Republican Rep. Jim Abeler of Anoka is running for the U.S. Senate.

“We’re in,” Abeler said on Tuesday (June 18).

Currently serving his eighth term in the Minnesota House, Abeler’s decision to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken in 2014 caught local Republicans off guard.

“It was a complete surprise to all of us,” said Senate District 35 Deputy Chairman Don Huizenga.

Local Republicans were “pretty shocked,” he said.

Abeler alerted area Republicans of his intentions on Monday (June 17) night, some 12 days after making the final decision to run.

“It occurred to me they need a problem solver (in Washington), which is me,” Abeler said of stepping forward.

Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, speaks on the House floor last session. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

Abeler, a House Republican maverick, intends to seek the Republican Party’s U.S. Senate endorsement. But he has not decided on whether to abide by it, he said.

Franken is a formidable opponent, Abeler explained.

He’s the incumbent and has statewide name recognition — “a huge advantage,” Abeler said.

But Abeler, expressing particular concern over the world his three grandchildren will inherit, was starting his U.S. Senate run because he believes America is in trouble.

“Our children and grandchildren are born into a future as indentured debtors of our country’s careless spending. When we are dependent on the government, we are absolutely not free,” Abeler said in a statement.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken campaigning in Dakota County last autumn. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

It’s not his intention to go to Washington to blame people for the national debt, Abeler said.

But he wants Congress to recognize the serious threat exists, he said.

Abeler stresses what he says are his skills as a problem solver.

“My home-grown Minnesotan values guide me and my personal decision making priorities of ‘Creator, conscience, and constituents,’ in that order, provide me guidance for the tough decisions I face in my current elected responsibilities,” Abeler said in his statement.

“I think outside the box, consider all sides of an issue, and then make a reasoned, thoughtful decision,” he said.

Abeler has not always been in the good graces of his party.

One of the “Override Six,” a group of House Republicans who voted to override Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of a Democratic transportation finance bill containing tax increases, Abeler faced endorsement challenges.

Huizenga, who battled Abeler for the endorsement following the override vote, said a lot of people within the Republican Party have issues with a lot of the votes Abeler has taken.

Huizenga suspects Abeler might have been nudged to run for the U.S. Senate, because for all his efforts at cultivating Democrats, it ultimately didn’t work.

“Nobody listened to him,” Huizenga said of the aftermath of the Democratic takeover of the Legislature.

“In my opinion, Jim took a bath from the Democrats this year,” he said.

Abeler himself complained last session that Democrats refused to listen to Republicans.

A chiropractor by profession, Abeler has chaired the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee, currently serving as lead Republican.

For all the billions being spent in the area of health care, results remain mediocre, Abeler argues.

Abeler, 59, and Barb, his wife of 32 years, have six sons.

One son, Josiah, died suddenly in September of 2011 after a seizure while asleep.

Josiah Abeler was 22 years old.

Abeler plans to have formal announcement of his candidacy at a future date.

He looks back at his years in the House as giving him the chance to do good things.

“This has come along,” he said of running for the U.S. Senate.

Considering a big run for public office is like a parachute jump — it’s a pretty view high up there, Abeler said.

“But you have to take that last step,” he quipped.

Republican Minnesota business executive Mike McFadden, an executive at the Lazard finance firm, recently announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate.

“I welcome Representative Abeler into the race and look forward to seeing him on the campaign trail, but my focus remains drawing a distinction between myself and Sen. Al Franken,” McFadden said in a statement.

Another possible Republican candidate is Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhasen.

DFL State Chairman Ken Martin believes Franken is in good shape at this point in his first term.

“If you look at the trend line since he’s been elected, it just continues to climb,” Martin said.

“He hasn’t done anything completely controversial or made any stupid remarks,” he said.

“He’s kept his head low and done  the hard work of being a Senator. I think’s taken on some tough fights people appreciate,” Martin said.

“I feel really good about that one,” Martin said of the U.S. Senate race.

“If the election were held tomorrow, he’d (Franken) win hands down — going away,” Martin said.

Still, the election is a long way away, the chairman noted.

Tim Budig can be reached at tim.budig@ecm-inc.com.

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Republican House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt sat on the farmhouse porch with a smiling lab at his feet and a cooing mourning dove in a nearby tree.

“When I am in St. Paul, I am so busy — and I really love what I do down there. But I can’t wait for the weekend to come,” Daudt said of returning to Crown.

Although Daudt spends many nights in St. Paul, his cabin on Spectacle Lake, the farm his grandfather bought in 1938, about a mile from the crossroads of Crown in southwest Isanti County, is old home ground.

House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, takes the House floor last session as caucus members look on. While legislative duties keep Daudt in St. Paul many nights, his roots are in Greater Minnesota. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

Daudt did not grow up there.

He grew up on a sheep farm near Princeton, a big operation with as many as 400 animals, But after graduating from the University of North Dakota, it was on his grandfather’s farm, 62 remaining acres, Daudt went to live.

Daudt and his brother Shane share the place, along with a coop of Cornish Cross chickens who will not live to see the autumn, six Black Angus, three of which are calves, and a black lab, Kurt Daudt’s pet, Lucy.

The lights of Crown do not blemish the evening sky.

“We say it’s a gas station, a bar, and church. And that’s what Crown is,” Daudt said, smiling.

Even so, Crown has old names.

Daudt is one of them.

The windmills Grandfather Louie Daudt, a folk artist as well as inventive mechanic, fashioned out of scrap still cut the wind here and there around Crown, Daudt said.

Another old Crown family name is Grams, former Republican U.S. Sen. Rod Grams having a farm not far away.

Properly clad for hauling manure and chainsaw work, Daudt pauses to pet his appreciate black lab, Lucy, on the family farm near Crown. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

Not that Daudt’s vistas have been defined by fence lines.

