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Personal (please list occupation, education and family
Loan Officer with Minnwest Bank. Owner of Silver Dollar Property Company and Silver Dollar Auction Company. Graduate of World Wide College of Auctioneering. Progressing to Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Southwest Minnesota State University. My family 6 generations deep in southwest Minnesota, going back to the Daub family in 1871 near Wabasso and Peter DeSutter family near Ghent in 1887. I live on a farm site near Marshall and graduated from Marshall Senior High School.
Summarize why you are running for office. What are your priorities?
As a loan officer at a family owner bank, I regularly meet with farmers, small business owners and families that are struggling - often times because of our lack of leadership in state government. It has inspired me to run for office to make things better for people. My priorities include: ending fraud, lowering the cost of living, a high quality education for our students, making health care affordable and supporting agriculture.
What can be done to protect the state from fraud?
Fraud at any level is unacceptable. We need to change the laws to address the following: fraudsters should pay back every penny stolen, plus interest with no exceptions; long prison sentences and mandatory deportations for all fraudsters; mandate that felony level fraud be prosecuted as felonies and that it be reflected on permanent records; reform and eliminate programs that are subject to fraud; require audits, spot checks and licensing of suspect programs; disallow any convicted fraudster from ever voting again; institute strong whistle-blower protections for government officials that suspect and report fraud; top to bottom audit of state government; institute strong welfare reform, including work requirements and waiting periods for non-Minnesotans that are migrating here by the thousands and immediately getting taxpayer benefits.
What can be done to support agriculture?
Lower property taxes, assist with new markets, new uses and value-added processing for our agriculture products. Cut red tape and bureaucracy. For example, the dust emission laws for our ethanol plants require that corn truck often be turned away be early afternoon. This is not equal to our grain elevators and makes no sense. We also need to cut permit times. It was just reported that it took six years to permit one grain storage facility in Minnesota. This is unacceptable. I am proud be endorsed by the Minnesota Farm Bureau and I am on the Lyon County Corn & Soybean Growers Board.
Do you support making changes to the state's paid family and medical leave program?
Yes, this program needs major changes. I am endorsed by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and will work with them to pursue logical changes that will help us be competitive. It is very important that is law passed on an exact party line vote of 34-33 and that no one in the majority listened to small businesses. It has resulted in worker's paychecks getting smaller because of the payroll tax increase. It has hurt workforce competitiveness with our neighboring states.