Mike Christopherson

I was journalist (editor, reporter and opinion writer) the Crookston Times for more than 20 years, so I was a watchdog of the powers-that-be on a myriad of important issues for communities in our region. Now, I'm in my fourth year as a teacher at Fisher Public School and it's changed my perspective and opened my eyes to the daily challenges facing students, teachers and families in our public schools. My experience has given me a comprehensive view of the successes and challenges in our region.

First would be rural Minnesota vitality in general. This encompasses issues such as protecting/expanding/improving access to rural healthcare, child care, broadband internet and housing...issues I think should garner bipartisan support. People want to live in our region and in rural Minnesota in general; we need to make rural Minnesota communities are places that people and families CAN live and thrive.

Beyond that, I would advocate strongly for our public schools and our family farmers and related agribusinesses, which are the backbone of our District 1B and rural Minnesota economy.

I think it's the rural/urban divide, which, due to actions by our legislative leaders in St. Paul over the years, has led to Minnesota almost becoming two states. Yes, the state's geography almost naturally lends itself to that divide, but it goes beyond that. There is the Minneapolis/St. Paul and surrounding metro area and suburbs, and, for the most part, there's the rest of us. Generally, our priorities are different and we often don't want the same things because we don't face the same challenges. How do we find common ground there? We need the metro area to know how important to the state our rural communities and economic drivers are. We need to work for one Minnesota.

Yes, Minnesota is a high-tax state. There is no getting around that. Could we lower taxes or provide incentives or rebates for industry, business, manufacturers and entrepreneurs to do what they do best? Absolutely, and those things are worth exploring. Property taxes are rising in communities across the state as well. What are taxpayers getting for their mandated, increased investment? But, it must be said, Minnesota is a high quality-of-life state that typically ranks among the highest in a variety of positive metrics. Tax revenue no doubt has to be contributing to the quality of life we enjoy as Minnesotans.

Similar to the previous question on taxation in Minnesota, Minnesota is also seen as a high-regulation state. This does lead from time to time to planned business ventures or new or existing business ventures, especially in border cities like Moorhead or East Grand Forks, to make the decision to locate to a neighboring state that may have a less stringent regulatory environment. But if you look at the stats, some of our neighboring states that are supposedly business-friendly also lose businesses. Again, similar to the taxation question, what do we get in return for these regulations? Is our environment/outdoors protected? Is our workforce safer? Regulations can always be up for discussion. I'll also note that in my final years at the Crookston Times, a major proposed business venture in Crookston moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, supposedly due in large part to regulatory issues. But they have yet to break ground in Grand Forks, either, and are still in the midst of their equity drive.

Yes, absolutely. This would be a wise investment of state dollars. Without a strong workforce, after all, what do we have?

These two issues are cornerstones of my campaign. The 2023 Minnesota Legislature approved a $1.3 billion investment in affordable/workforce housing initiatives, a massive investment, but most of the money was of a onetime, non-recurring nature. Affordable housing means something different to just about everyone, so we need a variety of housing options for people and families who want to live in our communities. And childcare? If a mom or dad wants to work but has to stay home with the kids because of a lack of access to affordable, licensed childcare, it becomes a workforce issue, which hurts our state's economy. And we can't overburden existing and would-be childcare providers with a litany of new, often unreasonable regulations.

Capital investments approved by the legislature and governor are critical drivers of our state's economy and communities. When the legislature approves a bonding/capital investment bill, the positive impacts, from the jobs created to the longstanding benefits to our communities once the projects are completed, are enormous. On the flip side, when a legislative session adjourns without a capital investment bill being approved, it amounts to a huge missed opportunity.

We need to move beyond coal. We need to move beyond fossil fuels. But a shift of this magnitude takes time, and Minnesota is on its way down that path. Alternative energy, predominantly wind and solar, have become vastly more affordable in recent years, and wind and sun are reliable sources of energy. Investing billions retrofitting old power plants so they have "carbon capture" capability is a largely misguided investment because, despite these massive investments, the old plants still might not perform as hoped when it comes to capturing carbon.