“I’ve always been the kind of person who wants to get involved in things,” Daudt said. “And maybe even to a fault.”

At age 24, Daudt was elected to the Stanford Township Board, a “thankless” job where he heard complaints about plugged culverts, flooded yards, but learned a lot about basic government.

“And I learned most of all, people just want somebody to listen to them,” Daudt said.

Next stop was the Isanti County Board — Daudt beat an incumbent.

“I’ve always been kind of tapped, or recruited, to run for something else,” he said.

Daudt left the county board in his second term to successfully run for the Minnesota House.

In St. Paul, at the beginning of his second term, Daudt’s Republican House colleagues voted him minority leader, the quickest rise to that position in a century.

“I kind of think it will happen,” Daudt said of becoming speaker of the House, predicting the Republicans will reclaim majority status.

“If I’m successful at that,” Daudt said of advancing the Republican message, “I believe my team will reward me.”

Daudt foresees Republican fortunes brightening.

Democrats have gummed up the state’s economic recovery, he argues, and been plainly self-serving at times.

“I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out why they were doing that,” he said of day care and long-term care unionization legislation, “because unions give them a lot of campaign money.”

The legislation allows for a unionization vote.

Daudt has been urged to run for Congress in the 6th and 8th congressional districts, he said.

He lives in the 8th, but the border of the 6th District, the home of the bulk of his legislative district, is a stone’s throw away.

But Daudt indicated he has promises to keep.

“It would be really self-serving for me to serve three years in the Minnesota House, and then announce I’m running for Congress,” Daudt said.

Asked if his Republican colleagues would feel let down, Daudt thought they would.

“I think so. And I wouldn’t blame them a bit,” he said.

Daudt, though saying he hasn’t really thought about going to Washington, doesn’t wholly dismiss the idea.

“I have a feeling, if I would go out there (to Washington as a congressman), I could be influential,” Daudt said, saying he’s good at building relationships.

“(But) I truly believe we need to put Republicans back in the (Minnesota House) majority,” he said.

“I’m really committed to that,” he said.

To tour the farm with Daudt is to hear about future projects.

The Daudts recently tore down an old two-bunker corn crib, and give other old farm buildings hard glances.

Kurt Daudt jokes about sparing the raspberries growing next to one weather-beaten structure.

There’s talk of a new pole barn.

Nudged by a familial gene for mechanics perhaps, Kurt Daudt looks to restoring his weekend ride, a rustless 1966 Ford Bronco he purchased from the City of Havre, Mont.

Proof of origin can be seen in fading letters on the Bronco’s door.

Like Grams, the Daudts collect tractors.

There’s a 1947 John Deere B used in the fall to haul firewood — the Daudts heat with wood, cut 10, 12 cords a year.

There’s another John Deere, vintage 1937, Grandpa Daudt’s tractor, with distinctive spoked wheels. A 1941 John Deere H, one with a single front tire for crops with narrow rows, sits with the other two tractors in partial cover.

Other tractors are here and there.

“I’ll probably do the Bronco before I do any of these,” Daudt reflectively said.

“Lucy loves riding in it.”

The Daudts don’t work the farm fields. Instead, they rent 24 acres to a neighbor who works the land.

In the fall there’s deer hunting, pheasants, a pond for waterfowl,

Tucked into a garage there’s a mini-bike for Kurt Daudt’s nephew to ride.

Daudt talks of work on the farm as a labor of love, if ceaseless love.

“As you can see by the lawn,” he quipped, pointing out a patch of tall grass.

“Sometimes I have to tell myself to relax,” Daudt said.

“But my mind is always kind of thinking, whether it’s stuff at the Capitol — what can we do to fix this, improve that — or whether here at the farm or at lake,” he said.

“I’m always thinking about my next project,” Daudt said.

Yet Daudt, 39, insists he’s never plotted out an overall course for his life.

“I have always reacted to where there’s need and where’s there’s opportunity,” Daudt said.

“If you are successful, then there will be another opportunity.”

Rep. Marion O’Neill, R-Buffalo, views Daudt as doing a good job leading the House Republican Caucus.

With Democrats controlling state government, it’s a tough go, she said.

O’Neill, a freshmen, appreciates Daudt making time for caucus members.

“He’s always available,” she said.

O’Neill views Daudt as “comfortable” leading House Republicans.

“I think he’s doing great,” former Republican House Minority Leader Marty Seifert said.

Seifert views Daudt as having the respect of his caucus. Leading the caucus is a balancing act, Seifert said, because traditionally the Republican House Caucus is evenly split between rural and metro.

The role of minority leader is tough, Seifert said.

You have a message, a microphone, a vote button — not much else, he said.

But Seifert, too, views Democrats as leaving House Republicans with opportunities.

Daudt, in looking ahead to the 2014 legislative session, which begins next February,  spoke of bonding and other concerns.

“I look for our bonding (bill to be) under $1 billion,” Daudt said, arguing one reason the House Democrats’ $800 million bonding bill crashed on the floor last session was lack of communication.

“They didn’t include me in the conversations,” Daudt said.

House Democrats must have Republican votes to pass a bonding bill.

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton intends to seek public support over upcoming months for a transportation initiative. Daudt speaks of focusing on roads and bridges — we can’t walk away from these investments, he said.

Daudt, who once rode Northstar Commuter Rail to a Vikings’ game and fond the experience pleasant, takes a cautious stance on transit.

Asked whether someone in Crown would know about the proposed Southwest Light Rail Line, Daudt doubted it.

“They’d think it’s a airline or something,” he quipped.

Daudt spoke of addressing the Democrats’ expansion of the state sales tax to repairs and warehousing.

He dislikes the idea of farmers needing to pay the sales tax on repairs of machinery. And Daudt argues that extending the sales tax to warehousing indirectly will cause commodity prices to rise.

Daudt views himself as a steadying influence in the House.

