Guest Column by Paul Marquart

A recent editorial in this newspaper entitled “Greater Minnesota is looking for a political party” analyzed the previous election and the coming 2015 session.

We submit a better title would be “Greater Minnesota is looking for less political rhetoric and more results.”

Because despite the talking point from Republicans on the campaign trail, the reality is that Gov. Mark Dayton and the DFL-led Legislature made many Greater Minnesota issues a top priority. In fact, we delivered results on most of the issues that were brought up in the editorial.

The DFL Party made education funding more equitable, closing the funding disparities between high-revenue and low-revenue districts — most of which are in Greater Minnesota — by a third. We froze college tuition and increased financial aid not just for metro colleges, but for public colleges and universities throughout Greater Minnesota as well.

Thanks to increased property tax refunds and local government aid, homeowners in Greater Minnesota saw their property taxes go down by $65 million and business property taxes went down $11 million.

These decreases came after 12 straight years of property tax increases. Farmers received new property tax relief to help offset some of the increasing land values and resulting property tax increases.

We delivered the first funding increase for nursing homes and long-term care providers in years. We included $20 million in grant funding to expand broadband in Greater Minnesota. Our bipartisan bonding bill had more funding for projects in Greater Minnesota than in the metro, including transportation, bike paths and state parks.

Minnesota’s unemployment is down to 3.9 percent, the lowest in eight years, and many Greater Minnesota counties have an even lower unemployment rate. The DFL economic development budget focused on Greater Minnesota, including funding for the Minnesota Investment Fund, Minnesota Trade Office and job training.

What’s also important to note about these accomplishment for rural Minnesota is that this was accomplished while benefitting every area of the state.

We are one Minnesota, and we know that our state is most successful when both the metro and Greater Minnesota are strong and thriving. I sincerely hope Republicans move on from the campaign rhetoric and start telling Minnesotans about their plans to make all of Minnesota prosper.

Minnesotans know that actions speak louder than words.

 

State Rep. Paul Marquart, DFL-Dilworth, is a deputy minority leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives.