MANKATO — Greater Mankato Growth’s Minnesota Legislature candidate forum might’ve featured filers for three different races Wednesday night, but for their constituents, the discussed issues remained the same: housing, next year’s budget, childcare and the business climate, among others.
GMG Executive Vice President Andy Wilke and The Free Press Managing Editor Joe Spear kicked things off by asking candidates for Minnesota House Districts 18A, 18B and 22A about their priorities; 18A candidates participated Wednesday night after their forum was postponed earlier in the month.
Whoever wins the Nov. 5 election in all three races will serve a two-year term.
Republican candidate Erica Schwartz, of Nicollet, is challenging DFL incumbent Jeff Brand, of St. Peter, for the 18A seat. The district encompasses Lime Township, several Mankato precincts, North Mankato, Kasota, Kasota Township and Nicollet County.
Schwartz, who works for her family’s business the Nicollet Mart, said her priorities include affordability, public safety and education.
“I see people struggling everyday just to buy the bare essentials,” she said.
Brand was first elected in 2018 then lost in the 2020 election to Republican Susan Akland. He then beat Akland in the 2022 election.
Brand said Wednesday night that his priorities included fully-funded schools, mental health support, higher education and creating a vibrant Minnesota economy.
He also said he wants health-care to be both affordable and accessible.
“I think that at the end of the day our health-care system is sick,” he said.
DFL incumbent Rep. Luke Frederick and Republican candidate Dar Vosburg are vying for the House District 18B seat.
Whoever wins in the Nov. 5 election will represent the cities of Mankato, Eagle Lake and Skyline.
Frederick, of Mankato, was first elected in 2020 and is finishing up his second term. Vosburg, of Mankato, ran unsuccessfully in 2022.
Vosburg works in real estate, helped start Southern Minnesota Thermography, which offers breast and body scanning services, and helps run Anytime Storage, a family business.
Frederick, who previously worked at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center, said a lot of his policy work focuses on access to mental health care.
He said he also wants to make sure that state dollars are being invested in Minnesota and that those in the agriculture sector have a voice at the table.
Vosburg said she wants to focus on being fiscally responsible for constituents, education and housing.
In 22A, which encompasses parts of Blue Earth, Faribault, Martin and Watonwan counties, Republican incumbent Bjorn Olson, of Fairmont, is on the ballot with DFL challenger Marisa Ulmen, of Madelia.
Olson, a social studies teacher, farmer, former small town mayor and military member, said his priorities include child care and housing and said the state has a spending problem.
“We’ve got to reevaluate what our priorities are,” he said.
Ulmen, a farmer and business owner, said local government aid has not kept up with inflation.
“These things need to be added back into our local government aid formula,” she said.
The discussion then turned to divisiveness in politics.
Brand said he tries to model the behavior of what people expect and that he tries to work across the aisle.
“Working better together is something I’ve embodied at the Legislature over the years,” he said.
Vosburg followed.
“I think if we all were to get in a room and get in a room together and have conversations, I think we would find that we are more alike than we are apart,” she said.
Ulmen touched on her own experiences of receiving personal threats as a candidate.
“The one thing that these things have in common is they’re coming from people that I don’t know, I haven’t met,” she said.
Republican candidates Vosburg, Olson and Schwartz criticized Minnesota’s spending when asked what their budget priorities would be for the upcoming session.
Frederick argued that the state has done work to invest in wastewater treatment, housing and expanding mental health.
He said lawmakers will have to wait until the February economic forecast comes out to narrow down priorities but that he likes to focus on long-term investments such as education and childcare.
“Kids are one of the best long-term investments,” he said.
Ulmen brought up communities with old wastewater treatment plants, as did Brand, who added he would prioritize funding schools, health care and attracting a workforce.
Candidates were then asked about Minnesota’s business climate and how the region can improve its competitiveness.
Frederick said taking care of workers supports businesses.
“I think that working in partnership between small business and government is … important,” he said, adding that small businesses are the backbone of the economy.
Schwartz addressed that she’s heard some businesses are frustrated with Minnesota’s earned sick and safe time mandates.
Brand said the region should aim to address challenges entrepreneurs face in starting businesses, such as feeling like they can’t operate due to health insurance.
Olson argued there’s too much red tape in building a house when candidates were questioned on how they would address the housing shortage.
“It’s boxing young families … it’s boxing them out,” he said.
Ulmen suggested cities look into utilizing abandoned houses while Brand said housing needs to be adequately funded throughout the entire state.
Vosburg said there’s too many regulations on building a home while Frederick addressed the needed protections for both homeowners and renters, such as the Bill of Rights for tenants.
“We have to be looking out for the average person,” he said.
The forum wrapped on the issue of child care, with Ulmen saying that the hours most child care providers offer might not work for everyone.
Vosburg said lawmakers should think outside the box and see if regulations for starting a day care could be lessened.
Olson also mentioned that regulations might make it hard for those wanting to open a business.
Frederick argued that regulations are important for safety but said he supported grant programs to help child care providers.