a low figure…..but as everyone knows, the Governor doesn’t write legislation. He can only sign what is presented to him.

The Northfield News printed my guest opinion in their paper yesterday. I appreciate their interest in getting information out to the voters. As the editor noted, they will not be making an endorsement in this Senate race. Here is what I had to say….

Minnesota’s open, active political process has been hard at work in this area over the past three weeks.

As a majority of people in the area know, Senator Tom Neuville was appointed to fill a judicial vacancy in the 3^rd District. Tom gave this area 17 years of dedicated Senate service. I enjoyed working with him on many legislative issues during my years in the Minnesota House of Representatives. I wish Tom well as he resigns his Senate seat and begins his new duties as a District Judge.

On December 18^th I was pleased to win the Republican primary to succeed Tom. Voter turnout was very high, which is the history for this diverse district. The special election is set for Jan 3, 2008.

As I meet people in the district as part of my Senate campaign some people have complained about the cost of holding a Primary election in a Special election. While I know it is expensive to hold an election, it is a necessary part of the American process to keep our country free and open to all ideas. I give a big Thank You to all the election judges and workers that administered the Primary election. I know in some areas election judges worked long hours for just a few voters.

I urge area residents to become familiar with each candidate’s positions on issues important to them. There are many important matters for the legislature to deal with next session. Ask us specific questions and don’t accept vague answers.

First on the agenda will be the state budget. Minnesota expanded our biennial state budgeted spending by 10.1 percent during the last legislative session. During those discussions several economist warned that Minnesota might not be able to support that level of state growth. The economists may have been correct, as our most current forecast projects a budget shortfall of about $350 million. The February forecast might be even worse. Minnesota has reserve funds set aside to deal with a shortfall, but simply using reserves may create larger shortfalls in subsequent years. Increasing general taxes will make economic recovery harder, spiraling Minnesota into deeper and deeper problems. I believe Minnesota’s progressive tax system will continue to provide enough revenue for state programs, provided the legislature shows restraint in spending plans. We cannot expand our state government at 5 percent annual rates when inflation is at three percent.

Rising property taxes is another issue at the top of many people’s mind. We are seeing a climate where assessed property values are increasing at a rate that appears to be outstripping the actual value of properties, raising taxes to new high levels. Some tout more local government aid (LGA) from St. Paul as a solution to that problem. I am not an advocate of creating new streams of money to shore up more LGA. Instead, I believe we must make reforms to our present LGA funding formula and see that LGA is directed to the communities that truly need the support…not to communities that have extensive tax base to draw from. After all, LGA was originally created to assist smaller cities in furnishing core services—police, fire, libraries—to residents without creating excessive real estate tax burdens.

Containing rising health care costs is another critical issue. Some people are advocating that the state to take over the health care for everyone. Others wish to work within the private markets to address health care costs and access. I propose to work with our private providers to increase efficiencies in all areas of health care, and cooperatively arrive at health care administration reforms that will lower the cost of health insurance and health care for all Minnesotan’s.

January 3^rd, 2008 the voters in Senate District 25 will be asked to go to the polls and select a new Senator. I hope that voters will take the time to become informed and cast a thoughtful, considerate vote to select the next State Senator from District 25. There will be a lot of mailing and phone calling over the next 2 weeks by all candidates. Please be patient with us. Special elections just don’t give us much time to campaign as usual.

As we draw close to Christmas day I hope all readers are able to be with friends and family. This is indeed a special time when people remember the birth of Jesus and all that he brought the world. It is a time to reflect on the world today and think how we can each make it a better place, using the individual abilities we each have.

This day started off with bright, full sunshine reflecting off our new snow. About 8:00 I looked out my living room window and saw a bunch of our local deer looking around for a handout. I filled the little feeder that I use to give them shelled corn and thought about the animals that surrounded Jesus at his birth. When I was a little boy there was a man that lived up the road that told me ‘on Christmas Eve the animals can talk to each other’. I remember thinking it would be neat to catch them doing that. As I watched the deer, squirrels, and birds today I couldn’t help but think that maybe they know this is a special time for their human friends.

