Been there, done that...

"Sorry Tim. You can go back to "K" Street and continue to be a lobbyist. You seem to like it. We need a someone who has not been infected by the swamp to come into St. Paul with his fiscal guns blazing." 

Yet another article in this morning's fish wrap about Tim the tool man making another run for governor. So I am going to say something nice about our former Governor Pawlenty - he is a nice man. As far as being our Governor is concerned, Tim was affected by the same disease many in the past have been infected with - largess. The growth of government under his watch was not as high as if a Democrat were in the Governor's seat, but it still headed north.

Here are my main issues with Tim Pawlenty. First, the size of government. I know, he did not have a Republican House and Senate. But with that in mind, the size of our government still went up $10B during his two terms! Not only that, the number of people employed state wide increased only by a smidgen. It is true that Governor Pawlenty did not allow a tax increase (except on cigarettes), but the state's economy was not as robust when he left office as it was when he assumed the duties.

My other big issue is the Metropolitan Council. He could have neutered the council. Instead, he allowed it to continue. Most of us know the only way to kill the existing council and replace it with a governing body which is duly elected rather than appointed, is to have a Republican Governor as well as Republican House and Senate. If it is only a Republican Governor, the Governor can't kill the council, but can make it very inept by his appointments. By not doing anything during his term, he set the table for Dayton to go hog wild with the council for his two terms.

The paper said the current list of candidates did not have "star power". Oh, I disagree with that one! The biggest complaint that I have heard about my candidate (that be Commissioner Jeff Johnson) is he is "too nice".  I wish people would say that about me! But Jeff has one of the best resumes to be Governor that I have ever seen. Let me just list a few of his accomplishments:

• Born and raised in out state Minnesota. Understands rural as well as urban Minnesota.
• Undergrad degrees in economics, history, and political science from Concordia College in Minnesota.
• Law Degree from Georgetown University Law School. 
• Worked for large law firms in Chicago and Minneapolis practicing employment and labor law.
• Started his own company (Midwest Employment Resources). 
• Did three terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
• Currently serving his third term as a Hennepin County Commissioner.

Jeff has a lifetime conservative rating of 95% from the Taxpayer's League. He is very conservative and he can govern. Most who remember how Tim Pawlenty governed do not refer to him as a conservative. Best I have heard - he was just "okay".

In 2018, we need to elect a game changer. Don't be fooled by Jeff Johnson's nice guy appearance. He can be as tough as he is nice. And he hates largess. He KNOWS our state budget is way out of wack. He knows how to fix it. He knows how to fix the unelected, out of control Met Council. He is the right person for the right job and the right time.

Sorry Tim. You can go back to "K" Street and continue to be a lobbyist. You seem to like it. We need a someone who has not been infected by the swamp to come into St. Paul with his fiscal guns blazing. Jeff is my guy for all the right reasons. Need more reasons? Just ask me some time.