Delegates voted to endorse Jim Carlson for Minnesota Senate District 51, Sandra Masin for House District 51A, and Lauri Halverson for House District 51B. All three candidates promised to run strong, aggressive campaigns focused on creating jobs for Minnesotans and fixing the budget problems caused by the local incumbant Republican legislators who are part of the Republican controlled House and Senate.

The convention delegates also elected new party officers: John Wells, Chair; Dee Richards, Associate Chair; Sherry Dilley, Secretary; Laura Handler, Treasurer; and Celeste Marin, Affirmative Action Officer. The convention also elected 11 new SD51 Central Committee delegates and alternates, 7 new DFL State Party Central Committee members, and 36 delegates to the 2nd Congressional District and State Conventions.

DFL state party rules allow SD51 to forward up to 36 resolutions passed by the Senate District Convention delegates to the State DFL Plaform and Resolutions Committee. A resolution must be circled on at least 60% of the paper ballots that will be distributed to delegates at the convention in order to pass. If more than 36 resolutions are passed, the 36 resolutions with the most votes will get forwarded to the state committee for consideration.

Delegates may vote for as many resolutions as they wish. During the Resolutions portion of the agenda, there will be an opportunity to discuss any resolution where special consideration is requested by a delegate and 25% of the delegates agree.

A copy of the sample Resolutions Ballot is available online.

The Senate District 51 DFL District Convention is this Saturday, March 24, at the Dakota Hills Middle School cafeteria.

Give us a couple hours and we’ll help you learn the language and the process.  Join us for free convention delegate training at the Wescott Library in Eagan (1340 Wescott Road) on Thursday, March 22, at 6:15 p.m.

Let us help you prepare for your first convention, or come and share what you’ve learned being a delegate at previous conventions. Wear your watch and bring your calculator.  Really.  It’s going to be fun once you know what’s going on.

Call Roxanne at (952) 891-1862 with questions or for more information.  Everyone is welcome.

The District’s Nominations Committee will interview everyone who is interested in serving for the next two years. To apply for any of the positions, please fill out the application form at http://dfl38.org/2012-NOMCOMM/2012NCApp.php, and we will contact you to arrange a date and time for an interview.

You may nominate someone else for a position, but please secure their approval first. If you fill out the form for someone else, please make a suitable comment on the form identifying yourself.

Interviews will last 15-20 minutes and all candidates will be asked a set of questions (see here: http://dfl38.org/2012-NOMCOMM/2012Questionnaire_and_Application_1.pdf)  to enable the committee to assess their commitment and suitability for the position.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask them! Email the Nominations Committee at nominations@dfl38.org. 

The SD51 positions are:

• Officers: Chair, Associate Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Affirmative Action
  Officer;
• 11 SD51 Directors and 11 Alternate Directors; and
• Six SD51 Delegates to the DFL State Central Committee and six SD51 Alternate Delegates to DFL State Central Committee.

A description of the duties and responsibilities for each position can be found at http://dfl38.org/2012-NOMCOMM/2012Positions_3.pdf. The description also details the meeting attendance requirement for each office holder and any skills desired. Directors will be assigned duties or functions by the Senate District Central Committee or the Senate District Executive Committee.

Senate District 51 includes most of Eagan and parts of Burnsville.

Keep your eye on this website as we transition from SD38 to SD51 with a new website address, a new Facebook page, and a new Twitter account.

Your friends and neighbors invite you to join in the fun! The mission of this grassroots unit of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party is to elect Democrats to represent our south suburban district in the Minnesota Legislature, but it doesn’t stop there. We are actively involved in campaigns at all levels, including the re-election in 2012 of Senator Amy Klobuchar and President Barack Obama. Come help us spread the word: Democrats are dedicated to creating a better life for all people!

We took a big first step towards accomplishing these goals with a fantastic turnout at the DFL precinct caucus on February 7. Help us celebrate this turnout and keep our focus and energy strong for the upcoming elections this fall by joining us at the annual DFL38 True Blue Celebration on Sunday, March 4, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the home of Jim & Ellen Johnson.

Come meet and talk with all of the candidates who are running for our local House and Senate seats, which will turn our district blue again and which are vitally important for recapturing DFL majorities in both houses in St. Paul. We have also invited all the statewide DFL office holders as well as the DFL leaders in the Minnesota House and Senate and the Minnesota DFL state party officials.  Speeches will begin at 4 p.m.

There will also be great food, wonderful conversation, and a chance to meet and talk with your friends and neighbors who feel as strongly as you do about Democratic values. Bring your whole family and get excited about the 2012 election.

