MANKATO - DFL candidates for governor talked about their strengths and their differences from their fellow candidates during a debate at Minnesota State University Mankato Friday, but they all agreed on one thing.
"Any one of us three would be a better governor that Tom Emmer," said Mark Dayton.
Dayton, Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Matt Entenza talked for an hour and a half about their ideas for balancing Minnesota's budget and restoring its economy in a discussion sponsored by the Student Association of MSU Mankato, and Debate Minnesota.
They discussed three main issues - the state's immediate budget crisis and long-term budget solutions; education's role in economic growth; and the quality of leadership needed for Minnesota. The three are facing competing for the DFL nomination in the Aug. 10 primary.
All agreed that the state, under the Pawlenty administration, has "gone backward" and is facing a crisis. All agreed that Emmer, the Republican-endorsed candidate, would lead the state in the wrong direction. They all agreed investment in education should be the foundation of a strong state economy. And they all said they would immediately sign an executive order to enroll for early enrollment in Medicaid to provide health coverage for the state's neediest citizens.
But there were differences on how to achieve a balanced budget.
"I am the only candidate dedicated to raising the revenue we need to do this," said Dayton, who has proposed to raise $4 billion in taxes by making the state's wealthiest citizens pay their fair share.
Entenza and Kelliher favored a balanced approach of raising some revenue in taxes, making cuts and continuing some of the spending shifts that Governor Tim Pawlenty used to balance the state's budget last year.
Asked by moderator Jim Ragsdale, an editorial writer and columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, whether tax increases would inhibit job creation, as Republicans say, Kelliher said the studies have shown that states with balanced approaches to budget problems see faster economic growth, and grow out of their budget deficits faster. Dayton said that in the Governor Rudy Perpich administration, where he served as commission of the department of Energy and Economic Development, "the state had relatively high taxes, it invested in education, and it was in the top ten in economic growth among states."
Dayton and Entenza added that the "no new taxes" policy of the Pawlenty administration was a lie. The policy led to increases in property taxes that hurt senior citizens and people living in smaller rural communities. All three candidates said they would restore Local Government Aid cuts made by the Pawlenty administration, pointing out that Emmer would eliminate or vastly reduce the program.
While all agreed that a strong educational system was essential to a strong economy, Anderson and Entenza sparred over what to do about "No Child Left Behind." Entenza would have the state opt out of the program entirely, while Kelliher thinks the state would lose too much in federal education funds. It should work with the state's Congressional delegation to reform NCLB, she said.
Entenza and Kelliher also promoted themselves as stronger leaders than the other. Entenza was House Minority Leader up to 2006. When the Democrats won control of the House in that year's election, Kelliher was elected House Speaker. Entenza pointed out how he and Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson "stood up to Pawlenty" on budget issues, including education funding and LGA, "and made him blink" in the year that saw the government shut down until a budget was approved that included an increase in tobacco usage fees, or a thinly veiled tax increase.
Kelliher pointed out that with her leadership and her ability to reach out to others, she was able to put together a coalition to pass a transportation bill that included a gas tax increase and override Pawlenty's veto.
All three candidates pointed to their Minnesota roots as the basis for their leadership. Dayton, whose family built the Dayton-Hudson company, said he was raised to think that "From those to whom much is given, much is expected," and he has dedicated himself to public service. He said he found out during his term as U.S. Senator that one can have a more immediate impact in the executive branch. He said he would work for what he thought was right for the future of the state.
Kelliher, who grew up on a farm near Mankato, stressed her farm background. She said when her family nearly lost their land in the farm crisis of the 1980s, she learned how important it is to get back up and keep fighting. She said she has the ability to bring people together and her goal would be to work for the good of the state, not just her party.
Entenza also pointed to his tough childhood in Worthington, where his alcoholic father left the family, they lost their house and had to move in with his grandmother. He said he knows from experience what it is like to go without health coverage, and how important education was to him in creating a better life. He wants Minnesota to be a place where others have that chance.