Two people have officially declared their intention to run for the Minnesota State Representative seat in District 31B. Greg Davids of Preston, and Steve Bissen of La Crescent will attempt to win the position currently held by Ken Tschumper (DFL-La Crescent) in the 2008 November election.

The following is a summary of the two candidates’ responses to an introductory questionnaire. As more candidates make public their intention to run, Houston County News will print their answers to the same questions.

Name: Greg Davids

Age: 49

Occupation: Owner of an independent insurance agency, owner of family farm

Family: Married to Bonnie, with three grown daughters

Party affiliation: Republican

Political experience: Delegate to Fillmore County’s district and state convention; Fillmore County Republican party officer; Preston City Council, including three terms as mayor; eight terms as state representative of District 31B in Minnesota House.

Why have you chosen to run for the representative seat in District 31B?

“I believe I have a lot to offer the people of District 31B. The experience I’ve had and the ability to work with both sides of the aisle, I believe, would make it very beneficial for this area to support me. The very basic reason I’m running is to serve other people. My seniority stays with me in the Minnesota House, so if re-elected, I’d become a senior member, and that has benefits for this area. Rural Minnesota is lacking seniority for both the Democrats and Republicans, and it’s desperately needed.”

What do you regard as the single most important issue to the residents living in District 31B? Why?

“I wouldn’t say there’s just one. I have my five top priorities, in no particular order: education, rural economic development, healthcare, transportation, and…renewable fuels. We have to have strong schools. We have to have a state representative that supports rural schools….An extremely important area for me is to give rural representation back. We have to have a legislator who can not only get bills passed, but can get them signed by the governor….We need a legislator who solves problems, not points fingers.”

Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.

“I’d say honesty, trustworthiness, and loyalty. I’m loyal to this district, I’ve always been upfront and honest with this district, and they can trust me. My slogan is, ‘Greg Davids: the name you know, the name you trust.’ If you don’t have (trust), nothing else matters.”

Describe one or two accomplishments or contributions you’re most proud of, which illustrate skills or capabilities you think apply to this office.

“I was endorsed by Education Minnesota nine times, and I was a Republican being endorsed by a union. That doesn’t happen that often. But I always worked to try to equalize funding for rural schools versus metro. When in the majority, one of our goals was to narrow the funding gap between Minneapolis/St. Paul and outstate, and we did it….Another area I spent a lot of my time was as chairman of the commerce committee, six years, and chairman of the agriculture committee, two years. As chairman of the ag committee, I worked very hard on renewable fuels….I think we need to expand that market and depend less on foreign oil….I’ve been very supportive of transportation funding. When I was in the House, we put in record amounts of money into transportation….”

Name: Steve Bissen

Age: 41

Occupation: Service manager at Underdahl Toyota in Winona

Family: Married to Judy, with two sons

Party affiliation: Republican

Political experience: Member of the La Crescent-Hokah School Board and La Crescent City Council.

Why have you chosen to run for the representative seat in District 31B?

“I would like to see our district represented with someone who has the values that represent southeast Minnesota. The current representative is voting almost 100 percent with the Twin Cities liberals and not necessarily representing our citizenry the best he can. (I want to) speak up and make sure the voices of Fillmore and Houston counties are heard.”

What do you regard as the single most important issue to the residents living in District 31B? Why?

“I don’t think there is a single most important issue. There are so many different that are interrelated, it’s hard to pick out one issue that’s the most important. Obviously, taxes are something everybody is concerned with. Last year, there were over $5 billion in tax increases proposed in the Minnesota Legislature. Luckily, the line was held and there were no across-the-board tax increases. I think most people feel like they pay enough in taxes, they’re just concerned about where the priorities are in the spending of the state government. Obviously education is an ongoing important issue, because that’s the future of our state and our country. The healthcare crisis is looming larger all the time, and that’s something that definitely needs to be addressed.”

Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.

“There’s a willingness to serve that’s important. I very much enjoyed serving on the La Crescent City Council and the school board, and I feel we should all do something to try to make a difference in the world. If I can do it through public service and elected office…that’s what I’m interested in. Honesty, integrity, and hardworking, those are important to everyone and are characteristics of most Minnesotans.”

Describe one of two accomplishments or contributions you’re most proud of, which illustrate skills or capabilities you think apply to this office.

“One of the things I was very proud of on city council was the work we did on the sign ordinance. There was a pretty restrictive sign ordinance that was proposed that really didn’t do a whole lot for the business community. By working with a lot of the business owners and working on that sign ordinance, I think we made it a lot more palatable for the businesses….Both on city council and school board, I was very concerned about spending, because every time you spend money as a government entity, that’s taxpayer’s money….You always need to look at everything you’re spending money on to make sure you’re getting the best mileage for your dollar.”