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Programming on Lakeland PBS is brought to you in part by Mid-Minnesota Federal Credit Union, your local full service not-for-profit financial institution. Now part of the co-op shared branch system for access to over 5,400 credit unions nationwide. Bremer Bank, proud to be a part of the communities we serve, dedicated to providing the financial service solutions you need. Learn more at bremer.com. The Brainerd Family YMCA, strengthening the foundations of community. The Brainerd Family YMCA, online at brainerdlakesymca.org. Debate Night 2018 is sponsored in part by AFSCME Council 5, a statewide union of more than 40,000 public employees working together to elect candidates who represent the values of real Minnesotans. Lakeland PBS, the Bemidji Pioneer, the Brainerd Dispatch and Northern Community Radio are proud to present Debate Night 2018, a look at our area of legislative candidates. And now the State House of Representatives District 10A Debate, your moderator tonight is Ray Gildow. Good evening again and welcome to Debate 2018. Seven legislative debates over four nights. We're coming to you this evening from our Brainerd Studio. And we're going to be talking tonight about the District 10A. The incumbent is Joss Heinzman, who is a Republican, and his challenger is Dale Mink from the DFL. And our panel is to my immediate right, Dennis Wyman, who is a Lakeland Public Television news director, and to his right is Gabe Legarde with the Brainerd Dispatch, who is a political reporter, and to his right is Heidi Holton, News and Public Affairs Director from Northern Community Radio, K-A-X-E and K-B-X-E. We're gonna just take a minute and go through the rules and they will be on the screen for those folks of you at home. We'll have opening comments and each candidate will have three minutes and we'll start this evening with Joss Heinzman. The panel will ask questions after the opening comments. Some will be their own questions. Others may be from the public. The candidates will rotate the order they speak, beginning with opening comments and finishing with closing comments. Each candidate gets two minutes to answer the question and each candidate will have a one minute rebuttal opportunity and we've kind of decided if you'd like to use it and use your three minutes without the one minute rebuttal, you can do that too. So we're pretty flexible on that. Candidates will have the option of using a one minute bonus during the debate. So this time can be added on to one of their answers tonight. This can be used during the answer to the initial question or during the rebuttal. It can only be used one time. Questions will continue on until we're about 50 minutes into the debate when we'll move to the closing comments and closing comments will be two minutes each. So we'll begin with the opening comments and we'll start with Josh if you're ready to go. I am. All right, yeah. Thank you, Ray. Thank you, Lakeland Public Television. It's a pleasure to be here tonight. I've been the state representative here in Crowing County for four years now. My wife, Carrie and I have been married 19 years. We have six children and we're the owners and operators of a small business called Upcountry Log. I do log railings and trusses and stairways and columns and all kinds of work around that business. I've lived all my life in the Brainerd Lakes area. We love the recreation here and when people ask about my district, I tell them I think that the, excuse me, the lakes area is probably the most recreationally diverse part of the entire state we have at all and we enjoy it all as best we can between boating and motor sports and bicycling and hunting and fishing. It really is an amazing area to live and work and I'm very blessed and fortunate to have had the opportunity to represent this area. During that four years, I've served as the chair of the LCCMR. Currently I'm doing that. I serve on a number of committees. I serve on the environment policy and finance committee as the vice chair. I also serve on HHS, higher education and a subcommittee in mining, tourism and outdoor recreation. Those committees kind of become your wheelhouse and I've, like I said, been very blessed to have those committee assignments in the lakes area. The environment, clearly a huge issue. We're always gonna be thinking about what's next in the fight against aquatic invasive species. We're gonna be looking at what can we do to maintain the waters that we have and the quality of life that we have and it really is dependent upon clean water and the environment that we all enjoy, work and play in here in the lakes area. This last session was a great session. Over the course of the biennium, we passed historic tax cuts. We also funded public education, increased funding there as a matter of fact by $2.8 billion over 2015 to where we are here now today. That's a very significant investment that was made and we continued that investment in the last session. We also authorized over $1.5 billion in additional revenues to be spent on road and bridge infrastructure across the state of Minnesota and we did that without raising the gas tax. Really, a lot of work was done and Democrats and Republicans worked together. I know sometimes it can appear to be an incredibly controversial process, especially sometimes towards the end and that's when a lot of media pile into the capital and there's some excitement at times. But it is amazing how much we are able to do and get along and work together and I've been really like I said glad and thankful to be a part of that. Thank you, Josh. Dale. Well, good evening. My name is Dale Mink. I'd like to thank Lakeland Public Television for putting on this debate and all the sponsors that made it possible. I'm a DFL candidate for Minnesota House District 10A. I live in Brainerd Lakes area. I've lived in Brainerd for the last 20 years, grew up in the area. My wife, Trish, and I have been together for the last 15 years. Between the two of us, we have six kids, hers, mine, and ours. They range in age from 23 to 13. I'm a carpenter. I'm employed by a local building construction company here in Brainerd. You know, I work for a small business. You know, it's the lifeblood of the area really are small