Merry Christmas to all. I hope you have a safe, happy Christmas.

While this Special Senate election is a fast and furious event, there are some really fun parts to it. One of those parts is getting connected with some of my ancestral ‘roots’ in the area. My Grandfather Raymond Herrmann grew up in Henderson. Until the 1970’s I had Great Aunts and a Great Uncle that retired back to Henderson and lived in the house they grew up on. I have fond memories of spending time in Henderson as a child. Many of the older people I’ve talked with recently in Henderson remember the Herrmann family.

My Grandmother on my Mother’s side was from LeSueur. Her name was Seimering. Her Father, Herman Seimering, arrived in the LeSueur area from Germany around 1871. Ellen and I were in LeSueur on Saturday and had a wonderful time visiting with people. My Great Aunt—one of my Grandmothers sisters— married Ted Weirwill. Ted operated the Corner Drugstore in LeSueur for decades. In fact, when I stopped in to visit at the current Corner Drugstore the druggist told me they still have records in the basement going back to Uncle Ted’s store. That is some record keeping! In this photo I’m pointing to a drawing of the old Corner Drugstore. This part of LeSueur was demolished in the early 1970’s and replaced with a center shopping mall. It is nice that the mural of old stores reminds people of what was there originally.

After high school and between college years I worked for Green Giant Canning Company in this area. I mainly drove trucks hauling fresh peas from the farm fields to the canneries. We hauled many of the picked peas to the Montgomery plant, but quite a few of us were sent to LeSueur from time to time when the Montgomery plant was running at full capacity. Ellen and I  stopped in to visit the historical society in LeSueur and I couldn’t resist a photo with the Giant.

The historical society shop is located right next to the cottage where the famed Dr. William J. Mayo was born. It is a lovely little house that was used for a time as the city library. It is open for visits during warm weather.

While we were in the shop I looked at their used books and found a copy of one of my paternal Grandfather’s little books on birds. Titled Bird Stories, it gives a nice overview of the birds native to this area of MInnesota. It also contains birdhouse building patterns and information in the back of the book. Since I have an interest in building birdhouses, I think I’ll need to try out some of the patterns this winter. William T. Cox was Minnesota’s first Commissioner of Forestry…now the Department of Natural Resources. He was always busy writing about forests, birds, and wild animals. I think it is listening to and talking with him as a young boy that got me interested in biology and ecology, resulting in my biology degree at St. Olaf College.

Another nice feature of LeSueur is that it still has a nice old movie theater downtown. So many small town theaters have closed down and the buildings put to other uses. The LeSueur looks to be serving area residents very well. 

People in LeSueur County have been so warm and inviting to Ellen and me as as we visit with them. I am thoroughly enjoying my travels throughout the District.

I want to thank everyone involved in organizing the Senate District 25 candidate forum at the Grand Entertainment Center last night. It was a packed house and an excellent venue for the forum. Griff, Tracy and Ross with Locally Grown did an excellent job keeping the forum moving along well. Jeff Johnson with KYMN kept the microphones working. We addressed many issues important to the people of District 25. Kevin Dahle, Vance Norgaard and I answered questions about taxes, education, energy and other topics during the two hour forum.

Griff had asked us to give opening statements, but not to do the traditional thing about ‘I’ve lived here…I work at….etc.’ With that in mind I decided to share some ‘fun facts’ that people most likely didn’t know about me…

*I started hired work at age 12 by trapping pocket gophers for farmers in the area and for Switzer’s Nursery. I was paid .45 per gopher.

*Two times in my life I lived in homes that did not have running water or central heat.

*I was raised by a strong willed, single parent mother that was a firm believer in higher education. She also was involved in politics most of her life, running for the Minnesota House from this area in 1978.

