ST. PAUL &045; In the basement of the State Capitol is an office with bare walls, a desk that looks untouched and a man beginning his political career a little later than most freshman state senators: Dan Sparks.

&uot;I was down in Austin through the appeals process while others were moving in and getting their office settled,&uot; Sparks said. &uot;The other new guys had since early November to get comfortable in. I started on Tuesday.&uot;

After a long and closely watched recount and appeals process to decide the election between Sparks and Grace Schwab, it has been hard for Sparks to think about politics. But he says he’s ready to turn the page.

&uot;I’m glad it is finally over and I can get to work,&uot; he said.

Sparks was appointed to three committees: the agriculture, general legislation and veterans affairs committee; the E-12 education budget division; and, most notably, he was appointed as the vice chairman of the commerce and utilities committee.

He said he is hopeful that he will be put on the subcommittee on banking.

In his campaign he said he wanted to put &uot;people before politics.&uot; He stressed that he will keep an &uot;open-door policy&uot; and said he invites any citizens of District 27 to visit him in St. Paul or get in touch with him in Austin. Sparks will spend most weekdays in St. Paul but said he’d try to be in his district as much as he can.

Sparks grew up with politics. It runs in the family. His mother worked for Rudy Perpich on his campaigns. When Perpich was defeated by Arne Carlson, his mother remained in politics, working with state officials such as Sen. James Metzen, the late Sen. Sam Solon of Duluth, and Sen. Deanna Wiener.

Sparks, though a freshman, is well connected in St. Paul.

&uot;I’m no stranger to the state Capitol,&uot; he said. &uot;I learned the ropes of politics by being around all of them.&uot;

Looking toward a very tough year for the state, with a $4.56 billion deficit, Sparks knows there is a tough road ahead. But he has hopes that progress can be made in the next four years.

&uot;I’ll be willing to reach across party lines and have an open mind,&uot; he said. &uot;Sometimes that’s the kind of legislation we need.&uot;

&uot;What is most important to me is what best suits the people of District 27,&uot; he added.

Other than the budget, Sparks said he hopes to take care of schools by keeping their standards high and supporting them fiscally. Also, he said he is going to look for health-care reform to make insurance prices more affordable, as well as prescription drug costs.

Another key issue for Sparks, he said, is going to be economic development.

&uot;I think we need to work hard to strengthen our economy,&uot; he said. &uot;We need good companies and good-paying jobs for our people.&uot;

Sparks says he thinks tax-free zones might be a good fit for District 27, especially Albert Lea and Austin.

Sparks said he’d like to work closely with both cities and their leadership. One of the biggest issues he said he’d work on for both is local government aid (LGA), which makes up more than half of Albert Lea and Austin’s budgets. LGA is at risk of being cut when budget cuts are made.

&uot;I will do everything in my power to make sure we get our fair share,&uot; Sparks said.