businesses. The reason I decided to run was because we actually went to go talk to our state representative. And, you know, we came away dissatisfied. We felt like we'd been ignored and told why we were wrong rather than having our concerns listened to. And talking to other people, there were other people that felt the same way. So kind of got this little idea in my head about running. And after talking with my family and friends, some people at our church, you know, the idea kind of grew and I decided to make the run for the seat. You know, I believe that a representative needs to listen to all the people in their district, all the people that they're supposed to represent, whether or not they agree with them. I think everybody deserves to be heard. You know, that along with what seemed to be growing divisions in our government, you know, both sides are kind of guilty of it. You know, the growing divisions in our government are kind of contributing to an all or nothing attitude that leads to nothing getting done for the people in our state. You know, when I'm elected, I plan to work for public education, make sure our schools are funded, make sure they're safe, make sure they're inclusive, productive learning environments for our kids. You know, I'm gonna work for better access to healthcare for our Minnesota residents. Gonna work towards continue Minnesota's legacy of being environmentally sustainable. You know, I really just make Minnesota a better place for everybody, make Minnesota a place where people can achieve their goals and achieve a better quality of life for themselves. So that's why I'm running. Thank you. Thank you, Dale. Our first question tonight will come from Dennis and it will be directed to Dale. Thanks, Ryan. Thank both of you for joining us tonight. Representative Heitzman discussed this a little bit in his opening comments, but I'd like to go a little deeper into the topic of education funding. Do you feel we're doing enough for education funding in this state and what would your goals be if elected? I think we can do better. Like I said, my work is gonna be making sure our public schools are safe, productive, inclusive learning environments for our kids. You know, there's a number of things that need to be looked at, school safety. You know, we need to look at getting trades programs in our schools. You know, all my children go to public schools. I have three kids that have graduated. I have three kids that are still in school. Public education is important to me. You know, I think it's a great place for, you know, Minnesota has a good educational system. And I think public school is a great place it brings kids together. It teaches them how to deal with maybe other people they don't agree with. It teaches them how to socialize with those that may be different from them. I think we need to take care of our teachers. We need to make sure we get good teachers in our schools, make sure we keep the good teachers in our schools. You know, I just, I really believe that public education in Minnesota is the best thing for our kids and I'd like to make sure that our educational system is properly funded. Thank you, Dale. Josh. I started out my comments pointing out and Dennis noticed that $2.8 billion of increased spending in public education since 2015. And I brought that up because I think it's important to the community to know when sometimes you hear folks talking about solutions in education being almost solely connected to the funding issue. And I agree that funding is very important. That $2.8 billion increase represents $1,173 per student across the state of Minnesota an increase just since 2015. In 2015, we came in and Republicans led the way on the funding issue with 2% in each half of the biennium. So that's two and two in the 2015, 2016 and then in 2017, 2018 sessions, we followed it up with the same thing in addition to a number of other pieces of funding that were very critical to school safety and other issues. But I don't think that's the only issue here. I think that we also led the way on issues of licensure. We led the way on issues that folks have been very cautious about discussing but I think it's important. We had a system of first in, first out in Minnesota. So you had great teachers that would come into a school system and unfortunately they would be the first to go if there was any kind of an issue at that level. We changed that here in Minnesota. So there is some flexibility when it comes time to try and decide how are we gonna work on this issue? Where are we gonna find the very best people to be there for our kids in our schools? Thank you, Josh. Dale, any additional comments on that topic? Yeah, I guess I'd like to address the licensure process a little bit. I know some teachers, we have friends of ours that are teachers and we have friends that are working to be teachers going through the process and the new licensure system, it seems to be somewhat confusing to them. They're not exactly sure where they land anymore. The old system, while it may have been somewhat cumbersome, it ensured that our teachers were ready to be in the classroom by the time they got there. Now we have teachers who may not be ready. They're on a lower scale on the licensure system and I think we may end up losing more teachers that way trying to work through that system. I also want to reiterate that we have a great education system here. I think we can do more. Thank you. Josh, any additional comments on that topic? No. Okay. We'll move on to question number two and it'll be directed to you, Josh, from Gabe. Okay, just kind of looking at a certain extent the kind of worker shortage that we're experiencing in this area of the state. Especially in Crow Wing County, I know that there's over 8,000 individuals who fill this bracket between the ages 18 to 65, basically the working population. It's essentially these individuals who are facing economic barriers who are able and willing to work but are unable to find employment based on inaccessible daycare, unaffordable housing, or lack of transportation. I guess if you're elected, how would you look to address this? I guess I would first want to re-examine the question, I guess, a little bit. The idea that folks aren't able to find work in this economy, folks