Since Gov. Mark Dayton took office in 2011, Minnesota has added over 122,700 jobs, recovering all the jobs lost during the Great Recession, securing one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and adding 34,400 jobs in the first three quarters of 2013.

A $1 billion surplus and a fair and balanced budget have generated paying back the debt to our schools and stabilizing the state’s finances to provide needed security for our state’s economy.

He improved Minnesota’s business climate and, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Minnesota had the fifth-fastest-growing economy in the nation in 2012.

In 2013 Forbes named Minnesota the eighth-best place in the country to do business, and the Twin Cities ranked seventh in the American City Business Journals’ index of top-performing metropolitan economies in the country — jumping 48 spots from 1 year ago.

Many more things have happened since Dayton became the governor, Such as helping businesses expand in Minnesota, building housing to support job growth, improving roads and bridges, providing access to capital for small businesses, cutting unemployment taxes, increasing funding for every school in Minnesota, investing in early childhood education, freezing college tuition, increasing financial aid for college students and implementing better tests for K-12 that are designed to improve college and career readiness.

We need to keep this steady progress going and support our Democratic leaders, and all who support our ideas are invited to come to our DFL caucus on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at the Moose Lodge, where the grass-roots level starts and people can make resolutions such as raising the minimum wage or any other issues that are important to you.

Also, the small towns around are invited to come. You must attend the caucus 6-8 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Moose Lodge to be a delegate to the county convention on March 23, also at the Moose Lodge.

 

Rose Anderson
vice chairwoman
Freeborn County DFL Party
Albert Lea