EVENT: DFL38 True Blue Celebration

DATE: Sunday, March 4, 2012

TIME: 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

PLACE: Home of Jim & Ellen Johnson, 594 Huron Court, Eagan

AGENDA: Come join the DFL candidates for the local House and Senate seats, statewide DFL office holders, Minnesota DFL party officials, and your Democratic friends and neighbors for good conversation, delicious food, and a great time!

QUESTIONS: No RSVP is required, but call us at (651) 398-4673 if you have any questions.

See you there!

St. Paul – Yesterday on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives, Rep. Doug Wardlow (R-Eagan) stood to defend two pieces of anti-consumer legislation.

The first bill, SF 149, harms Minnesota consumers and businesses by creating an undue burden on those bringing a class action claim by forcing each victim to establish monetary loss in court.  This is virtually impossible and defeats the purpose of having a class action.

Over the course of the debate, Rep. Wardlow opposed amendments offered by DFL legislators that would have, among other things:

• Protected consumers in cases involving document destruction, witness tampering, dissipation of assets or retaliation (Atkins Amendment);
• Prevented someone being sued in a class action from being able to essentially run out the clock through automatic appeals (Simon Amendment); and
• Created an exception to allow claims against entities accused of securities fraud to move forward (Atkins Amendment).

The second bill, SF 373, reduces statute of limitations from six to four years for certain legal actions, benefiting insurance companies – not consumers.  Lowering the statute of limitations for contract disputes would put Minnesota outside the norm for these types of claims, with many states allowing 10 and even 15 years for contracts.

Given this, Zach Rodvold, Campaign Director for the DFL House Caucus, issued the following statement:

“Rep. Wardlow was elected to focus on the things that matter most to Minnesotans – creating jobs and strengthening middle class families.  Instead of making that his first priority, Rep. Wardlow today showed that he is more interested in lining the pockets of big corporations and insurance companies at the expense of those families – and all consumers in our state.  It’s time for a Representative who will stand up for the people of District 38B and not large corporations and special interests.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently ranked Minnesota 11^th best in the country when it comes to the state’s litigation climate. See the full report here: http://bit.ly/wrav6x.

Tort legislation such as this is being pushed by the ultra-right wing DC-based group ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council).  For more information, see here: http://bit.ly/uDKDi2.

TIME: 6:15 p.m. victory rally, 6:30 p.m. registration begins, 7 p.m. caucuses convene

PLACE: Eagan High School, 4185 Braddock Trail, Eagan

If you’re tired of do-nothing Republicans who refuse to tackle the real issues of creating jobs and getting our economy back on track, please join us at the caucuses where we’ll take the first steps towards reelecting Barak Obama and returning Democratic legislative majorities both to Washington and St. Paul!

During the precinct caucuses you will be able to cast a Presidential Preference Ballot for the upcoming election. You will also have the opportunity to run and vote for delegates supporting specific candidates or issues at the upcoming district convention on Saturday, March 24, as well as run and vote for new precinct officers for the next two years. And you can introduce and debate resolutions for possible inclusion in the Minnesota DFL Party’s platform. Use this resolution form.

Any Democrat who will be eligible to vote in Minnesota by November 6, 2012, may vote in the preference ballot. Any Democrat age 16 or over by election day may participate in caucus business.

If you can’t attend the precinct caucuses but wish to run for a delegate position to the senate district convention on March 24, complete a letter nomination form and email it to vickiwright@comcast.net by February 6 or give it to a friend or neighbor who will be attending the caucuses.

A list of all caucus locations statewide is available at DFL.org.

Caucus participants are encouraged to carpool and observe parking restrictions in the neighborhood east of the high school. Overflow parking is available in Northview Park. Diffley Road could become congested. Good alternate routes are Northview Park Road from Lexington or Elrene Road.

Gary Meyer

Eagan, MINNESOTA—Gary Meyer has registered as a candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 38A with this as his first time seeking public office.

Gary has been a resident of Eagan for 29 years. He has been a financial executive for 27 years after being a public accountant for eight years. He has serviced small- to medium-sized businesses in both public and private industry. He obtained a Bachelor’s in Mathematics in 1974 and a Masters in the Science of Management in Accounting in 1976, after serving four years in the United States Coast Guard.

Gary grew up in Milwaukee and married Sandra while in the Coast Guard. Gary and Sandra have been married for 40 years and have two sons who are married and have graduated from Minnesota Colleges and Universities.