are able to find work. I don't think that's the issue. I think the issue is relative to the other two points that you made in childcare being one of them. Right here in Crow Wing County over the last two years, we have lost over half of our capacity in childcare. And one of the big reasons is because of the continuing ramping up of regulation in the industry. And I visited with a lot of those folks. I've spent time on doorsteps and in childcare facilities talking to people. In fact, it wasn't that long ago. I think it was two years. We had the committee, the subcommittee come and at Central Lake College, we hosted an event there for the public to come and talk about the childcare issue specifically. And because while on one hand we're trying to protect kids, we've also created rules that have made it very, very difficult for providers to be able to come and offer services. And so a lot of people have lost the joy of providing that service for children. And we've looked at a number of those solutions and we continue to work on that issue. And I look forward to continuing to talk about that and to work on that. Also relative to the issue of employment is services. We have great services for folks that may be in trouble. And I've told people in the past, I believe in a safety net, I think it's very important that those folks have some help. But at the same time, a sofa can get comfortable. And I don't think that it's fair to necessarily point at people, but government has stepped in the way and sort of disrupted this process where people maybe go through a difficult time. And one of the solutions I think that we're gonna be looking at in the coming session is relative to this issue and trying to find ways to soften the blow. So services remain intact for a period of time while folks are working and doing the right thing and trying to get themselves in a great situation again. All right, thank you, Dale. That's a great question. Yeah, childcare and housing are both concerns. You know, when people come to an area looking for work, one of the things they look at is, am I gonna be able to afford to live there? Am I gonna be able to find childcare for my kids while I'm at work? The other thing that they're looking at is, am I gonna be able to find a decent paying job? Unfortunately right now, you know, we're looking at a labor shortage and a lot of that has to do with, a lot of that has to do with people not having the skills that businesses are looking for right now. So in fact, I think we can kind of lump into there along with the childcare and the housing is affordable retraining, learning a skill so that you can find a good paying job. Yeah, there's jobs out there. A lot of them aren't good paying if you don't have skills. You know, Josh may have had a point with the childcare. Maybe we are a little too heavy handed with the regulations. I can go along with that. I know some daycare providers and you know, when the last round of regulations came through, I think some of it had to do with fingerprinting and that kind of stuff. You know, it worried them a little bit. At the same time, over in Motley, we had a little kid running on the road who'd gotten away from a daycare center. So I think sometimes we need those regulations in place to make sure our children are safe. Thank you, Dale. Any additional comments there, Josh? No. Okay. Any additional comments, Dale, from you? No. All right. We'll go to the next question. It'll be coming from Heidi and it'll be directed to Dale. So you, we've talked about jobs a little bit. I wonder if we can move into higher ed and costs of it and what kind of things you think could change there to help people get some of the jobs that are open in this district. Sure. You know, I think higher education is a great option for people. You know, maybe not necessarily four year college. Like I said, we're looking for skilled workers. The company I work for, you know, to find somebody that can just come in and start putting together a house, it's difficult. We can't find those people. So I think trade schools, we need to refocus on the trades, technology, and not just computers, but also renewable energy technology. I think that one of the fastest growing fields in our state right now is wind to energy technicians. You know, we have great programs, post-secondary education options for high school students. Basically, if they meet the qualifications, they can go to CLC here in town and by the time they graduate high school, they can already have their associate, their AA degree. That's a great program. You know, I think we can also work, find some ways to make post-secondary education more affordable. That's one of the main obstacles for young people is having to find work, having to work their way through college, find time to work and go to school. If they have kids, find childcare for that long. You know, there's a lot of obstacles for young people who go to school. I think if we can make it more affordable, that would help a lot. Thank you, Dale. Josh. Great question. Early on, I mentioned that I serve on the higher ed committee in the house. I've served there for four years now. And a lot of things that Dale said resonate. I think that we could probably talk about that for quite some time tonight. I will point back to something that has been a reoccurring theme, though, and that has been what's happening in K through 12, and K may be a early step, but to say in your high school years, so many folks years ago connected with the trades in a school shop program, some kind of metal arts or other programs that were starting right there in K through 12. Dale also mentioned PSEO. What a phenomenal option. I happened to be a former PSEO student myself. In my junior and senior year, I was able to get my degree in business management, got an AA. That was fantastic. I was able to launch right into the family business. My son, 17, he actually started just a few weeks ago. I walked in with him and visited with President Chawler. That was a lot of fun as a former PSEO student. And he's got that opportunity. Either way, so many other kids could also be taking advantage of it and getting dual credit as a PSEO student. Really a phenomenal program. In a lot of ways, it's underutilized. Kids are able to