Van Hee seeking write-in vote for 23A

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

REDWOOD FALLS -- Hoping to pull votes away from DFL-endorsed candidate Cody Schreyer of New Ulm and unseat Republican James Clark in House District 23A, Tom Van Hee has announced he is running as a write-in candidate Tuesday, Nov. 7.

"There are issues that I feel are important, but they have not been brought up by the other candidates," he said. "That is why I finally decided to run. It is something I have considered for a couple of years."

Van Hee, 54, a small business owner and former teacher, is a member of the Redwood Falls City Council. He has five children. A native of Belview, he graduated from Belview High School and Mankato State University. He taught school for a short time in Mankato, and taught at St. Mary's High School in Sleepy Eye. He was also a business owner and sold real estate.

"I believe that all leaders can and should take a common-sense approach to government," he said. "They also need to take a tough stand on what needs to be done."

As a write-in candidate, his main goal in the next three weeks will be to get his name out there, so people know who he is and what he stands for prior to the general election.

"I have a tough job ahead of me, but I will get things done," he said. "I am up to the task. I have experiences I can bring to the people of this district and be the leader they need."

One of the issues he feels is not being addressed by other candidates is agriculture. He believes the time has come to revive family farms by developing parity in pricing.

"With the current pricing situation it is tough for farmers to make a profit," he said. "This creates an unfair economic situation. I believe I can be a stronger voice for farmers in the legislature than I can on the city council."

He admits that the pricing situation is a federal issue that has been on the Congressional books for several years. Getting things done at the federal level, though, takes effort at the local level, Van Hee said.

"I believe that if you start it at the grassroots level, then you can force policy at the state level, and at the federal level," he said. "There were policies in place that helped the farmers in the days of (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt which need to be brought back."

He doesn't follow the policies of the DFL party, which he refers to as the newer democratic party. He follows the party that was in place when FDR was president.

"I think it is time to bring back those values and beliefs," Van Hee said. "It is time for us to stop talking party and start talking abut people again."

He doesn't believe there is a surplus at the state level, because there are always places where the money could be used, such as to protect the Minnesota River and to develop smaller class sizes.

"If there is a surplus, then it is time for us to put state money to better use," he said. "Wise use of money could help us create jobs and will lead to a better economy."

He said government should think about the future of their children, which is hard to do when businesses are leaving Minnesota.

"Health care is another critical issue that the candidates aren't addressing," he said. "Healthy people are productive people, as FDR used to say. We need to bring control of health care back to the local level."

America is living in a new economy, which is not working. The approach in government has been to use band aids rather than looking for ways to fix them, Van Hee said.

"We need to return our society back to what it once was," he say. "People should be proud to say they work in a factory making American products."

His main issues are:

* Restoring literacy and education with more emphasis on a classical curriculum, including physical sciences, arts, and more hands-on courses.

* Rebuild the infrastructure, including railroads, highways and waterways.

* Creation of a national banking system based on the Bretton Woods System, which relied on a gold-reserve.

* Raising the average starting wage for teachers to keep them in Minnesota after graduation.

"I realize many of these are federal issues, but it has to start at the local level," Van Hee said. "That is why I am running for this office."