The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Editorials

October 27, 2006

Our View: Peterson best for House District 24B

Tony Cornish, a Vernon Center Republican, is seeking his third term in the Minnesota House, noting his fiscal restraint, work ethic and freedom from special interest groups.

Jim Peterson, a rural Waseca County Democrat, says his experience as a local elected official, his agricultural background and his knowledge of issues important to the rural district make him a better alternative.

Voters in House Dist. 24B should give Peterson the chance to represent them at the state Capitol.

Cornish has been a diligent worker as state legislator. He’s available to constituents. His refusal to take a pay raise last year and his stand against taking special interest contributions are commendable.

Cornish gained the most attention in his four years in the House as author of the conceal/carry handgun legislation.

While Cornish touts fiscal restraint, his no-tax mantra does a disservice to people in his district who expect a high quality of life along with prudent budget management. Cornish borders on antagonistic toward the counties, schools, colleges and cities with whom the state should be a partner, not an enemy.

He says he might support “targeted” road repairs with bonding, but doesn’t support a gas tax hike. The Legislature has short-changed road construction for so long it is now as much as $2 billion per year — for the next 10 years — short of what is needed to catch up. The gas tax was last increased in 1988, to 20 cents per gallon (now the equivalent of 12 cents).

A rural representative should understand that a good highway infrastructure is the backbone of small-town economies.

Cornish scolds rural counties, colleges and cities for increases in property taxes and tuition costs.

Of course, counties, cities and schools should be held accountable for their spending. But the move by Cornish and some other lawmakers to pass the state’s traditional responsibility on to other units of government and then vilify them is a disservice that adds to public cynicism. It’s even worse for those who Cornish represents — rural Minnesotans who shoulder an unfair burden from property taxes compared to property-rich suburbs.

Peterson brings a more balanced and thoughtful fiscal conservatism to the table. He is no big spender. As a county commissioner and former school board and township official, he keeps a critical eye on tax increases and spending.

But he has the courage to tell people that Minnesota’s tradition of a high quality of life isn’t free.

He believes we have a responsibility to pay for the roads we drive on.

As a county commissioner he knows the huge value of programs like the new teen drug court, which provides tough early intervention when kids get in trouble with drugs. He also knows it’s the type of program that will need to be funded with assistance from the state, not simply dumped on counties.

It’s easy for a lawmaker to say the state shouldn’t spend more money to deal with needs and then blame others when problems grow worse and local governments and schools are forced to turn to other tax increases to keep up.

It’s tougher to demand efficiency and accountability while devising budgets that meet the state’s most critical needs.

Peterson would do best at dealing with those tough issues.

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