come in like my son and he's learning not only the basics that are gonna help him and get his high school degree at the same time, but he's also taking videography and a skill that's obviously present here in the room tonight. So lots of opportunities there. And I think that the start is to help kids earlier on in their education life connect with those trades. And we've talked a lot about that. And if we had more time, we could probably talk some more later again about what could be happening in high school to help them sort of begin to assess where and what they might be wanting to do down the road and maybe give them a quicker start getting right into that market, getting right in there and being able to participate in an area where they're highly needed. Thank you, Neil. Any other comments on that topic? Yeah, you know, again, this is something that Josh and I are in agreement on. The trades programs in the schools are a great thing. You know, I'm brainered. There's a class where the students build a house. I don't wanna, my kids over at Forest View is in the science and technology class. They learn how to do CAD programming. They learn how to do woodworking, that kind of stuff, you know, they're great programs. Yeah, I think we could, if we could expand on them, that would be great too. Another thing that our area has is called the Bridges Academy. It's where students actually go out and connect with local businesses and learn about the jobs around the area. And, you know, that's a good thing too, learn how to, you know, learn what businesses there are out there and how to do the jobs. Thank you. Any additional comments there, Josh? Nope, okay. The next question will come from Dennis and it will be directed to you, Josh. It appears likely now that over the weekend the U.S. Senate will confirm Brett Kavanaugh to become the next justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. There is some speculation that that eventually could lead to the overturning of Roe versus Wade, which would put that issue in the hands of the state. How do you stand on abortion and how would you vote if elected? Later on in my closing, I'll be mentioning a few endorsements and MCCL, Minnesota Concerned Citizens for Life, has endorsed me and that's not because of any kind of favoritism or anything, but it's something that I've talked about for a long time and it's something that I have had an opportunity to vote and to provide a track record on this issue. I am 100% pro-life and I think that Brett Kavanaugh, first of all, should become the next Supreme Court justice and I think that his confirmation will likely occur as you suggested tomorrow and I think that's very important. I think it's the right thing. It's also if the question were to come to the Supreme Court, it's also gonna create a lot of challenges around the country because and some people might not realize this but you would then be in a situation where that choice in terms of whether abortion was gonna occur would go back to the states. It wouldn't make it illegal if Roe v. Wade was reversed. The states would then have an opportunity to weigh in again as it was in years past and here in Minnesota abortions would remain legal and that's something that is a big concern of mine and I am looking forward to working with an administration, I hope, that would recognize the importance of human life from conception to natural death and that this is an issue that could be resolved prior to any change at that level. Whether or not that happens, no one will know but I think that Minnesota should be on track and be prepared in case Roe v. is struck down. Thank you, Josh. That's a great question. Nobody likes abortion. I don't know any woman that would choose abortion unless it was the last resort, something that she needed to do, looking at whether she's gonna be able to raise a child in a good life. You know, the best way to prevent abortions has been proven to prevent unwanted pregnancies. You can't say you're, preventing unwanted pregnancies is the best way to accomplish that is through education, right? Affordable contraception and when I talk about education, I'm not talking about abstinence only education. That doesn't work. Teenagers and young adults are gonna find ways to engage in sexual intercourse. Education is the best way to do that, teach them how to be safe, teach them about healthy relationships and consent. You know, unless you wanna talk about that, we can't really have a real conversation about preventing abortion. Thank you, Dale, Josh, any other comments, sir? Yeah, I'm gonna have to. Okay. Yes. If you're reading between the lines there, this is a difference that Dale and I have and I really respect him for being willing to share a difference and when you're looking through your MCCL questionnaire, you'll notice that Dale didn't respond to the questions there and on one hand while I respect the decision to not participate in that questionnaire, for whatever reason, I think it's very important for voters to understand the difference and in this case, you have a pro-life candidate and a pro-choice candidate and the voters are gonna have to make up their mind what they feel best reflects their values in District 10A. Dale, any other comments on that topic? Yeah, I'll respond. You know, Josh is absolutely right. I did not fill out the MCCL questionnaire. Number one, I'm a man. I can't have, I can't get pregnant. I can't have an abortion. I don't think I should be able to tell a woman whether or not she can choose to have one, whether it's because of quality of life, whether it's because she's not ready, whatever. I can't have an abortion. I shouldn't be able to tell a woman she can't have one either. Also, another reason I didn't answer the questionnaire is because the MCCL is against any form of birth control. Like I said, if you're not willing to have a conversation about birth control and preventing unwanted pregnancies in the first place, abortion isn't a conversation we can really have. All right, thank you. I'll take that minute. You want that minute? No? All right, you bet. Once again, I really respect Dale being honest about this position, but I would like to point out that just like in this conversation so often, the one that's left out is a baby. A baby