“I think what (House Speaker Paul) Thissen and (House Majority Leader) Erin Murphy figured out from me, is they could trust me. And when I tell them I’m going to do something, I’ll do it,” Daudt said.

He didn’t want the final hours of last legislative session to become “ugly,” Daudt said.

And they weren’t, he said.

Tim Budig can be reached at tim.budig@ecm-inc.com

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And, strong pitching performances were evident last week as Milaca opened its season by topping Mora 2-0 Thursday, June 6 and Becker 12-2 the following night. Both games were at Milaca.

“I’m very happy with how our pitchers performed last week,” said Naumann, who’s starting his 13th season as manager.

Matt VanSomeren pitched a three-hitter to blank Mora. He walked four and struck out 12.

“Matt was fantastic,” said Naumann. “He worked out of a jam in the third inning by striking out Mora’s No. 5 and No. 6 batters.”

Nathan Hass and Mike Garber each had a double to pace Milaca’s offense while Zach Streff, Hunter Foss and Mike McLouth each had a single.

Milaca scored the game’s only runs in the second inning.

“You really find out what you’re made of in a tight game like this,” added Naumann. “Those two early runs gave us a big boost.”

Brian Kiel started on the mound against Becker and allowed two runs, four hits and four walks over five innings while striking out nine. Fransen blanked Becker in the final two innings, allowing three hits and no walks.

Hass had a double and two singles and Kiel had three singles to pace Milaca’s 12-hit attack. Foss rapped a double and a single and Fransen had a double.

Milaca led 3-2 before erupting for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and three more in the sixth.

“Our offense really showed up,” said Naumann. “We were very aggressive at the plate.”

VanSomeren, Kiel and Fransen will lead what Naumann feels is a deep pitching staff.

“It’s nice to have those veterans who have pitched a lot of innings.” Naumann said.

Right-handers Ian Carpenter and Foss, along with left-handers Mason Hoskins and Nick Wolbert will also see some action on the mound.

Garber will see much action at catcher while Kiel and Streff can also handles things behind the plate.

Kiel (shortstop), Fransen (third base) and VanSomeren (first base) will handle infield positions when they’re not pitching. Other infielders include Wolbert (first base), Streff (second base), McLouth (utility)  and Cole Earl (second/third base).

Outfielders include Hass, Hunter Foss, Wyatt Foss, Hoskins, Carpenter and Jorgen Erickson.

“We have 14 players on the roster, the most I’ve ever had,” said Naumann. “That gives us pretty good depth.

“Our hitting should be solid – we need to get hits at the right times with runners on base. Our defense appears to be OK and I think it will improve as the season goes on.”

Milaca will be playing in Division II of the Legion program for the first time. It will be playing its usual District 10 North End opponents during the regular season

Milaca Legion Schedule

June 6 – Mora (home), won 2-0.

-June 7 – Becker (home), won 12-2.

-June 13 – at St. Francis, doubleheader, 6 and 8 p.m.

-June 18 – Chisago Lakes at Milaca, 6:30 p.m.

-June 20 – at Cambridge, 6:30 p.m.

-June 24 – at Mora, 6:30 p.m.

-July 2 – North Branch at Milaca, 6:30 p.m.

-July 9 – at North Branch, 6:30 p.m.

-July 11 – at Princeton, doubleheader, 6 and 8 p.m.

-July 15 – at Chisago Lakes, 6:30 p.m.

-July 16 – at Cambridge, 6:30 p.m.

-July 22-28 – sub-state tournament, TBA

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Now, and for all time, you can call the Wolves girls 2013 Class A STATE Track and Field champions!

Milaca’s four-girl delegation racked up 42 points to tie Warroad for the Class A title at Hamline University in St. Paul. The two schools will go down as co-champions.

“I think everyone on the team feels an extreme sense of pride and accomplishment,” said co-head coach Jeremy Mikla. “We feel proud of how we represented our school and community.

“Knowing that so few from Milaca have had the opportunity to achieve what these girls, and their coaches, have accomplished makes it even more special. On a personal level I can’t think of a group that I would rather have my picture displayed with in the trophy case at the school.”

It was Milaca’s second state team championship. The 1982 girls golf team won Class AA state honors.

Milaca scored in five events. All the places were crucial.

Senior Kaija Crowe placed first in the 200-meter dash (12 points) Saturday, third in the high jump Friday (8 points), fourth in the 100-meter dash Saturday (6 points) and teamed with junior Sarah Forker and sophomores Allie Terpstra and Irina Danilyuk to notch fourth in the 4×200 relay (6 points) Saturday. Terpstra was second in the 100-meter hurdles (10 points) Saturday.

The pressure was on all four Milaca athletes, especially Crowe, who scored Milaca’s final 12 points in the 200 dash, one of the final events Saturday. Neither Milaca or Warroad had competitors in the events following the 200. Warroad senior Deidre Hahn, who had already won the high jump and long jump and placed third in 100 dash,   was lined up alongside Crowe in the 200. Those 200 meters would decide the team championship.

Crowe won the race in 25.38 seconds while Hahn, who scored all 42 Warroad points, placed second in 25.60.

Did Crowe know what was at stake in the 200?

“One of the runners on the relay team mentioned it to me, but I had totally forgotten by the time I was at the starting line,” said Crowe. “I really wasn’t aware of the team scores until Deidre and I were coming down from the podium and an official pulled us over and told us to get our team and coaches together because we had tied for the team title.

“Winning an individual event and winning the team title with a great bunch of teammates and coaches felt great. It was great to see all our hard work pay off.”

“Kaija has been our superstar the last three years and she didn’t disappoint at state,” said Mikla.

Crowe went 5-feet, 5-inches to place third in the high jump. Hahn was first at 5-6 and senior Emma Lange of Caledonia was second, also at 5-5. Lange cleared 5-5 in fewer jumps than Crowe.

