We have many ways for volunteers to get involved during October, November, and beyond.  Please consider spending a few hours helping us support the success of our local candidates.

Literature Drop – Starting Saturday, October 15 - Walk your own neighborhood or other blocks within House District 49B, delivering local candidate literature to homes. Contact Randy Sutter CLICK HERE

Install Candidate Lawn Signs – Starting immediately – Put up candidate lawn signs in your yard and/or help erect them in local yards.  To secure sign(s) for your yard, contact the individual campaigns, as listed on the SD49 Home Page. CLICK HERE  To help install signs, contact Randy Sutter CLICK HERE

Welcome Republicans new to our area – Starting immediately – We have a listing of known Republicans who have recently moved into our area.  Knock on their door and tell them about us and the area.  Get their email address for our newsletter.  Contact Wayne Wenger

Minnesota Republican House leaders and DFL state leaders held parallel press conferences on October 5 to discuss rising health care costs.  The Republican leaders identified solutions to address rising health care costs. Key among those was Matt Dean, Republican chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee and the speaker at the SD 49 Dinner Program on October 25. 

The DFL leaders claimed the ballooning costs of MNsure are the fault of House Republicans. On the contrary, Democrats are solely responsible for MNsure.  When MNsure was initially brought forward by the DFL, Republican proposals for improvement were blocked and not a single Republican in the legislature ultimately voted for it.   Republican proposals put forward and passed by the House Republican Majority for improvement over the past two years have been held up.

Pictured below: House Majority Leader Joyce Peppin and Speaker Kurt Daudt were joined by MNsure Legislative Oversight Committee Co-Chair Greg Davids (left) and Health and Human Services Committee Chair Matt Dean (right) in highlighting Republican proposals to reduce the impact of rising health care costs.

About 20-30 Trump for President supporters showed up under cool and overcast skies Thursday, October 6, to hoist banners, placards, and American flags at the pedestrian overpass of I494 near Nicollet Ave.  They gathered to exercise their free speech and bring some excitement to the Trump for President campaign in the South Metro area.

As the group grew in size, more posters and signs were proudly displayed to the afternoon rush hour commuters. Trump supporters cheered in delight as numerous semi-haulers blared their air horns, and pickup truck drivers chimed in with truck horns. Some car drivers waved, others expressed their disagreement with less polite hand gestures.

The Full Committee of Senate District 49 confirmed three new officers during the Dinner Program held on Tuesday, September 27. 

• Faisal Deri, Eden Prairie, was confirmed as an Executive Committee Vice Chair
• Steve Curry, Edina, was confirmed as Co-Chair of Edina Precinct 13
• Matt Balafas, Edina, was confirmed as Co-Chair of Edina Precinct 01A

Following the confirmation of the new officers, the attendees heard from several speakers

• Mike Lehmann (Candidate, Senate District 49), Dario Anselmo (Candidate, House District 49A), and Max Rymer (Candidate, House District49B)
• Larry Frost (failure of the City of Bloomington to uphold the Conditional Use Permits granted to the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center)
• John Swon (successful citizen push against approval of the addition of a Nordic Trail at Braemar Golf Course)
• Donna Callender, Jennifer Janovy, and Mike Fischer (candidates for Edina City Council)

We've created a time-indexed viewing guide for the recorded September 19 League of Women Voters Forum between Max Rymer and Paul Rosenthal.

We've created a time-indexed viewing guide for the recorded September 19 League of Women Voters Forum between Dario Anselmo and Ron Erhardt.

We've created a time-indexed viewing guide for the recorded League of Women Voters Forum September 6 between Mike Lehmann and Melisa Franzen.

Kenzie O'Keefe, the editor of North News, the community newspaper in North Minneapolis, recently interviewed Frank Drake, resident of Senate District 49 and candidate for Congress in the 5th Congressional District.

O’Keefe:  Why do you think voters specifically in North Minneapolis should vote for you?

Frank Drake:  To answer your question on why voters on the North Side should vote for me, it’s because I’m the best candidate.

 Over the past 10 years, graduation rates, home ownership, and prosperity have decreased in North Minneapolis. Our current Congressman [Keith Ellison] has dropped the ball and is too focused on other issues outside of North Minneapolis and the 5th CD.

When he was on the board of Community Action of Minneapolis, CEO Bill Davis is in jail for stealing $1,000,000, and that money was supposed to help people in need. Where’s Keith? Keith never attended a meeting, even though that was his job. He was there for the barbecues and other events when the Press was around, so he could take credit for all the good they were doing when again he never attended a meeting.  

Senate District 49 has occupied an office on the third floor of the Edina Community Center for 15 years.  By November 15, we must permanently vacate that space to make way for the upgrade of the Normandale Elementary School on the floor below us.  Fortunately, we have signed a lease on an office in Bloomington that should fully serve our needs.

The upcoming renovation of the Normandale Elementary School in Edina will improve the security of that facility and make other changes approved in the school funding referendum passed in 2015.  In addition, the renovation will allow the relocation of school administrative and support offices. 

To make room for these relocations, several tenants of the Edina Community Center had to give up their spaces.  These tenants also included the local Democratic Farm Labor party organization, which had an office around the corner from our office.

Our new office is located at 10800 Normandale Blvd, at the intersection with Old Shakopee Rd in Bloomington.  It will provide us with an office, a meeting area, and some storage space.  Parking will be more convenient, and we will be able to access the office 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We could use your help moving furniture, office equipment, and supplies to the new office in late October, early November.  Please let us know that you’re willing to help pack, move, and/or unpack by emailing [email protected].  If you have access to a pick-up truck or large van, that would also be very helpful in moving our larger items.

Close to 30 people turned out to carry our Senate District 49 banner and call attention to our candidates in Bloomington’s Heritage Days Parade on Saturday, September 17. 

Max Rymer and Mike Lehmann brought out a number of their supporters, resplendent in green or red t-shirts.  Our group was escorted by Carol Kerr’s red convertible and followed by Jerry Chapman’s van, decked out in patriotic motif and playing music selected for this occasion.

Children watching the parade were treated to stickers and candy. The stickers proved to be an enduring gift, as many kids were seen adorned with “Max” or “I Like Mike” stickers later on during the Heritage Days Festival.

Thanks to the following people from SD 49 who came out for the parade (in addition to the candidates and their supporters):  Vince Riehm, Carolyn and Wayne Wenger, Russ Burnison, Barb and Martin Zalusky, Sheri Johnston, Dar Gray, Carol Brumwell, Bill Holm, and Barb and Randy Sutter.  Carol Brumwell and Bill Holm were our able photographers.

We'll have more photos from the Parade on our Facebook page by the end of the week.