is often not considered in this conversation. You're talking about a human life. And yes, the only way for this scenario to play out is to have a man and a woman. But there's also now, in case of pregnancy, a child, a human life. And that's where the difference really comes in. And I'm saying we absolutely have to consider that human life, we can't look somewhere else to try to figure out a way to justify ending that life. In the case where you're having to choose between the life of the mother and life of the baby, that's a different scenario. But if we're talking about a abortion of convenience, no. Thank you, Josh. Our next question is coming from Gabe and it will be directed to Dale. Okay, just kind of looking at, I guess, maybe taking that step back from the policy angle looking at the functions of the state legislature. I'm just kind of looking especially at the last two sessions and maybe even before that, the legislature has been criticized for failing to act on several pieces of important legislation. Kind of often waiting until the 11th hour to review bills before going to vote. I guess, how can in terms of the process, how can we change that? Or how can you change that if you're elected? I guess to make sure that that doesn't happen necessarily in the future and to improve the legislative process. Sure, so the first way I would prevent that from happening is to make sure I form good relationships with my fellow legislators. Find ways to work together, find common ground. If we don't necessarily agree on something, we either need to hash it out, come to a compromise, or maybe we just need to leave it alone for a while. Yeah, the end of the last session was quite a wild ride. That's that divisive politics I was talking about where nobody's willing to work together at all or nothing attitude. When you're told, if something gets put in a bill, I'm gonna veto the bill and you leave it in there. All the good stuff in there are notwithstanding. When you put all that stuff in danger just to prove a point, and I'm not saying the governor was necessarily right by putting his foot down either. Like I said, divisive politics, we need to find ways to work together. We need to find ways to work together better. Maybe the most important pieces of legislation that we're working on need to be standalone bills rather than all thrown in a bill at the same time and hoping that there's enough good stuff in there for the person signing legislation to let it pass. The job of the legislature, as far as I'm concerned, isn't just to pass legislation, it's to pass legislation that can be signed into law. Thank you, Josh. Yeah, I do appreciate the question. I know that it's come up a number of times on a number of other debates, and I'm glad it's come up here tonight because I was there and I was also there, as you mentioned, Gabe, two years ago and three years ago, four years ago, and 95% of the time it's clear sailing. 95% of the time there's bipartisan support on bills and you move through that process, but that doesn't make news headlines. Division and all kinds of excitement makes news headlines, and there's nothing wrong with that. I think that's what people are interested in is, well, where are the difficulties? What's happening in this session? And in this last session, I think that the easy answer and probably the most accurate answer is the only way you're gonna come to an end of session ever and have complete unity and everybody's singing kumbaya is if one party controls the entire show. And I think that even though that may be difficult, that it may be bumpy, it may be rough at times, I think in the end, folks are half, they are forced to work together in that environment and sometimes it does get controversial, it does get difficult, but as I suggested earlier in the very beginning of tonight's debate, I pointed out some of the things that were done and it was historic. We saw $560 million in tax cuts passed in this biennium. We saw $2.8 billion in support for public education. We also saw significant improvements overall in government and we could spend a whole lot of time talking about each and every one of those details. I was very fortunate this last session to be carrying one of the bills that actually was signed into law and as chair of the LCCMR, I have the opportunity to carry the bill into session and it was something that I hope that I'd be able to talk about more. Dale, any other comment on that topic? Sure, I'm curious, the bill you passed as chair of the LCCMR was that the bill that took $98 million in funds from the environmental fund that is funded by our state lottery to pay for part of the bonding bill. You know, that story came out in the paper today or yesterday, I was kind of curious about the legality of it and also how it seems, doesn't seem to make sense that the kinds of bonds that were purchased with that money need to be paid back at a higher interest rate than general vocation bonds. Granted, I haven't been part of the legislature yet. I sure would like to hear that explained. Thank you, Josh, you have another minute. Would you like to make a comment there or no? Yes, I would. I went to brought it up if I didn't want to talk about it and I am excited about what we did this last session. One of the biggest problems facing Minnesota right now that almost nobody is talking about is wastewater treatment. And in the constitution that allowed the LCCMR to be created in the first place is language that allows for bonding, appropriation bonds, despite what some media might have said about the issue. There is a lawsuit. I can't comment too deeply on that because it's going to move forward through the process to some extent, but I'm convinced that the funding will remain in place. We passed $59 million for wastewater treatment facilities across the state of Minnesota to be used to improve their facilities and upgrade their facilities. Wastewater goes, and Brainer's a great example, directly out into the Mississippi and down the river. We're working on that problem with the LCCMR and it is constitutional. Okay, thank you. The next question will be directed to you, Josh, and it will be coming from Heidi. Most of us have been affected in some way by suicide and the rate seems to be climbing and it hits