STATE RACES

State Senate - District 29A:

Bruce Anderson

Name:  Bruce Anderson

Position you are seeking: Minnesota Senate, SD29

1. Tell us about yourself. You could include your age, family, part of the where you live, how long you have lived there, education, occupation, or any other information you choose.

I have lived at 3222 Aadland Ave. N.E. Buffalo Township, MN 55313 for 46 years; with my wife Ruth, of 13 years, for 46 years., and my first wife, Dorothy “Dottie” (deceased) married 33 years and have 5 children; Ruth has 3 children; together there are 14 grandchildren.

I am a 1968 graduate of St. Francis High School; 1976 Two-year Ag-Business Degree graduate of Ridgewater (Willmar Technical) Community College; 2001 Business Administration Degree (Four Years) (B.A.) University of Northwestern College.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people. You should include any leadership experiences and past accomplishments in the area of public service.

Leadership positions began in the U.S. Navy of 6 years; Manager for Centra Sota Cooperative for 10 years; Customer Service/Sales for CESCO Products, Inc for 5 yrs; MN Air National Guard for 20 years & U.S. Air Force Reserves for 5 years; State Representative HD-19A for 18 yrs and presently a Board Member of Wright County Community Action and Functional Industries for 18 Years and MN State Senator SD-29 for 10 years.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for this office.

My purpose in running is to strengthen policies that support job-growth and government reform; we need increased quality private-sector job growth.  Both the State and Federal governments are riddled with debt and out of control spending. We need to stop job-killing tax burdens, and provide structural reform for cost-efficiency and long-term fiscal stability.

4. What do you consider to be the two most important issues facing your district now? Describe that issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

Crime is rampant throughout our Metropolitan, Suburban Cities, Metro Ring and outstate Cities and I believe in defending, supporting and funding those in Law Enforcement. The continued worker shortage in Law Enforcement is “Unacceptable” and we need to reinforce and incentivize people to stay in and want to join Law Enforcement. I believe the Senate will again vote to stop the revolving door of dangerous criminals and provide a three-strike law for Violent Crimes. We need to increase penalties for crimes against the most vulnerable among us, adults, children & women sex-trafficked and who have been sexually assaulted. We need to be “TOUGH ON CRIME!”

Minnesota has a large $10 Billion Dollar Surplus. Minnesotans need Income and property tax relief through Tax rate reductions. We need to remove ALL Taxes on Social Security Income. We can improve Minnesota’s business climate by lowering tax rates on job providers, incentivizing investment and expanding tax credits for research and development. Not only are we seeing business moving out of this State but individuals and couples moving to low-or-no-income-tax-states.

5. What do you consider to be the three most important issues facing the state now? Describe each issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

The needed workers for helping, supporting along with funding for Long Term Healthcare Facilities, Nursing Homes and Group Home are vital to our state and need to be provided the necessary appropriations for them to meet the needs of our loved ones and those with Special Needs.

Encourage and enhance local control for our schools, and provide relief for their unfunded mandates.

Continue to provide funding for Broadband to those areas in MN that are underfunded.  Encourage & financially support our Military Persons.

Continue to advocate for low-carbon fuel sources to keep utility bills affordable. This happens when we lift laws, rules and regulations that hinder this opportunity from happening.

Christine Brazelton

Name:  Christine “Chris” Brazelton

Position you are seeking: Minnesota Senate, SD29

1. Tell us about yourself. You could include your age, family, part of the where you live, how long you have lived there, education, occupation, or any other information you choose.

I was born into a large family, third of eleven children. My family insisted we attend Catholic schools, but couldn’t afford to pay for them.  I worked my way through high school to pay my own tuition.  Hard work is second nature to me.  Anyone who knows me will tell you, I don’t rest when there is work to be done. 

My husband Larry and I have two children of our own plus have been foster parents to several more.  We have a growing family of grandchildren. To help provide for my family, I worked in customer service, sales and marketing before returning to school to finish my degree. I graduated from Metro State University with a BA in Social Science.  A survivor of domestic abuse in my younger years, I have worked as an advocate in a non-profit agency to support other survivors, in children’s mental health, and am now a child support officer.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people. You should include any leadership experiences and past accomplishments in the area of public service.

I am a graduate of Metro State University.  My career up until now has included several years in sales and marketing, 7 years at non-profits working on domestic violence prevention and children’s mental health while working a second job in a law firm, then 19 years in child support.   I not only work full time but also volunteer with several organizations, often in leadership roles.  With my background in business, non-profits and public service I believe I have enough experience to be able to understand what people want and will work hard to represent my constituents. 

I am proud to have been a part of several community improvement projects including the Delano Dream Team, the General Federated Women’s Club of Delano and the Delano United Diversity Task Force. Projects I’ve worked on include the West Metro Business Park, the Splash Pad, Riverfront signage, Riverfront Park, garden beds at the Delano Elementary School, our annual Concerts in the Park series, Old-Fashioned Christmas and community recycling.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for this office.