Terpstra looked like a rocket as she placed second in the 100 hurdles in 15.54 seconds, a new Milaca record. Staples-Motley junior Jaelin Beachy, the defending champion, was first in 15.12.

“I knew how important it was for me to do well,” said Terpstra. “I was hoping I wouldn’t hit a hurdle.”

Terpstra was seeded ninth in the event heading into the state meet and seventh after Friday’s prelims.

“I felt good and gave it my best,” she said.

Crowe’s time in the 100 dash was 12.77. She had set a Milaca record of 12.65 in the prelims.

Junior Vanessa Lane of Pequot Lakes won the 100 in 12.53. Sophomore Haley Jensen of Martin County West was second in 12.65 and Hahn was third in 12.75.

Milaca’s 4×200 relay posted a time of 1:45.85. Chatfield was first in 1:44.79.

Blake School finished a close third with 41 points.

A welcome home celebration was held for the team Sunday at the high school cafeteria.

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•Question:  A story on page one of the sports section in last Sunday’s Minneapolis Star Tribune dealt with how long it’s taking Major League baseball teams to complete games. The story pointed out games are increasingly lasting over three and one-half hours, compared to an average of about two and one-half hours in the 1970s and early 1980s. Games are keeping fans (those who stay) in the ball park longer and TV viewers up until late at night (if they don’t shut the television off). Do you think games are too long? Baseball has rules in place to speed the game up – should those rules be more strictly enforced?

-Dorr: As much as I love baseball, yes, the games are too long. One of the great things about baseball is that there is no time limit like there is in other sports – the game doesn’t end on a clock, it ends when the final out is made in the final inning. But things have gotten to a ridiculous level, even in middle school baseball. Even at that level kids are adjusting their batting gloves and stepping out after each pitch. They should enforce the rule in the Major Leagues that says pitchers have to throw the ball within 12 seconds if there are no runners on base. You should not be able to adjust your batting gloves (in fact, throw out the batting gloves altogether) and you should not be allowed to step out of the box after each pitch. It drives me nuts. Again, I enjoy baseball tremendously but the length of games is completely out of control.

-Marxhausen: A lot of things are contributing to longer games, including the little things such as mound visits, time in between pitches, stepping out of the batters box and tightening the batting gloves after every at-bat.  Commercial breaks on local broadcasts can accumulate to 34 minutes and a national broadcast can reach 41 minutes. There are some differences from the 1960s to the present. In the sixties the starting pitchers pitched more innings than they do in 2013. That contributes to longer games. Some rules concerning the little things in baseball can be enforced, but MLB will have a hard time breaking up the routines of players. Should the rules be enforced? Yes. Will they be enforced? No.

-Larson:  Baseball is the perfect sleeping pill for an old geezer sitting in his easy chair as a televised Twins game eclipses two hours. When (if) the old guy wakes up he flicks the channel to ESPN and watches the bottom of the screen to see who won. There’s plenty to do (eat, drink) for the old-timer during breaks in the action if he takes in a game at Target Field. I’ve never left a professional sports event before the game was over. The delays, especially the ones by fidgety players, are irritating. But, nothing is likely to happen any time soon to change that.

-Johnson: I would have to answer both yes and no.  I think games are longer now days partly because of the number of pitchers teams use.  Back in the 1970s and 1980s teams would use two, maybe three, pitchers per game.  In today’s game teams use three to five pitchers in almost every game.  This part of the game has changed.  Because more pitchers are being used, the game takes longer as each pitcher needs to warm up.  I don’t think this can be or should be changed.  If you’d like to see more arm injuries try to limit the number of pitchers used in a game by somehow forcing pitchers to throw more innings.  Better yet, try to rush the pitchers brought in to pitch.  More injuries will surely follow.   I do however think games are too long in terms of time in between pitches.  I remember Freddy Garcia pitching for the Chicago White Sox. He was notorious for taking around 30 seconds in between pitches.  As a fielder, you tend to fall asleep when your pitcher takes that long.  When a ball is finally hit to you, you’ve forgotten how many outs there are and what to do with it.  I’d advise Major League Baseball to regulate the time in between pitches.

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•Question:  The Minnesota Twins chose right-handed pitcher Kohl Stewart with their first pick in last week’s baseball draft. Stewart pitched for a Houston high school this past season. Four of the team’s first five picks were pitchers, two just out of high school. Three of its top 10 picks were catchers. The team’s draft won’t be able to be assessed for several years, but how do you feel about the Twins concentrating on pitchers and catchers early on in the draft?

-Dorr: They need to concentrate on pitching, obviously. GM Terry Ryan said on the radio that they didn’t concentrate on catching but on Monday former manager Tom Kelly said they did.  I thought the choice of Stewart was good, although it’s a bit iffy to take high school guys. For one thing, they usually take longer to get to the big club. I’m interested in the LSU pitcher they drafted. I saw the Indiana pitcher they drafted when he pitched against Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament last month and look forward to seeing how he will do.  He doesn’t have a great fastball but has a very good breaking ball. Let’s remember before we get too excited about anybody, including hot prospects Miguel Sano and Brian Buxton – there’s a line from here to China of top-rated prospects that didn’t make it, some not even to AAA ball. Then, when these guys make it to the big leagues, they have to be put in the right place. For instance, on Sunday in Washington, manager Gardenhire chose to sit Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham against the Nats’ best pitcher. I know, Mauer played the night before but he makes $23 million a year and should be able to play the next day, especially against the other team’s best pitcher. That’s a joke. Then Gardenhire sat Justin Morneau and Ryan Doumit, the team’s hottest hitter, in the second game of the doubleheader. The team had an off day Monday and wouldn’t have to work (play) until Tuesday. Can’t those players grit their teeth and play two games in one day? They even had a three-hour rest between games.