rural areas pretty hard. I'm wondering about mental health and what you would do as a legislator, what you think should change in terms of that health insurance and all that kind of stuff. That is another great question, I thank you for asking that. I mentioned earlier, again, in my opening statement, that I serve on HHS. That's Health and Human Services. That's the committee that works on funding for problems, like suicide and mental health. I've also been very fortunate to be carrying legislation that very specifically works on this issue and had it passed and had it signed by the governor. And part of the conversation that happens when you walk into HHS the first day is a briefing and part of that briefing includes members who may want to bring their Kleenex boxes and there's a reason that's because you hear some of the toughest stories in that committee, of any other committee, where people's lives are being affected and sometimes folks are losing their lives in tragic scenarios and situations. And the bottom line for me is delivery on mental health services across the state of Minnesota. Earlier, Representative Lewick was talking a little bit about broadband and the challenges that we have had trying to push broadband out across the state of Minnesota and I support that because telemedicine, another way to access mental health services in Minnesota. And that can happen in clinics, it can happen in homes. It's a big, big issue and that issue specifically hit home for me as a friend of mine took his life years ago and that was a day that I needed my Kleenex box when we were talking about specifically a suicide and suicide prevention. Incredibly challenging the situations that you hear about and we are working on this issue and we are making headway on this issue and we'll continue to make headway. And I look forward to another opportunity to continue the effort that I started in previous sessions. Thank you, Josh. Dale. Yeah, that's another great question. Yeah, it seems that mental health issues are increasing in our area, whether that's because of things to have to do with our society or whether it's because we're just seeing more cases because previously they were misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. I think more people are willing to admit now to a mental illness. It still carries a big stigma, don't get me wrong, but it's becoming less stigmatized as time goes on. One of the issues that's facing us is the lack of mental health care facilities in the state. We need to find funding for that because right now when people act out because of their mental illnesses, they're going to jail. That isn't the proper place for them. We used to have a state hospital here where people could go with mental health issues and get the treatment they needed. That went away. There were supposed to be mental health facilities funded somehow that funding didn't come through. As of right now, the solution of picking people up who are acting out because of their mental illness and putting them in jail and just letting them sit there and not get the treatment they need, that isn't working. So we need to find a way to maybe get more counselors in our local hospitals to get more beds available for people who need them. Get more counselors in our schools too. Our kids are facing mental health issues too. Brainerd has a great program where they partner with Northern Pines. Problem with that is there's one counselor available over at Forest View one day a week. Maybe we need to look at getting more counselors in our schools too to help our kids. Thank you. Any other comments on that topic? No. Any additional comments, Dale? All right. Our next question will come from Dennis and it will be directed to you, Dale. Aquatic invasive species, we've talked about this in previous years' debates, but it seems like I work for the newscast here, Lakeland News, and just about every month I'm getting a new release on a new lake that has zebra mussels or Eurasian watermilk foil. I know there's efforts out there to curb the spread of aquatic invasive species. My question is, do you feel those are being successful and are we putting enough money towards this effort? I know your district certainly has a lot of water resources that a lot of people would prefer to see protected. Yeah, aquatic invasive species is a huge subject in this area. Of course, a lot of our economy is based on our lakes. Eurasian watermilk foil, zebra mussels, huge problem. Not this last summer, but the summer before Lake Edward, they found zebra mussels there. Yeah, we have a lot of programs in place. We have inspectors at the boat launches. We have education going over, going through TV. We have education on the internet. I'm not sure exactly what the solution is. We're doing a lot. We probably do more. Maybe we need to put research into how to actually eradicate these invasive species without harming our native species. I don't know if any of that's being looked into. Honestly, it's a big problem and it obviously needs more work. So we'll look forward to working on that in the future. Thank you, Josh. Dennis hit on something that's really, I think, near and dear to this area. He suggested that he's right. Research, as we just mentioned, is definitely a big part of that. That's part of the reason I've supported making sure that the University of Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Research Center has the revenues it needs, the tools that it needs to continue to look for what could maybe be a solution. You can't stress enough how important it is to make sure that we are really solidly working on this issue. One of the things that's happening out there at the Invasive Research Center has been genetic research. Is there a way to genetically handicap, say, a specific plant species or animal species that's causing a huge problem? I had my start actually prior to coming to the legislature in this discussion at the 30 Lakes Watershed District. I served there as a manager and worked on this issue. Now being able to go to the legislature, I'm sitting on the Environment Committee and that committee has been very key in making sure that counties have the resources they need to redistribute across the area to make sure lake associations and other groups are