I am running for office because our communities, even our families, have become so polarized that it seems nothing can get done anymore.  To live in a free, civil society we have rights and responsibilities.  When we listen to each other with a goal of understanding each other’s experience and perspective, we often agree far more that we disagree.  We just seem to have lost the art of listening. 

Our families and our economy are struggling as we come out of a pandemic.  This global crisis affected everything from our international supply chains to our local businesses.  We have seen changes in the way we work together to solve problems, or fail to work together.  It certainly had an impact on our children and their education, but also taught us how to do business in new ways. The lack of full access to broadband internet was highlighted as many struggled to be able to work or learn from home. We have a lot of work to do, and need to find the common ground that I know is there on most issues.

4. What do you consider to be the two most important issues facing your district now? Describe that issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

For years we have talked about the need for mental health services but have done little to make sure they are accessible to the people who need them the most. Those who have been traumatized by war and other violence need space and time to process the trauma.  People are leading lives of quiet desperation until they break, causing damage and heartache to themselves and others. The costs to our families and our communities are immeasurable.  We need to invest in mental healthcare now to save these costs in blood and treasure later. Healthcare coverage should include parity in paying for mental health services. Our state will also need to rebuild our mental health infrastructure.  Over the past 50 years we have closed down facilities so that those in crisis have no where to go, they languish in hospitals or are sent home without the services appropriate to the crisis.

We need an economy that works for everyone, and where everyone can find meaningful and life-supporting work. To do this, we have to assure quality education to our children and the children of our neighbors.  We’re going to continue to need to tap into the best and brightest to solve the problems of the future, those we haven’t even begun to comprehend but that our grandchildren will face.  We must continue to pressure our federal representatives to fund their share of the mandates for education.  Our State must also meet its constitutionally guaranteed share of funding education and not leaving it up to the school districts to go begging for operating levies to make up the shortfall.

5. What do you consider to be the three most important issues facing the state now? Describe each issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

We need to look beyond the conveniences of today and take climate change seriously.  Those who make a fortune off of fossil fuels are spoon feeding us messaging that convinces us to ignore the dangers of poisoning our air and planet.  We know that hurricanes and tornadoes are becoming more frequent and more violent. Droughts and the fires that follow in some areas while torrential rains and flooding in others are causing devastation, huge loss of life and property damage in the billions. While we may debate the degree to which these natural events are made worse by human actions, our failure to act is a cost we and future generations cannot afford.

These problems may seem insurmountable.  For me, it comes back to human relationships. Listening to each other with the goal of understanding.  We all care about our children. We all want them to grow up and raise their children in a better world. We need to continue to expand our renewable energy infrastructure to meet the demands of today and tomorrow.

We have a large budget surplus and have an incredible opportunity to make some long overdue repairs to other areas of our infrastructure. We all know that our economy works in cycles.  Budgeting must be done with that in mind. A surplus today, if not carefully managed, becomes a shortfall down the road. Proper management includes making wise investments to keep our infrastructure strong.  We have seen how costly collapsing bridges and lead poisoning in water pipes can be.  We will never have enough money to spend our way out of the damage that our failure to act causes. We assess the needs, schedule the repairs and replacements, and keep our communities safe.

The same applies to the health of our citizens.  Our budget must include assuring that our men, women and children have access to quality, affordable healthcare for our mental and physical health. Failure to address healthcare early results in far more costly care later.  Once people become too incapacitated to provide for themselves, the burden falls on the rest of us through rising insurance costs, public healthcare and other public services.

We need a properly funded, functioning criminal justice system. We also need tested and proven measures to prevent criminal activity in the first place.  We must hold those who harm others accountable, and we must do what can be done to prevent that harm from taking place when and where possible.

Most families need at least two incomes, or multiple part time jobs if that is all that is available, in order to cover the basic costs of housing, utilities and food. Even in the best of families, children with no supervision and no access to safe activities can get into trouble. Without intervention, small trouble can become big trouble. All of our communities should be places where children are supervised by reliable, responsible adults in activities that nurture the qualities we want in our future leaders and parents of the next generation. We can do more to make this a reality by supporting quality, affordable child care, after-school activities and summer camps, sports leagues and jobs programs.  

We all want to look to the future with hope.  Keeping our communities safe and functioning while keeping our taxes at the lowest level possible to get that done. We need to stop taxing social security benefits.  Our seniors who can afford to move out of state taking their wealth and spending with them, benefitting some other state’s economy.  Our seniors who can’t afford to move stay here but can’t afford to have their benefits taxed. Ending the tax on social security is the right thing to do.

OTHER RACES

Wright County Attorney:

Brian Lutes

Name:  Brian Lutes

Position you are seeking: County Attorney

1. Tell us about yourself. You could include your age, family, part of the where you live, how long you have lived there, education, occupation, or any other information you choose.

