State office hopefuls meet face to face

Share backgrounds, some views

By KEVIN SWEENEY

Journal Editor

NEW ULM -- Candidates for House District 21B met face to face for the first time in their campaign Thursday at a "Hot Topics" breakfast sponsored by the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce.

Rep. Brad Finstad (R-New Ulm) and his DFL challenger Joe Eckstein compared background and viewpoints on political issues.

There are a lot of similarities between the two. Both are Brown County natives with family farm backgrounds. Both have worked in agribusiness after college, and both have young families.

Finstad's career path took him to working as an agriculture and rural development advisor for Congressman Mark Kennedy when Kennedy represented the old Second District. Two years ago Finstad ran for the legislative seat being vacated by James Clark.

Eckstein has had an interest in politics and public service since he was a child and his uncle, Tony Eckstein, was representing the area in the Legislature.

Speaking on the issues, both candidates shared some views, but had differences on several.

In the area of health care and proposed "Patient Protection" mandates to control health care costs, Finstad firmly opposed imposing any new mandates on the medical industry in Minnesota. "We are the third highest mandated state in the nation," said Finstad, "and some economists will say it adds 20 percent to our health care costs."

Finstad said he co-authored a bill that passed the House that would have put a moratorium on new health care mandates, to give the state a chance to take a look at the mandates it already has and see what effec they are having. He said he would push that kind of bill again this year.

Eckstein said the state should carefully consider health care programs that focus on preventive care, and which would lower higher cost problems in the future. He said the state could look at best practices guidelines that are less expensive as possible changes.

Eckstein said it is necessary to look at the paper flow in health care, the reports and bureaucracy that add costs to the industry. He also said the state needs to consider the plight of those who don't have health care insurance, who know they need it but can't afford it. At the least, the state should consider a plan to provide coverage for all children.

Finstad responded to Eckstein's statement about the number of those no longer covered by Minnesota Care after the last session, saying the state lowered the income requirements for those qualifying. Families earning $50,000 are not covered, but Finstad said the program focuses on those most in need.

On the issue of transportation funding, both candidates agreed there are challenges, and a need for more funding for road improvements. Eckstein said he agreed with Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposal this week to double the amount of ethanal sold in Minnesota blended gasoline as a way to wean the country from foreign oil and keep fuel costs down.

Eckstein said it is important that the state pass its bonding bills, saying that when they don't get passed, it means jobs that were depending on them don't get filled. He said the state should be careful in considering bonding for transportation so we don't mortgage the future.

Eckstein and Finstad both supported increases in the gasoline tax, or pay-at-the-pump "revenue enhancements," as Eckstein called them, and both cautioned that the formula for dividing revenues between metro and rural transportation needs must be kept fair.

Finstad said he supported more bonding for transportation as a way of speeding up the projects, and called for streamlining the review processes that slow projects down and add to the cost of construction and land acquisition.

Both said they supported devoting all of the state's Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (sales taxes paid on the purchase of vehicles) for highway projects. Currently a portion of that tax goes into the state General Fund. Eckstein cautioned that the state would have to figure out how to fill that hole if the funds are transferred away from the general fund.

Both candidates took a cautious approach toward renewable energy. Eckstein said the renewable energy program needs development, but the state needs to keep a thumb on the costs. Finstad said he supports the idea of increasing the production of renewable energy, but doesn't support the idea of mandating onto the energy industry. Both feel that as technologies develop, the cost of producing energy from wind and biomass will come down.

Both candidates felt there is a need to look at the state's education finance formula, and how it provides more money for metro schools than outstate districts. Finstad said there needs to be accountability in education, not simply throwing more money at problem districts, but looking for ways to help them improve.

Eckstein talked about the need for "value-added," results-oriented education, with results based on student achievement. He felt the state needs to focus more attention on the younger students, the early grades, to assure that students get a good start with all-day kindergarten and smaller class sizes in the early grades.

Finstad did criticize the state education funding that passed last year that resulted in funding cuts in many districts. "We need to put our dollars where our mouths are."

The two candidates differed on privatizing public services. Eckstein felt that privatizing public services ultimately resulted in reduction of public services.

Finstad, however, supported the economies that come with outsourcing, using as an example the state's copying office at capitol. It produced copies for 30 cents a sheet. When the state went to Kinko's for its copying needs, it found the cost went down to 10 cents to 15 cents a sheet.