Dayton Talks Education, Economic Issues

Dayton talks economic, education issues

by Jennifer Johnson • Wahpeton Daily News

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton, DFL, arrived in Breckenridge Monday for one of 87 resident meet-and-greets he’s planned as part of his aggressive campaign tour across the state.

Seated next to residents at the Northern Grille, Dayton said he would generate additional revenue for the next biennium by starting a progressive tax system.

“If 10 percent of the wealthiest residents paid a flat tax of income in state and local taxes, that would generate over $4 billion,” he said.

Former U.S . Senator Mark Dayton, DFL-Minn., visited Breckenridge Monday as a stop on his ‘87 Counties in 87 Days’ campaign for Minnesota governor. Here, he visits with Breckenridge Mayor Cliff Barth at the Northern Grille. photo by Jennifer Johnson

A strong supporter of education, Dayton empathized with the lack of funding K-12 schools have received under Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s reign and said he will reverse it. Calling a school board position one of “the most important” in the state, Dayton wants to boost K-12 funding and opposes budget belt-tightening moves such as the four-day school weeks found several districts in Minnesota.

“In order for our kids to be competitive and successful in this global economy, they need to be educated,” he said.

He also wove the topic into his observations as commissioner serving the state’s department of economic development. In the past, Minnesota prospered financially because of its educated workers, but now the ranking has fallen considerably – although the state’s population has grown by 200,000 since Pawlenty took office, the amount of those working has decreased by 33,000, he said.

As the present governor’s proposal includes massive cuts to local government aid, officials here feel the smaller cities and counties are bearing the brunt of it. Breckenridge Mayor Cliff Barth, who strongly protests the cuts, said the metro area doesn’t receive that type of aid and likewise doesn’t feel the hit. The city of Breckenridge has already had to cut personnel because of past unallotments.

“We still need to get the state back up into the black and we can’t do that by continually cutting,” he said.

Neal Folstad, Wilkin County commissioner, said the county received $1 million in government funding in 2000.

“Now we can expect to get zero in 2011, unless we get the right governor,” he said.

Commenting on the “mass exodus” of traffic that departs Minneapolis-St. Paul on a Friday, Barth said the larger cities should support the smaller ones its citizens flock to on the weekends. In response, Dayton said he wants both Breckenridge and the metro area to prosper.

Some of Dayton’s future plans also include improved public transit systems and affordable health care. One of the reasons he left the Senate, he said, is because he couldn’t make the changes he saw necessary.

“People want to see progress, they want to see improvements,” he said. “I want to reassure everyone that I will be a governor for all Minnesotans.”

An heir to the Dayton department store fortune, Dayton kicked off his campaign in late January and embarked on his ambitious “87 Counties in 87 Days” tour. His stop in Breckenridge marked the 49th county he’s visited in 45 days.