A relaxed group of Freeborn County Republicans ate barbequed pork sandwiches, beans and potato salad Tuesday at Edgewater Park, confident about prospects of the party in the coming legislative session.

Wednesday, August 15, 2001

A relaxed group of Freeborn County Republicans ate barbequed pork sandwiches, beans and potato salad Tuesday at Edgewater Park, confident about prospects of the party in the coming legislative session. Even the 2002 elections, still more than a year away, look promising for the party, which hopes to make a run at wresting control of the Senate from the DFL party.

&uot;I know I’ve said it before, but it’s a good time to be a Republican in Freeborn County,&uot; said party co-chair Matt Benda, evoking cheers from the picnickers.

But the jovial mood at the annual Republican gathering was tempered when House Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty arrived. He told the crowd that tax cuts and spending limits, while still the central message of the party, isn’t a strong enough message to keep the party growing.

&uot;A reasonably trained ninth-grader could talk about tax cuts and keeping a lid on spending,&uot; Pawlenty said. &uot;We’ve got to expand our message to include education, roads, and jobs without growing government.&uot;

While the last session ended in a showdown with the DFL over taxes, Pawlenty said the coming session will see more emphasis on building infrastructure and economic development.

&uot;We’re 30 years behind on maintaining our roads in this state. I think that’s a perfectly acceptable function of government,&uot; Pawlenty said. &uot;I think we’ll see a commitment to it come January.&uot;

Pawlenty has been spreading that message this summer, while traveling to Republican picnics and community events around the state. He said speaking at summer picnics and barbeques is a good way to say thank you to the party faithful. Visiting places like Albert Lea is also valuable as a reminder that Minnesota is not only a big state, but also diverse.

&uot;As somebody who lives and works in the Twin Cities, I need to make the effort to visit the whole state. I deal a lot with the metrocentric mentality among my colleagues, but that’s just the wrong idea,&uot; Pawlenty said.

The more he travels and learns about Greater Minnesota, Pawlenty said, the more he adopts the issues. He said ideas such as tax-free zones, value-added agriculture, and other economic development tools are the keys to reversing declining enrollment, population stagnation and other common issues facing Greater Minnesota, such as tax-base erosion and health care for seniors. Pawlenty said the health of the whole state still depends on Greater Minnesota as much as the metro area.

Pawlenty, an Eagan attorney and businessman, was first elected to the House in 1992, and has been Majority Leader since 1999. His name has been mentioned lately as a possible candidate for governor in 2002, but Pawlenty won’t announce his intentions for at least two more weeks, he said.

Pawlenty had been considering a run for Paul Wellstone’s U.S. Senate seat when the White House called him in April and urged him to reconsider, making way for an uncontested run at the GOP nomination by St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman.

&uot;It has been interesting to see how these things play out,&uot; Pawlenty said. &uot;Honestly, I’m just honored to be a public servant, whether it’s as governor, legislator or dog catcher. The office I hold is not as important to me as how much I can help.&uot;