My name is Brian Lutes.  I live in Monticello with my wife of 28 years, Renee.  I have five children ranging in age from 26 to 10.  My two youngest children reside at home and attend school in Monticello.  I graduated from law school at the University of Minnesota in 1994.  I have been an attorney for 28 years.  I have been a prosecutor with the Wright County Attorney’s Office for more than 22 ½ years.  I became Wright County Attorney on January 1, 2021.  Prior to joining the Wright County Attorney’s Office, I worked for a small law firm in Plymouth for 6 years where I served as a prosecutor for the cities of Golden Valley and Crystal.  I am active in my community having coached youth sports for many years.  I served several years on Monticello’s youth basketball and soccer association boards.  I am a member of St. Henry’s Catholic Church where I serve on the Parish Council, teach Faith Formation, and am active in various ministries.

2. Describe your qualifications for the position you seek and how you can serve the people. You should include any leadership experiences and past accomplishments in the area of public service.

My lifelong career as a prosecutor with more than 28 years of experience demonstrates my qualifications to serve the great people of this county as Wright County Attorney.  I have worked as a prosecutor in the Wright County Attorney’s Office for more than 22 ½ years.  I became Criminal Division Chief in 2010 and served in that capacity until I became Wright County Attorney in 2021.  I have prosecuted the most serious criminal cases that occur in Wright County.  I have successfully prosecuted several homicide cases including the prosecution of Gregory Ulrich in 2022 for the mass shooting at Allina Clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota.  I have a very positive working relationship with my law enforcement partners including Sheriff Deringer with the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, Buffalo Police Department, Annandale Police Department, Howard Lake Police Department, and Minnesota State Patrol.  I take time each year to educate my law enforcement partners on legal topics to promote the effective investigation of criminal activity.  I work closely with my law enforcement partners to make sure that law and order is maintained in Wright County by holding offenders accountable for the crimes they commit.  I serve on the board of directors for community organizations that promote public safety including Safe Communities of Wright County (SCWC) focusing on traffic safety and Mentorship Education and Drug Awareness (MEADA) focusing on drug education and prevention for our youth.  I also serve on Safe School Committees for every school district in Wright County to help promote our children receiving an education without fearing drugs or violence.  I am committed to public service and want to keep Wright County a great place to live and work.

3. Explain why you have chosen to run for this office.

I want to continue to serve the people of Wright County as their County Attorney.  As Wright County Attorney, I will continue to promote justice, public safety, and effective government by prosecuting crime, protecting those in need and providing the best possible legal representation for Wright County.  It is important to me, as Wright County Attorney, to maintain law and order by effectively prosecuting offenders who break the law by holding them accountable.  As Wright County Attorney, I will continue working hard to keep Wright County a safe and just place to live and work.

4. What do you consider to be the two most important issues facing your district now? Describe that issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

I am concerned that some of the criminal behavior and utter lack of respect for law enforcement and the rule of law experienced by other counties will come to Wright County.  I intend to deal with that potential problem and shut it down by working closely with my law enforcement partners to make sure criminal activity is thoroughly investigated.  I will aggressively prosecute offenders who break the law and do my best to make sure they are held accountable in our criminal justice system.  In my opinion, this is the best way to deter criminal activity and promote public safety. 

Another issue I am concerned with that impacts not only Wright County, but the entire State of Minnesota, is the number of people in the criminal justice system experiencing mental health issues.  Additional resources need to be dedicated for services to effectively treat those persons who are suffering from mental illness.  The dedication of additional resources towards mental health services not only helps those suffering from mental illness but also leads to crime prevention and promotes public safety.  The Wright County Attorney’s Office worked on legislation to help offenders suffering from mental illness to receive services so that they don’t slip through the cracks.  

5. What do you consider to be the three most important issues facing the state now? Describe each issue and tell how you would propose solving it.

The State is dealing with a lack of qualified men and women who want to work in law enforcement both as police officers and prosecutors.  To solve this problem, communities need to respect law enforcement.  We are so fortunate in Wright County to live and work in an area where the rule of law is followed and law enforcement is respected.  One of the reasons law enforcement is respected in Wright County is the respect demonstrated by law enforcement to our citizens.  Law enforcement in Wright County acts justly and treats citizens fairly.  Communities need to value law enforcement and respect their service in order to be able to recruit qualified police officers.  

There is some overlap with my response to question 4.  The State is dealing with a mental health crisis.  The way to solve that problem is to recognize the issue and devote sufficient resources to address the problem. 

Similarly, lawlessness and a complete lack of respect for the rule of law is out of control in a few places across the state, fortunately not here in Wright County, leading to public distrust of law enforcement and the criminal justice system.  An effort is necessary to enforce the laws of the State of Minnesota and to aggressively prosecute offenders holding them accountable for their criminal activity.  Law enforcement and the criminal justice system needs to regain the trust and confidence of law abiding citizens by holding offenders accountable.