I am a 34 year resident of Duluth and the Lakeside/Lester Park neighborhood. At the urging of many DFLers and residents of Minnesota House District 8B, I announced my campaign to run against incumbent Rep. Liish Kozlowski.
As many of you know, I ran for District 1 on the Duluth City Council last year and narrowly lost to my DFL-backed opponent. I had not planned on running again so soon, but at the urging of many DFL members, East Duluth residents, and members of the Forward Party, a third-party initiative in Minnesota, I have decided to run.
It became clear to me during my campaign for City Council and in meeting with residents in East Duluth that our current politicians and elected officials no longer listen to our residents in favor of the agendas of special interests and our political parties. It is time to start listening to our residents, their needs and wants, and get to work for them in St. Paul.
Many of my campaign priorities remain the same, including expanding housing, supporting private child care, school-based child care, public safety and law enforcement, economic development, and finding funding to replace aging infrastructure and repair our streets.
I have also been made aware by our City of Duluth Public Works Department folks of the poor condition of our water and sewer systems in East Duluth. Water quality in the city is also a primary concern.
Our campaign slogan for this run is, “All for Duluth.” That means all of my efforts in St. Paul will be focused on the needs of East Duluth and District 8B. I’m going to St. Paul to work with our Twin Cities and non-metro legislators on the things that we need not only in the state, but in our own communities.
I will no longer be driven by the agendas of special interests and party platforms. I will work with people on both sides of the political spectrum to find solutions that make sense for our people.
Tim Meyer is a Republican candidate for Minnesota House District 8B. The winner of the August 13 Republican primary in the eastern Duluth district will challenge incumbent Rep. Alicia (Liish) Kozlowski, DFL, on Election Day, November 5. Meyer wrote this at the invitation of the News Tribune Opinion page.