able to work on this problem. I will say that going forward, and I think that we need to be talking about this more, and I've been talking about it personally for a long time, the focus also needs to rest on restoring the recreational value that we have when an invasive species comes in. And it's been something that has been a challenge because DNR is slow to move in some cases and I don't necessarily fault them for this because they don't want to make a mistake, but we absolutely have to go into areas where there's been an infestation and figure out how do we repair that in spite of it. And that might mean some very specialized dredging. It might mean some redirection of waters, opening flow, and harvesting of aquatic plants. Thank you. Neil, any other comments on that topic? Are there for you, Josh? No. Our next question comes from Gabe and it will be directed to you, Josh. Okay. Are you in favor of legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes and what, I guess, issues might arise from legalization? No. And it's a real easy answer. I know that there are folks that are looking around the country and they're thinking, what's the big deal? I mean, in Colorado we've legalized, I think in Alaska we've also legalized and I think that the challenges are slow to be calculated. And one of the easiest ways to really, I think, connect on that specific issue, number one, talk to local law enforcement. They'll give you an earful because they've been there and they've seen the challenges that are created there, whether it's in traffic or whether it's just in family situations a lot of inspiration and then also information back away from the folks that I have come to get to know over at, say, for example, different services in the area and specifically teen challenge. When talking with those guys and with other folks that have been caught up in addiction, you almost always universally find that addiction that brought them to, say, opioids, which we could discuss as well. Almost always started with marijuana and it seems like the drug of choice for kids in a lot of cases is an entry point for a lot of people. Something that, maybe off the cuff, when you see and hear some of those other situations I was mentioning earlier, sounds like a good idea. But when you visit with people whose lives have been destroyed because of an addiction, no. Thank you. Dale. You know, I think that's actually something we should look into is legalization of marijuana. I would support it unless you can show me some evidence that says it will absolutely cause society to fail. Number one, if you legalize it, you take away that the profitability in the criminal element. You won't have illegal drug dealers making a profit off of just the fact that it's illegal. It can be regulated. I know one of the topics of conversation is the levels of THC in marijuana are so high nowadays that, you know, it's just an absolute possibility. Well, you can regulate it and you can regulate those levels of THC. You can make sure the growers are abiding by that. You can tax revenue. All these projects we need funded in the state. You know, if we legalize marijuana and tax it, that would help a little. And another thing I think we need to do obviously at the federal level, nothing we can do about it here, but I would urge our federal legislators or congresspeople to get it off the Schedule 1 list. That way we can actually research the medical benefits of marijuana. You know, even find out whether or not there are actually medical benefits. You know, I think we could solve a lot of our prison overcrowding too from nonviolent marijuana possession offenders. You know, there's a lot of people in our prisons for the simple fact that they had a little bit of marijuana on them. You know, I think the way the criminal aspect of it would help in a lot of situations. And honestly, I don't see the harm in legalizing marijuana. Thank you. Josh, any additional comments there? No? Okay. All right, we're going to do one more question and then we'll have your closing comments. The next question, oh, okay, one more question without a rebuttal. So, because we're running against the clock. So we'll give you each two minutes to answer the next question. And it'll be coming from Heidi Give us an idea of some of the people you've been meeting as you've been a candidate in this race and what they're asking about in terms of the economy or jobs and if you're hearing from people some bright spots, some new things that are popping up. Sure, so as I've been talking to people you know, A number one the same reason I decided to run is they see that division in government. A lot of people talk about how the government doesn't seem to be working for the people anymore. Our elected officials seem to be more interested in scoring political points than actually getting done things for our residents. Jobs, that's another big issue. Talking to trades people around the area trying to find skilled people in our area is very difficult right now. You know people seem pretty receptive to what I've been saying because a lot of people are feeling the same thing. They don't feel that their government is representing them anymore. And that's why that's why I'm running is because I felt the same way. So I'm hoping to get to the capital and make some change in that regard. Josh. I love this. If I'm a little hoarse today it's because last night I was actually in Rochester and I've never been in the same room as President Trump but when the president walked in last night the excitement that was in that room was astounding and as I'm in the community and visiting with people folks that years past I've knocked their door and they're a little hesitant. When they're listening to me talk about some of my values and my thoughts about business and thoughts about the economy and trying to keep business here in Minnesota and making sure that we don't lose another mid-tronic. We don't lose another U-line. We don't lose another Polaris building their facilities in southern part of the country. They want to see their 401 401ks continue to grow. They want to see the economy continue to grow. It's on fire. It is unbelievable. Unemployment across this nation is at a 49 year low. It is incredible what is happening across the