Republican Candidates for State House, State Senate Define Stances (Part 1)

A full house jammed  Thursday night for a candidate forum hosted by the Wayzata/Plymouth chapter of the League of Women Voters. Republican candidates seeking seats in the State House and State Senate fielded questions for about an hour, at times drawing stark differences between themselves and their opponents.

Primaries on Aug. 14 will determine which GOP candidates advance to the November general election to face DFL challengers.

Patch will present several posts over the coming days recapping responses to questions posed during Thursday's forum, and a brief bio of each GOP candidate appears at the bottom of this post. The forum will air in its entirety on the Lake Minnetonka Cable Commission, and Patch will post air times when they become available.

Below are paraphrased versions of the first three questions asked Thursday evening, followed by recaps of candidate responses.

With Lake Minnetonka communities having recorded more than 1,200 foreclosures in the last five years, how will you support development of rental housing?

State House District 33B

Steve Smith pointed to his days as both a member of the Mound City Council and stressed the importance of local government granting variances for the development and redevelopment of rental housing. 

Saying she recognized the problem's importance while conceding she did not have extensive experience in the area, Cindy Pugh said free market solutions were key to making affordable housing available. Pugh said she would work collaboratively with leaders in both the private and public sectors to address the issue.

State House District 33A

David Osmek said government should stay out of the development and redevelopment of rental housing as much as possible. Instead, Smith said he would seek opportunities for government to find ways to make areas more attractive and housing opportunities more attractive. He advocated local governments abiding by existing codes as much as possible in the development of rental housing and the redevelopment of existing stock. 

Connie Doepke said rental housing was an issue for both young families and the area's vast aging population. She pointed to legislation she has introduced that would aid municipalities in remediating blighted areas and said high levels of government regulation impeded rental housing development and redevelopment. 

What is the most important issue in the district and what are your ideas for a solution?

State Senate District 33

Doepke believes the most important issue facing District 33 is jobs, saying she has long been an advocate of small business and voting for bills to spur job creation. Bills she has supported, including those that would reduce tax rates, have come at the urging of local Chamber of Commerce, and she blamed Governor Dayton for vetoing many of the measures the GOP has brought to the floor.

Osmek said both state and local government needed to live within its means and responsibly use the money provided by taxpayers. He also advocated reducing the state’s corporate tax rate, which he said was among the highest in the region, to spur job growth and pointed to Mound's record of successfully working with city departments to increase efficiency while controlling costs.

State House District 33B

Pugh stressed private sector job creation would be one of her top area’s of focus, and she said reducing government regulations and increasing legislative oversight over state agencies were keys toward reducing unemployment. She went on to say that “employee freedom” and allowing employees to determine whether they wished to join a union would jumpstart Minnesota's economy.

Smith said balancing the state’s budget without raising taxes, coupled with responsible spending, was a primary responsibility of government and pointed to his record of supporting legislation that did all three. 

Do you support light rail?

State Senate District 33

Osmek said he did not support light rail, calling it inefficient, saying the Hiawatha Line annually generates about $10 million in fees for 10 million riders while receiving $15 million in state subsidies. Projecting that across the central corridor, possible southwest corridor and the North Star Line, Osmek said the state would spend $50 million a year to keep light rail afloat. He said that money would be better spent on projects such as doubling the capacity of I-394.

Doepke took the opportunity to clarify her position on transportation and said the state needs to adopt a long-term approach to address its transportation needs in a cost-effective manner. She pointed to the success of the I-394 MnPass program as an example of a financially self-sufficient way to relieve traffic congestion. Doepke said the state's current light rail system required heavy subsidies, which she said she has never supported.

State House District 33B

Pugh said there were many areas within transportation, saying an additional lane on I-394 was the district's most important transportation need. Pugh pointed to a $16 trillion federal debt as a point of concern when it came to the federal government's ability to make good on grant applications made by the state. She said she was open to a healthy debate about transportation but stressed she had not seen a single rail proposal that was economically sustainable. 

Smith kept his answer short, saying light rail had the potential to be one prong in a comprehensive plan to address the state and district's transportation needs.

About the candidates:

State Senate District 33

David Osmek currently serves as a city councilman for the City of Mound and is a manager for a Fortune 100 company. Osmek is the GOP-endorsed candidate in the State Senate District 33 race, having received more than 80 percent of the votes during the party's endorsing convention earlier this summer.

Connie Doepke currently represents State House District 33A and has extensive executive experience in the marketing industry. Doepke is endorsed by retiring State Senator Gen Olson, former U.S. Congressman Jim Ramstad and the mayors of several Lake Minnetonka communities.

State House District 33B

Cindy Pugh, a self-described Tea Party leader, is running in her first race for elected office and is a co-founder of the Southwest Metro Tea Party. Pugh is the GOP-endorsed candidate in the State House District 33B race, having received approximately 70 percent of the party's endorsing convention earlier this summer.

Steve Smith currently serves as State House District 33B’s representative. He has spent 11 terms in the State House, previously representing District 33A prior to 2012 redistricting. He was the chief author of more bills signed by Governor Pawlenty than any other legislator.