Senate District 54 candidate viewpoint: Katie Sieben

Talk about it

It is an honor to serve you in the Minnesota Senate. During the visits I have had with many of you throughout our community during the past year, I have enjoyed the opportunity to hear about your hopes and concerns about Minnesota’s future. We share goals for our community: creating good-paying jobs, improving educational opportunities for our children and working together to achieve these shared goals. I am seeking reelection to the Minnesota Senate because I know we can deliver the results that Minnesotans expect through cooperation and compromise.

High-quality public education is fundamental to making Minnesota such a great place to live and work. I am committed to expanding and improving opportunities for Minnesota students of all ages, from our youngest learners to our students at post-secondary institutions. As global competition increases, we must do a better job preparing students for the 21st-century economy.

A first step is paying back more than $2 billion taken from our public schools to close the budget gap last session. I voted against this costly budget gimmick, and introduced legislation to pay back our schools by closing corporate tax loopholes. Leaving this debt unpaid would be a burden on our students and on our economy.

Minnesota has long been a great place to do business, and we are home to more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any other state. Executives and entrepreneurs consistently rank our highly educated workforce as a top reason for locating and expanding in our state. The rising cost of higher education threatens this important advantage. I will work to make higher education more affordable to allow Minnesota students to receive the education they seek and ensure employers have a workforce they can count on.

Matching higher education institutions with employers and employees is the first step to encourage job creation. Helping our local businesses succeed and encouraging entrepreneurs to invest in our communities is another priority. Last session I was proud to author legislation to expand the reach of the Minnesota Investment Fund, a bipartisan tool that has been used successfully in Minnesota for 25 years to provide incentives for existing businesses to expand and create additional jobs for Minnesotans.

Investments in critical infrastructure are another way to create jobs while improving life, health and safety. That’s why I worked so hard to expedite construction of the new Hastings bridge. This much-needed replacement is creating hundreds of jobs and will make the traveling public safer.

Moving our state forward requires bipartisanship and cooperation. My success at passing election reform, creating a teacher evaluation system and banning the use of synthetic marijuana came as the result of bipartisan negotiation. Minnesotans are better served when we are able to put differences aside and focus, instead, on our shared goals.

I know that I am not alone in saying that I am proud to call our community home. As my husband Josh and I raise our two young children, I understand now more than ever the importance of high-quality public schools and the affordability of college. I believe strongly in public education and am committed to ensuring that my sons and all Minnesota children receive a world-class education, like I did growing up in Newport attending South Washington County Schools.

I am grateful for your support that has allowed me to bring your voice to the Minnesota Senate. On Nov. 6, I respectfully request your vote again. Working together we can ensure Minnesota continues to be the best place to live, work and raise a family.

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