-Marxhausen:  Concentrating on pitchers is a smart move by the organization. Great pitchers are hard to come by and that is why teams need to build a core of pitchers to rely on. Pitchers can come and go and be replaced year in and year out. They can have a decent year one season and fall to the minor leagues the next. Pitching has not been a strong side for the Twins the past few season and now they are working to build that part of the game back. Great catchers are also hard to come by. When Joe Mauer is unable to be a full time catcher, the Twins are going to want his replacement to be ready. The Twins have position prospects rising in the farm system and they felt that pitchers and catchers were a necessity.

-Larson:  As Luther mentioned, taking players right out of high school can be risky. Stewart, though, appears to be a good pick, and likely a very rich young man. He will receive around $4.5 million to sign with the Twins. He may have already done so by the time this paper comes out. His other option is to play football at Texas A&M where he’d be the heir apparent to quarterback Johnny (“Football”) Manziel, who’s predicted to be the first quarterback selected in the 2014 NFL college draft. A nice dilemma for someone who’s just graduated from high school.

The Twins need pitching and someone behind the plate a few years down the road and that was reflected by their top picks. A question. How has the Twins’ farm system suddenly gone from what was called one of the worst in baseball just a couple years ago to one now loaded with future stars, a dynasty in the making? Is there some slight-of-hand work going on here to take fans’ attention off the 2013 team?

-Johnson: The Twins addressed two areas that will be important in the years to come.  The team has somewhat depleted its farm system of pitching the last few years.  Since Johan Santana, Fransisco Liriano, and Matt Garza left, the Twins do not have a strong candidate to be the team’s ace anywhere in sight.  Hopefully the Twins can develop some of these draft picks into what Bert Blyleven would call “work horses.”  One would have to think in just a few years, Mauer (30 years old) and Doumit (32 years old) will be near the end of their catching days.  Maybe one of these catchers they drafted will scoot through the ranks and transition as their replacement.  I think the Twins are pretty set in the outfield with youngsters such as Hicks, Arcia, Parmelee, Buxton, and Mastroianni.  It will be interesting to see if Morneau is still around next year.  If he is not, who plays first base? Mauer?

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Do you have an opinion on any of this week’s questions? Do you agree or disagree with the sportswriters? Let us know by sending an e-mail to editor.millelacscotimes@ecm-inc.com or a note to Mille Lacs County Times, 225 S.W. 2nd St. Milaca, MN 56353. Or comment online.

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Anoka County Board Chairwoman Rhonda Sivarajah of Lino Lakes wants to replace Congresswoman Michele Bachmann as the Republican representing the 6th Congressional District.

Anoka County Board Chairwoman Rhonda Sivarajah of Lino Lakes announced her candidacy for Congress in the 6th Congressional District on Wednesday, June 12, during an announcement at Victory Auto Service and Glass in Ham Lake. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

“I’ll bring common sense to Washington,” Sivarajah said, announcing her 6th District candidacy on Wednesday, June 12, at Victory Auto Service and Glass in Ham Lake.

Sivarajah, who has chaired the Anoka County Board since 2011, heralded perceived accomplishments on the board — keeping property taxes down, working to limit the prevailing wage, cutting back on county lobbying expenses — as examples of a conservative getting things done.

“Washington is full of people who talk and talk and talk,” Sivarajah said.

Sivarajah, 47, said she will seek the Republican Party endorsement but did not say she would abide it.

She has not made a decision regarding a possible primary election run, she said.

This is Sivarajah’s second attempt at seeking higher office.

In 2010 Sivarajah teamed with then House Minority Leader Marty Seifert as his candidate for lieutenant governor in Seifert’s unsuccessful gubernatorial bid.

Then Rep. Tom Emmer of Delano brushed Seifert aside, winning the Republican gubernatorial endorsement, though losing in November.

Sivarajah again faces Emmer, the attorney and radio talk show personality, announcing his 6th District congressional candidacy last week.

Sivarajah was elected to the Anoka County Board in 2002. She depicted herself as the sole conservative at the time. She was thankful, Sivarajah quipped, when another conservative, Commissioner Robyn West, was elected. At least motions were seconded then, she said,

Anoka County Board Chairwoman Rhonda Sivarajah of Lino Lakes spoke of bringing common sense to Washington. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

Sivarajah represents District 6, the eastern border of Anoka County containing the cities of Linwood, Columbus and Lino Lakes. She and her husband Ran, who works for the U.S. Marshals providing court security, have two teenage children, Asha and Sonjay.

“It was something she had to decide,” Ran Sivarajah, married to Rhonda Sivarajah for 23 years, said of his wife running for Congress.

A number of area lawmakers – Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover; Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake; and Sen. Roger Chamberlain of Lino Lakes – lined up behind Sivarajah at her announcement.

Scott said Sivarajah would “absolutely” do a good job in Congress. She has a “proven track record,” Scott said.

Sivarajah chastised the Obama Administration as embroiled in so many scandals they’re hard to keep track of.

But Sivarajah has voted for a Democrat for president. During the 1992 gubernatorial campaign, Sivarajah said she had voted for then Democratic presidential candidate Gov. Bill Clinton, though not voting to re-elect the president.

“Rhonda Sivarajah has long been a voice of dissent in efforts to move Anoka County forward,” DFL State Party Chairman Ken Martin said in a prepared statement. “She would bring this same style of leadership to Washington, D.C., and is incapable of building bridges and cultivating the relations necessary to make a difference for residents of the 6th Congressional District.

“Rhonda Sivarajah would replicate what Michele Bachmann did in Congress, which is alienating people, passing no legislation and putting the interests of the Tea Party ahead of the citizens of the Congressional District,” Martin said.

According to media reports, Emmer said he would abide by the congressional endorsement.

Other possible Republican 6th District candidates include state representatives Matt Dean of Dellwood, Tim Sanders of Blaine and former Rep. Phil Krinkie. Media reports have Sen. John Pederson, R-St.Cloud, considering a congressional run.