nation in our economy and on this issue specifically relative to jobs the opportunities are everywhere and the slogan is probably going to have to change it's not going to be any longer make America great again but we're going to keep America great and keep building on what we've been doing to improve the economy in the country as well in the state of Minnesota. Thank you Dale. Yeah keep America great again or keep America great. Yeah you know what? Unemployment is done. Unfortunately a lot of those jobs are low paying jobs are wages are stagnant you know it's harder to find good paying jobs. Like I said for skilled people good paying jobs they're out there for people who don't necessarily have a skill the wages just aren't there that's why you see people working two or three jobs dropping their kids off at their sister's place so they can go work their second job because their day care only only works during the day you know you know there are some some bright spots like you say unemployment is down people want to work people are actively looking for work again you know and that's my time so All right we're down to the two minute closing you each get two minutes for your closing statement and we will start with Dale Well once again I'd like to thank Lakeland Public Television I think our moderator and our panelists thank the viewers for tuning in and getting to see differences that me and Josh have and thank Josh for debating me tonight you know if you'd have asked me five years ago if I'd ever run for public office I probably would have laughed and said no way but over the years watching the divide growing government and you know also in society seeing people grow further and further away I must want to talk to each other feeling frustration with the way things are going in government and hearing other people talk about the same thing you know that kind of pushed me into running and you know like I said before I believe a representative needs to represent all the people in their district not just those they happen to agree with not just go with the party line every time you know a representative needs to take everybody's views into consideration you know when a person takes time to come to St. Paul and talk to you or write you a letter or get you on the phone I think you owe it to them to listen to their concerns and take those concerns into consideration you're making the decision that affects everybody so when I'm elected I'm going to work for access to good education access to quality health care I'm going to work to protect our resources for our kids you know on my literature and on my science it says your voice in the Minnesota house that's because I plan on being the voice of the people I represent so if you choose to elect me to the Minnesota house I will be your voice in the Minnesota house thank you Josh yeah I'm going to go ahead and before I really launch into my closing I'm going to go back to a quick point that Dale has made throughout tonight and that is that he'd been to my office and he did he came twice and I really appreciated his family coming and hearing his perspective on an issue and folks are wondering oh what a big problem what was the concern and I'll just go ahead and let folks know I think it's fair for them to understand I co-authored a bill that became known as the bathroom bill the bill said if you're biologically male you go to the men's room biologically female you go to the ladies room and I got six kids as I mentioned earlier three boys three girls and you know I got a little genie seven years old and I want to be very careful that I ignore a problem I don't want to worry about my daughter being in a situation where she's in a ladies room and someone who has a completely different appearance walks in that could be incredibly startling and that could affect a young person or an individual for a long time and we're talking about our schools we're talking about public places it's a big challenge so I'm honored to serve the area and represent the values here in Crowing County and I believe that's one of those issues where I'm happy to talk about but it doesn't fit this district's values I'd like to mention here at the end of the debate that I am endorsed by the NRA Minnesota Concerned Citizens for Life they came up earlier National Federation of Independent Businesses Minnesota Grocers Association Care Providers Housing First Minnesota Gun Owners the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to go to St. Paul and represent this district and I'm very thankful that the people of District 10A have entrusted me in St. Paul twice now and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to run again and to return to St. Paul return to the Capitol as their state representative would be with great honor thank you Thank you Josh, thank you Dale on behalf of Lakeland Public TV thanks for taking the time to share your views with our viewing audience and thank you to our distinguished panel who have been here through two nights if you've missed any portion of this evening's debates in about 24 hours it will be on our website lptv.org you can also get a wrap tomorrow in the Brainerd Dispatch and that is Brainerdispatch.com and that wraps up our debate coverage we have had seven debates over four nights from our studios in Brainerd and Bemidji we also invite you to stay tuned at 10 o'clock for your local news the only station in central Minnesota where you can see your local news I'm Ray Gildow, have a good evening offering repair services on Apple products and PCs, Paul Bunyan communications in Bemidji, it's right here and the members of Lakeland PBS thank you I'm backroads producer Andrew Zingle and this season we continue to showcase the most talented musicians in Minnesota coming this November on Lakeland PBS Lakeland PBS is seeking new members to serve on its volunteer board of directors for a three year term we're looking for candidates with experience in marketing and non-profit fundraising if you're interested in serving on the board please submit a letter that tells us a bit about your background and why you'd like to serve send it to Lakeland PBS 108 Grand Avenue Northeast Bemidji Minnesota 5.6601 or email it to bsanford.lptv.org minorities and females are encouraged to apply