Two Le Sueur residents vie for House District 22B seat

Sep. 30—Two Le Sueur County residents are vying for the seat of state House 22B.

Republican candidate Rep. Brian Pfarr, formerly the representative in House District 20A, and DFL candidate Marcia Stapleton, counselor at Five Rivers Mental Health Clinic in Mankato, are competing for the redistricted seat.

The House 22B District, redrawn in 2020, now includes Le Sueur, Le Center and much of Le Sueur County as well as Madison Lake and St. Clair in Blue Earth County.

The two candidates shared their reasons for running, the experiences they believe make them qualified, campaign issues, thoughts on the next bonding bill, crime and safety concerns, the opioid/fentanyl epidemic and the 2020 election via emailed responses.

Pfarr

Along with having experience at the state Capitol, Pfarr is a veteran of the Minnesota Army National Guard with 34 years of service and is president of First Farmers & Merchants Bank in Le Sueur.

Pfarr is a member of groups and boards within his community of Le Sueur to stay connected to the people he serves, he said.

His leadership credentials include teaching Farm Business Management at South Central College and commanding a brigade of more than 1,800 troops as colonel.

"Community service has always been important to me," he said. "I don't see myself as a politician, but rather I hope to continue to be a public servant. I decided to run because I believe my experience, leadership, and public service background make me an excellent candidate for HD22B."

Inflation, public safety and education are among the top concerns he's hearing from residents of the district.

"One of the constant struggles I saw in my first term is ensuring outstate Minnesota gets its share of the state's revenue for educating our children, maintaining our townships and LGA (local government aid) for our small towns," he said.

"I have consistently worked to be the voice for our district and rural Minnesota in general. We need strong voices in St. Paul who work to address these issues."

Pfarr noted that next year is a budgeting year and does not always include a bonding bill. Last year, one was not passed. Pfarr believes the projects on last year's list are a good place to start.

"I worked hard to get a Belle Plaine infrastructure project in the district on the bonding bill and will do so again this session," he said. "This is another area where we need to ensure outstate projects are considered as well."

To increase safety and reduce violent crime within the district, Pfarr believes in holding criminals accountable for their actions. He shared an example from 2019 when judges in Hennepin and Ramsey County departed from a recommended prison sentence over 40% of the time. He thinks that should be improved.

Pfarr also believes in supporting law enforcement officers and investing in their training plans and programs to make certain they can adequately do their jobs. "This starts with including our law enforcement officers in the discussion to ensure they have a voice in the process."

On par with his stance of holding criminals accountable, Pfarr believes tougher penalties need to be put in place for those who are dealing/selling opioids and fentanyl. "I have talked to several family members of individuals who overdosed on fentanyl and listened to their frustrations regarding how light the sentence was for the person who supplied the drugs."

On the topic of the 2020 election, Pfarr wrote there is nothing more important to the republic than a citizen's right to vote and have trust that the system is accurate and fair.

"There's no question that our own secretary of state abused COVID to change election rules without legislative approval," he said. "The United States Constitution is clear that the Legislature has sole authority over election law, but in 2020 the secretary of state used legal maneuvers to unilaterally eliminate Minnesota's long-standing witness signature requirement for absentee ballots."

He added that he's disappointed in the secretary of state for not doing more to defend the election laws in place.

"Our citizens deserve better," he said.

Stapleton

Stapleton has been a resident of Le Sueur County for 43 years and has worked as a counselor within the schools and mental health clinics for most of them. Currently, she does family and individual counseling at Five Rivers Mental Health Clinic in Mankato.

Her leadership credentials include being on the St. Peter School Board, the Marysburg Church Council and is a founding member of the local Habitat for Humanity Chapter.

"I believe that I have the experience and the skills to help bring differing points of view to the table so that all perspectives can listen and learn from each other," she said.

"People tell me they are tired of the nastiness and tired of paying people to go up there and play games with the funding of important projects. I think we are at a critical point in our democracy and I want to work to make government work for the people of 22B."

Her campaign focuses on the importance of funding school systems in rural areas, having adequate, stable housing for children and their families, and the economic and environmental importance of clean water and good farming practices.

For the upcoming bonding bill, Stapleton supports projects that bring good, long-lasting jobs that pay a livable wage and good benefits to the people in the district.

"Many of them have to work outside the district, so I would watch what is being proposed in the entire area and see if it would benefit rural Le Sueur County area people," she said.

To increase safety and reduce violent crime within the district, Stapleton said she will work hard to pass legislation to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and people who suffer from mental health problems.

"I believe that prevention programs like the one in Brown County, where probation officers meet with children and families when they are on the edge of getting into trouble are far more effective than waiting until violent crimes are committed," she said. "I would work to have more of these programs."

Stapleton also believes in the power of prevention rather than criminalization when it comes to the opioid/fentanyl epidemic.

"I would support more educational outreach to explain how fentanyl is now found in and is seriously contaminating many, many less lethal drugs," she said. "I would up the penalties for those charged with dealing with this menace."

On the topic of the 2020 election, Stapleton wrote that it was proven time and time again that it was a safe and honest election, adding that the loss of one's preferred candidate does not make it a "fake" election.

"Minnesota has the best election system in the country and we should continue to encourage more eligible people to vote," she said. "Election Day should be a national holiday and, when people turn 18, they should automatically be registered to vote."