DFL gubernatorial candidates seek labor support
DFL candidates for governor offered similar views on taxes, job creation, education and other issues during a forum today in Bloomington.
Eleven gubernatorial hopefuls made a case for their campaigns and emphasized their support for organized labor during the AFL-CIO sponsored event. Several candidates explained that they had been union members.
One common thread among the DFL candidates is their apparent support for some form of tax increase. State Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, said the next governor cannot avoid the issue.
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"Any candidate up here who thinks that we don't need to raise revenue has their head in the clouds or someplace else, because we need to raise revenue," Rukavina said.
Former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton said he wants to raise taxes in order to increase funding for public schools and eliminate the need for local operating levies. Dayton says the money would come from an income tax increase for the top 10-percent of earners.
"So you can read my lips," Dayton said. "Tax the rich. They can afford it. I know that. And if they don't provide the revenues that that tax increase will entail, we cannot restore the funding cuts to education. We will not be able to restire the funding cuts to anything that's essential to make Minnesota the state we want it to be again."
Former state rep. Matt Entenza said a new clean energy economy, including the building of wind turbines and solar heating systems, could provide part of the revenue needed for investments in education and human services.
"Those are good manufacturing jobs," Entenza said. "And the installation and maintenance of those will create thousands of high-paying union jobs across this state.
Later in the forum, state Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, a union carpenter, took issue with Entenza's use of the phrase high-paying union jobs.
"That's not true," Bakk said. "This notion that somehow union people are high paid people, we need to get over that. Those benefits were worked for very hard. People died for those benefits."
Bakk and other candidates stressed the need for job creation. Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said the development of green jobs should be balanced with traditional energy sources. Gaertner also wants nuclear power on the table.
"If we can solve the storage problem, we absolutely need to move forward and at least talk about a role for nuclear energy in this economy," Gaertner said.
Several Democrats also took shots at the man they want to replace, Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Former state senator Steve Kelley, who now teaches at the University of Minnesota, blamed the Republican governor for the state's budget woes.
"I teach public budgeting, and I have thought about inviting Tim Pawlenty to take the class," Kelley said. "But I didn't do that because I really hate to flunk students."
The 11 participants included mayors R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis and Chris Coleman of St. Paul, who have yet to officially enter the race for governor. Both mayors are also seeking re-election this fall.
Update:
Problems with the hotel sound system made much of the recorded audio unusable. But here are the closing statements of 10 candidates:"
(Steve Kelley had another obligation and left early).