Scott said she had briefly considered a run, but lacked “the fire in the belly.”

Tim Budig is at tim.budig@ecm-inc.com

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Public awareness of the elder abuse “epidemic” is key to stopping it, Minnesota S.A.F.E. Elders Initiative officials insist.

Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom called elder abuse an “epidemic,” much of it hidden and unseen. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

“It’s so important we get on top of it early,” Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said Tuesday, June 11, at a press conference in St. Paul.

No one really knows how many elders face abuse of trust, many times by family members, during the Golden Years.

Associate Director Iris Freeman, Center for Elder Justice and Policy at William Mitchell College of Law, said just over the past few years some 30,000 reports of elder abuse have been received by county social service agencies in Minnesota. These numbers do include police reports and reports to other agencies.

“Unfortunately, one of our gaps is information,” Freeman said.

The most common forms of elder abuse are physical, emotional and sexual abuse; neglect and financial exploitation.

Scott Campbell, a retired Duluth police officer, spoke of a brother wrongfully tapping into their elderly mother’s savings of $115,000, leaving less than $700.

“It’s one done by a family member,” he said of the abuse.

Anoka County Attorney Tony Palumbo spoke at a St. Paul press conference on Tuesday, June 11, on behalf of the Minnesota S.A.F.E. Elders Initiative Project, a group committed to ending the abuse of seniors. The Anoka County Attorney’s Office, working with another group, started the initiative. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

About two-thirds of elder financial exploitation prosecuted in his county, Anoka County Attorney Tony Palumbo said, involved family members.

Things are being done. House Judiciary Finance and Policy Committee Chairwoman Debra Hilstrom, DFL-Brooklyn Center, also a county prosecutor, said “very significant” changes to state law have been made to make prosecution of elder abuse easier. And tougher. For instance, in cases of financial exploitation, exploiters can be charged for every six months of the exploitation, plus face an aggregate sentence. Additionally, restitution can be sought, even if the elderly victim has passed away, she said.

To heighten public awareness, the Elders Initiative co-produced with Twin Cities Public Television a 26-minute documentary on elder abuse that will be aired beginning June 16.

Working with Hilstrom, law students at William Mitchell constructed a mobile device app, S.A.F.E. MN, that includes a list of signs of abuse, reporting agencies, others tools for law enforcement. The public, too, can download the app for free.

Rep. Debra Hilstrom, DFL-Brooklyn Center, spoke of significant changes in state law that made it easier for prosecutors to go after elder abusers. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

Elders Initiative, which grew out of a partnership between the Anoka County Attorney’s Office and Vulnerable Adult Justice Project, also produced a Prosecutors Trial Notebook. The notebook includes sample complaints, briefs, sentencing guidelines and other information useful for prosecutors when taking alleged elder abusers to court.

“This crime is an abuse of trust,” St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin said.

Warning signs of physical and sexual elder abuse include bruises, pressure marks and internal injuries, often accompanied by inconsistent explanations for how they occurred. Signs of elder neglect includes weight loss, malnutrition and dehydration, a lack of supervision or necessary health aids. Red flags of financial exploitation includes unpaid bills, abrupt asset transfers and a lack of basic financial information.

When trying to determine if elder abuse is occurring, experts suggest starting by asking three basic questions:

–Is someone taking or using your money without your permission?

–Is anybody hurting you?

–Are you afraid of anyone?

Be mindful, experts warn, not to ask these questions in the presence of a possible abuser.

Minnesota, as across the county, will see a surge of elderly residents as baby boomers move into their retirement years. The number of Minnesotans over the age of 65 will more than double over the next 25 years to 1.3 million. According to the League of Minnesota Cities, there will be more Minnesotans over the age of 65 by 2020 than of school age.

Tim Budig can be reached at tim.budig@ecm-inc.com

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Democratic Fourth Congressional District Congresswoman Betty McCollum (right), Democratic Fifth Congressional District Congressman Keith Ellison, and Democratic Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon listened to public testimony and asked questions at the State Capitol this week at McCollum’s listening session focusing on proposed food stamp cuts. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

Democratic 4th Congressional District Congresswoman Betty McCollum heard a string of officials, faith leaders and members of the public testify against a proposal in the Republican-led U.S. House to cut about $21 billion over 10 years from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a food stamp program nicknamed SNAP.

McCollum, at the listening session Monday, June 10, at the State Capitol and in a statement on the U.S. House floor, called the proposal, contained in the House farm bill, “immoral” and “cruel and harmful.” No one at the supportive State Capitol listening session faulted the congresswoman’s language.

“Children do not choose their families,” Minnesota House Health and Human Services Policy Committee Chairwoman Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, said of children facing hunger as a result of from their parents being cut off from food stamps.

The proposed SNAP cut, McCollum said, could affect 30,000 Minnesotans. About 551,000 Minnesotans, or about one in 10 residents, received benefits from SNAP in January, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Nationally, the ratio is one in seven, according to the Center. Numbers vary with localities.

Ramsey County Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire said a quarter of Ramsey County residents participate in SNAP — enrollment in the program has jumped in recent times, she said. Democratic 5th Congressional District Congressman Keith Ellison, who along with Democratic Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon attended the listening session, asked McGuire whether food shelves or other charities could cover the proposed SNAP cuts.

Ramsey County Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire said a quarter of Ramsey County residents receive SNAP benefits. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

“The need is so much greater than they can provide,” McGuire said.

Faith leaders backed the commissioner’s assertion. Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis Public Policy Manager Marie Ellis spoke of charities “stretched to our limit.”

“No more hungry neighbors,” St. Paul Council on Churches Director Patricia Lull said of the prevailing spirit in the council.

The Christians, Jews, Muslims, and other faiths in the council may disagree on theology, she said, but not on stopping hunger.

