Frederickson seeks re-election to Senate

School funding, ag

program are goals

Frederickson has

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Maintaining a goal of making District 23 better for his constituents is the main reason Dennis Frederickson, a Republican from New Ulm, is seeking re-election to the Minnesota Senate.

"Education is one of my main goals for this election," he said. "There are so many districts faced with budget difficulties. My goal is to help as much as possible with that."

The budget difficulties are brought about by declining enrollments and a robust economy that creates increasing costs for schools, he said.

"Adequate funding is also important so districts can get the teachers they need," he said. "Teachers are going to districts where they can make more money because there are less concerns with budgets."

Frederickson, 61, is a native of Morgan. He graduated from Morgan High School and the University of Minnesota. He spent eight years as a pilot in the Navy. He was a Redwood County commissioner for eight years. He and his wife Marjorie have three children. He is a retired farmer. He has held the Senate 23 seat since 1980.

During the 2001 legislative session, lawmakers will deal with Gov. Jesse Ventura's proposal to provide 100 percent funding at the state level for education.

"Saying it is the easy part, but actually doing it is something else," Frederickson said. "The hard part is that it affects other funds that are not related to schools. It is one part of a complex puzzle."

The education proposal is part of an overall tax reform package that will ultimately lower taxes at the local level and make the tax system easier to understand, Frederickson said.

"One of my more focused goals in this campaign is to clean up the Minnesota River," Frederickson said. "My main goal is to match the federal funds received for the Conservation and Reserve Enhancement Program with state funds."

The federal government has provided $70 million, which the state hopes to match by 2002. The funds help improve the water quality of the Minnesota River; provide an alternative to farmers with land that is prone to erosion; and provide habitat for wildlife, Frederickson said.

"David Minge has been a strong supporter of the program, and has stood beside me when I testified to the Senate," he said. "It has been one of his strong areas in the past few years."

Another of Frederickson's goal is to work on agricultural packages that help farmers by reducing property taxes and encouraging more value-added crops, he said.

"I will work with farmers pushing for production of soy-based diesel," he said. "International market issues are big for farmers, because it is important for success."

The biggest challenge in the upcoming legislative session is finding a way to further reduce taxes while still providing adequate support for key agencies, Frederickson said.

"We need to work to provide adequate funding for education and health-care agencies," he said. "We also need to work on policies that will help low-income senior citizens obtain prescription drugs. There is a policy in place, but it is time to revisit that."

The entire tax proposal will ultimately be more simple and lead toward further reductions overall, he said.

"We will also be revisiting the transportation issue again," Frederickson said. "I would like to see an amendment that will dedicate the sales tax on vehicles to the road fund."

Senators elected this year will serve two-year terms, because of the redistricting involved with the census results. Frederickson has served through two redistricting changes.

"Redistricting can have a big effect on people, sometimes pitting two incumbents against each other," he said. "There is usually a tremendous turnover in the Legislature. Some view the two-year term as an opportunity to retire from the Senate."

Frederickson will face DFL candidate Don Sauter of Arlington on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The district comprises parts of Brown, Nicollet, Sibley and Redwood counties.