To the Editor
–
As we move
into the community parade and county fair season, many of you will begin
meeting the candidates for office this fall.
In our Anoka area, I hope you take notice of two endorsed DFL
candidates: Joe Perske for Congress and
Peter Perovich for State Representative, District 35A.
We were
blessed in this area, in my younger days, by some really good representation –
Jim Oberstar and Bill Luther in the US House, and in St. Paul by Republicans
like Chuck, John and Charlie Weaver and Democrats like Gene Merriam, Darby
Nelson and Leo Foley. These were
thoughtful, prudent leaders, who were elected to govern, to make government
better, and to find solutions with their fellow legislators – on both sides of
the aisle – to fix problems, take care of our environment, and care for the
citizenry, within the State’s fiscal means.
We’ve seen this type of approach to government from Republican Jim
Abeler for many years, and from our neighboring Democrats Jerry Newton and John
Hoffman.
This is not the
way Republicans Mark Kennedy and Michele Bachmann represented us in Congress
the past dozen years. It is not the way
that Republicans Tom Emmer or Rhonda Sivarajah plan to represent us in
Washington if elected this fall. It is
not the way that Republicans Abigail Whelan or Justin Boals plan to represent
us in St. Paul if elected this fall.
My party has
endorsed two thoughtful, prudent leaders to represent the Anoka/Ramsey area in
Washington and St. Paul next year. Elect
Joe Perske to Congress this fall, whether he faces Emmer or Sivarajah. Joe Perske has been the non-partisan, but
bi-partisan Mayor of Sartell, and before that was a City Council member. A long time Phy Ed teacher, coach and
competitive marathoner, Joe has led his teacher’s union, has been a leader in
his church, and has been a community leader in the St. Cloud-Sartell area. This outdoorsman is a warm, genuine,
thoughtful man, who is a fixer – a problem-solver. Sartell faced economic ruin when its paper
mill burned a few years ago. Mayor
Perske and his Council worked to keep Sartell economically viable, and today,
as a “bedroom suburb” of St. Cloud – similar in many ways to Ramsey and Andover
and Coon Rapids- Sartell is booming and growing quickly. This is a man who will represent the
traditional, conservative values he grew up with, but who has demonstrated
purposefulness in using government to better his community, not to tear down
the fabric of government.
Elect Peter
Perovich to the State House for District 35A (Anoka and Ramsey), whether he
faces Whelan or Boals. Peter Perovich
grew up here, the son of a District 11 High School Principal and Mayor of
Anoka. His family’s roots are in making
our schools work better. His own
vocational interests lie in protecting the outdoor quality of life that we have
grown to love – and depend on economically – over the past half century. This is a Democrat in keeping with a Merriam
or a Nelson or a Foley – moderates who find a positive way for government to
work on behalf of all of us – not just the few. Peter Perovich will not bring a hidden
agenda, designed to eliminate the government, to St. Paul. He will not use the State Capitol as a forum
to advocate one’s own religious beliefs.
He will not use the State Capitol as a forum to take away your
Constitutional rights – whether that’s your right to vote, your right to marry,
your right to bear arms, your right to free speech, or your right to privacy. He will not use the State Capitol to leverage
the state budget against your schools, against programs to fix our
infrastructure, or against the evolving health care system in order to score
points for a social agenda or their anti-government, libertarian friends.
Joe Perske
and Peter Perovich – these are good people who will make great representatives
for our area!
Wes Volkenant
Chair, Senate
District 35 DFL