In its breakdown of Minnesota SNAP recipients, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a self-described nonpartisan research group based in Washington, noted that 68 percent of all Minnesota SNAP recipients are in families with children.

Some 44 percent of SNAP recipients are in working families, according to the Center.

About 82 percent of households receiving SNAP benefits have income below the federal poverty line of about $22,000 for a family of four. About 41 percent of families are deeply poor, with incomes less than 50 percent of the poverty line.

Not that the poor always jump to enroll. About a quarter of SNAP-eligible individuals in Minnesota are not enrolled in the program, according to the Center.

“I absolutely did not want to go for it,” 19-year-old Tyler Lindroth, who has been homeless, told McCollum and Ellison about enrolling in SNAP.

The fact he fainted one day convinced him he had to take better care of himself, Lindroth said.

SNAP recipient Erin Pavlica of St. Paul spoke of her husband building his clientele and the family’s efforts at urban farming. Pavlica holds one of her children. (Photo by T.W. Budig)

SNAP recipient Erin Pavlica of St. Paul, cradling one of her three children, spoke of having a working husband and of the family’s efforts at urban farming. She is teaching her children to grow food for the future, she said.

SNAP recipients receive their benefits on electronic transfer cards that can be used to purchase food at 3,000 locations in Minnesota.

According to the Center, the average monthly benefit for each household member in Minnesota last year was about $116 — the number includes a temporary boost.

In its analysis of the House farm bill, the Center noted that the bulk of the proposed cut, or savings, depending on how its viewed, comes from elimination of a state option that allows some families and seniors to receive SNAP benefits though having gross incomes or assets above the federal SNAP limit, but disposal incomes, in most cases, below the federal poverty line.

The Democratic-led Senate in its farm bill looks to cut SNAP by about $4 billion. Floor action on the farm bills could come soon.

Tim Budig can be reached at tim.budig@ecm-inc.com

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It’s time for a different governor, says Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie.

Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, says he will make an announcement later this month as to whether he will be a Republican candidate for governor in 2014. Hann, shown beside Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, is serving his fourth term in the Minnesota Senate. (Photo by T.W. Budig, ECM Publishers)

Whether that different governor should be Sen. Hann remains to be seen. Hann said he is thinking about being a Republican candidate for governor but will not make his decision public until later this month.

Hann said his wife Anne has been treated for cancer the past year and he wishes to get through that battle first. Hann said the treatment has been successful and his wife is cancer free.

Hann was a gubernatorial candidate four years ago and said he regarded the experience a good one.

“I learned a lot and made some good friends,” Hann said.

While deliberating on a decision to seek election to the state’s highest executive office, Hann has been visiting Republican caucus members around the state. He calls these weeks after the session as a time “to get out and talk to the people.”

The four-term senator often becomes philosophical in talking about politics and in assessing the work of the Minnesota Legislature. Hann loves to read, and in particular, the works of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology and zoology.

The 2013 session has passed and Hann is not reluctant to harshly critique the work of the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

“Obviously, we were in the minority and were not in a position to affect our agenda; we didn’t have the votes,” Hann said.

He looked at the Democrats’ approach the last session as being over taxing, over spending and over reaching. The Legislature approved a $3 billion increase in spending, “and I ask, why did we do that?” Hann said.

“These taxes will hit everybody,” he said. “What is the bang that citizens will get?”

Hann said the additional taxes, including taxes on warehousing, will affect every retail operation and costs will go to the consumers. He also mentioned Internet taxes affecting every Minnesotan. Hann said the taxes will be detrimental to the economy at a time when it was beginning to see some resurgence.

Other states are reducing tax burdens but in Minnesota, the opposite is being done, Hann said. To the competitive market place, “what we have done is more harmful than positive,” Hann said. Hann said the failure to show restraint in raising taxes is a missed opportunity to provide incentives for growth and to provide in government some reform in doing what the state is doing.

Hann said very little reform was seen accomplished during this last session. In fact, he said, some reforms from the past session were repealed. He listed the establishment of high school graduation requirements and also said the standards scale of basic skills for teachers was also repealed.

“We eliminated some things that were enacted previously to improve the quality of the classroom experience for kids,” Hann said.

Education legislation has been listed as a major accomplishment of this past Legislature, led by the Democrats. Education is also an area that the Republican Senate Caucus is emphasizing as a future priority, one of three Hann listed for the Republicans.

“We spend a lot of money on education, but in my opinion, we don’t get the return for what we are spending or for what we have spent over the years,” Hann said. He said significant monies have been spent but no significant improvement has been realized. “We need to find some answers for the resources we devote to education. We need to spend some time and focus on reform, meaningful reform, looking into policy ideas that can lead to that meaningful reform.”

A second priority of the caucus revolves around showing the negative fallout of day care unionization. Hann said the intense focus on the compulsory unionization of home day care business was the biggest surprise of the past session. The Legislature, by a slim margin in both houses, approved unionization of day care after Gov. Mark Dayton tried to do it unilaterally months previous.

Hann and other Republican leaders have called the day care unionization legislation as a political payback.

“Unions are in debt and this is a way to get taxpayer dollars off the top as dues,” Hann said. He said the unionization does nothing to improve child care. Hann called the unionization move one of corruption and a decision that “is just wrong.”

Hann said these taxpayer dollars are used to fund the political activities to elect politicians with a circle of influence. Hann said the Democrat politicians then enact legislation to help the public sector union. Hann asked: “Is this a good way to govern our state in giving the employees of the state that extraordinary influence to, in effect, buy the laws of how they are managed?”

A third issue trumpeted on Hann’s travels around the state concerns looking at the growing relationship between the state and the federal government, a growing dependency happening most markedly in the health care arena.

Hann said about 60 percent of the state budget comes from federal dollars.

“Entitlement is one reason why the federal government is in such difficult straits financially,” Hann said.