*I enjoy hunting and fishing, and did quite a bit of it as a boy, and our family ate everything I brought home. When I was 14 my mother and I butchered a deer in our garage.

I believe the forum will be broadcast on KYMN radio later this week. There was filming taking place but I’m not sure if it will be video broadcast. And a big thank you to Chuck Pryor, owner of the Grand, for making it available for the forum.

You should be able to access the audio on the Locally Grown site very soon.

Yesterday morning Ellen and I headed over to New Prague to meet with people. All during the drive the trees were spectacular when the morning sunlight caught the frost. I snapped a couple of photos…but they really don’t do justice to how the morning looked

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We just about had rainbows in the sky…

Locally Grown, Northfield’s busy weblog site, is hosting a Senate candidate forum this Thursday. KYMN radio is also coordinating the forum and will be organizing the broadcast over the air.

With the short Senate Special election timeframe I don’t think there will be many other candidate forums, so I hope there will be a good turnout. I’m pleased that Locally Grown is taking the time to add this event to their schedule, and thank KYMN in advance for their assistance. I believe the format of the forum will be rather informal, similar to the format Locally Grown uses for their weekly discussion.

The forum starts at 7:00PM and will be held at the Grand Event Center in Northfield.

Yesterday was the primary election in Senate District 25. I was the endorsed Republican on the ballot but had two individuals that were seeking the Republican Party support for the January 3rd Special election by using the public primary election process. Neither Rod Tietz or Keith Swenson participated in the Republican endorsing convention on December 5th when I received the Republican endorsement. When the ballots were tallied up last night I ended up winning the primary election with 2,029 or roughly 67 percent of the Republican votes. Rod Tietz gathered 21 percent and Keith Swanson polled 12 percent of the Republican vote. Approximately 6.5 percent of the registered voters came to the polls on Tuesday. Rod Tietz graciously called me last night after the election results were posted. He congratulated me and offered all his help and support in the Special election. I’ll be taking him up on that offer. Rod ran strong in the New Prague and Montgomery areas.

My campaign workers and I have spent an incredible amount of time and energy working on the election. At first none of us were very thrilled about the primary election. We knew we had to direct a certain amount of effort to getting voters to the polls for the election on the 18th and thought that energy might be put to better use. However, as we got into the effort we all realized it was a great opportunity to get the message about what Ray Cox stands for out to the voting public. I have been able to meet many people all across the district as part of this get-out-the-vote process. I’m not sure if I would have been able to connect with so many people up to this point in the campaign if it wasn’t for the primary election.

Last night Ellen and I spent part of the evening with a number of Senators…..including one who dressed up as Santa. I told Santa that I only needed one gift delivered to me after Christmas—a victory at the polls on January 3rd. As I visited with the Senators it was rewarding to have so many of them offer to come to the district and assist with my campaign. There is still much work to do in the next two weeks.

I want to give a big Thank You to all the people involved in running the primary election. Over the past 10 days or so I talked to many people who told me they were election judges for the primary. With the typically light voter turnout I am sure it was a very long day for lots of poll workers. For example, in Elysian township 3 voters showed up all day. I appreciate the dedication these people have to America’s open democracy.

Yesterday I received a call from Sarah Rummel at Clean Water Action – Minnesota. She informed me that their political committee had met and voted to endorse me in the Senate District 25 election. I’m very pleased to have the endorsement of this quality environmental group. This endorsement comes on the heels of my endorsement from Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund.

I know Clean Water Action appreciated my assistance in passing the mercury emission reduction bill during the 2006 legislative session. That was a solid, common sense approach to removing mercury in Minnesota. I think that bill showed how good things can be done when people agree on an issue or problem, then go to work deciding how to solve the problem….instead of arguing about if there is a problem.

I promise to continue my environmental work and be an advocate in my caucus for environmental plans that help Minnesota. I thank Clean Water Action for their support of my election to the Senate.