Hann called the federal spending “out of control” and he said he does not know how the government is going to get out of this mess. He said it is now being passed on to the state in Medicaid.

Hann said Minnesota is putting itself at risk of possibly going down the tubes with the federal government at some point when the money runs out. Hann said the state should manage its programs the best it can and should not sign off to be dependent on the federal government. He said the federal government cannot be trusted.

Thirty-four other states have decided not to go down the path of the federal government “and that’s a good thing,” Hann said. “Let’s start to manage our own budget, our own fiscal state and not get dependent on the sinking ship that is a the federal mess,” Hann said.

Summarizing the three Republican priorities for this summer, Hann said the issues are not just Republican issues but issues of the state.

“We need to have a stronger education system, that means we need to reform it in a more serious way, not just by putting more money into it. We have to really rethink the power of the political public sector and the corrupting influence they have had on the politics of the state. We have to rethink our relationship with the federal government in relation to health care and other mandated programs where we take the money and we get co-oped into the policies and form a dependent relationship that puts us at a financial risk.”

A strong opponent of the same-sex marriage bill, Hann said he doesn’t believe the majority of the people in the state of Minnesota wanted to see the current marriage law changed.

“I do think it will have far-reaching effects on our culture,” Hann said. He said the amount of discussion on the bill was very limited considering potential effects it will have. Hann said “there was far greater debate and discussion about the Vikings stadium over the past two to three years.”

Issues were not fully vetted and efforts by the opposition were shouted down on the same-sex marriage bill in the course of discussion, Hann said. He said he hopes there is an effort to have more complete consideration of what the effects of this law will be.

Hann said he was not surprised that significant gun control legislation was not passed this last session. He said Republicans and Democrats both opposed major gun legislation. Hann called proposed gun control legislation as a knee-jerk reaction of a lot of liberals wanting to ban guns, confiscate guns or register them.

Looking on the side of good things accomplished in a bipartisan manner, Hann immediately pointed to passage of the public safety judiciary bill. He also said both parties supported continued restoration of the State Capitol by passing $180 million in legislation.

What’s next on the legislative agenda? Hann said Democrats are already getting push-back on problematic parts of the tax bill and he believes this will be revisited next session. Hann also said a significant bonding bill, maybe in the $700 million to $800 million range, will be promoted by Democrats. Thirdly, more policy initiatives may be addressed by the Legislature including those on sex offenders.

Whether in the minority or majority, Hann wants to direct loyalty toward the Republican ideal of everyone having an equal opportunity to pursue chances to improve their lives. That’s the purpose of government, he said.

Howard Lestrud can be reached at howard.lestrud@lecm-inc.com

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School kids take summer vacation; hunger does not.

About 300,000 Minnesota school children from poorer families qualify for free or reduced lunches. Whether summertime for these students means missing lunch, or missing breakfast and lunch, concerns food shelf officials. And they’re not just talking about the seven-county metro area.

“Rural poverty is a real problem that’s pretty well hidden,” Executive Director Colleen Moriatry of Hunger Solutions said.

The rural landscape is dotted with red flags.

“It’s a huge problem,” Executive Director Sue Estee of Second Harvest North Central Food Bank of Grand Rapids said of children who receive free and reduced lunches leaving school for the summer.

It means parents, who may have a hard time putting food on the table during the school year, must scramble for additional meals, she said.

According to the Center for Rural Policy and Development, only Ramsey County, with 54 percent of its children eligible for free and reduce lunches, breaks the 50 percent mark in this category among 11 metro-area counties. In Greater Minnesota, 13 counties surpassed the mark during the 2011-12 school year (see the map in this file, summer-RuralReality-free lunch, courtesy of the Center for Rural Policy and Development).

The countryside presents unique problems for the hungry.

Distances to travel are farther, public transportation is limited, gas prices are high and fewer organizations offer meal programs. Additionally, families confront the stigma of seeking assistance, the Center notes.

Programs do exists. The federal Summer Food Service Program offers free meals to poor children at approved sites — sites located in areas of concentrations of low-income children. About 36,000 Minnesota school children are served by this 45-year-old program, according Hunger Solutions. Last summer, some 2.3 million children participated nationally, receiving meals at almost 39,000 sites.

Minnesota food shelf officials critique the federal summertime program as having locations that are hard to find and get to for people in Greater Minnesota.

Those wanting to find locations where these free meals are offered can call 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (for Spanish speakers), according to a United States Department of Agriculture website.

A food backpack program is another source of summertime food for children.

Families visiting food shelves can receive backpacks of additional nutritious food for their children.

“It means more pounds (of food) per visit,” Jill Martinez of Hunger Solutions said of the program.

Hunger Solutions received a $86,000 grant from the state for its backpack program. More than 2,500 children will receive backpacks over upcoming months as a result of the funding.

Some of these backpacks will be distributed to food shelves, boys and girls clubs and elsewhere by Second Harvest North Central Food Bank — about 1,000 backpacks per week during the summer.

The hunger demand confronting Second Harvest in northern Minnesota is stark. A 2010 survey showed the Food Bank – which distributes more than 4 million pounds of food per year to 135 agencies in an area stretching from International Falls to Princeton – serves some 28,000 individuals.

“I think it’s actually higher now,” Estee said of the number.

Estee, like others, views the challenges of hunger in Greater Minnesota as one of distance, availability and dispersion.

“You can’t walk to a food shelf,” she said of the reality confronting many rural people.

To a degree, hunger is a hidden problem in the metro and in Greater Minnesota, she said.

“You can’t tell someone is hungry by looking at them,” Estee said.

Center for Rural Policy and Development Research Manager Marnie Werner said Greater Minnesota has its own reality, its own set of problems. Solutions that work well in the metro may not work well rural Minnesota, she said.

Tim Budig can be reached at tim.budig@ecm-inc.com.

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