After longtime State Rep. John Petersburg retires at the end of the year, a new face will be representing Minnesota State House District 19B.
Democrat Edelgard Fernandez Mejia and Republican Tom Sexton are currently campaign to be the next representative, serving most of Steele County — including the cities of Owatonna and Medford — and a portion of Waseca County, including the city of Waseca.
The People’s Press asked the candidates where they stand on some important local and state topics.
Background: In 100 words or less, how are you connected with and/or involved in your district, and/or what local government experience do you have.
Edel Fernandez (DFL)
Age: 50
Occupation: Director of Admissions at South Central College
Education: BS in Communications and Public Relations, minor in Administration
Since I moved to Owatonna in 2013, I have been involved with different organizations like the Owatonna Soccer Association Board of Directors and active in other capacities as a Coach, Referee Assignor and Soccer Official, Public Library Board of Directors, Big Brothers, Big Sisters Board of Directors (participating as a Big, member of the Federated Scholarship Committee and Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion “JEDI” group), Leadership Owatonna class of 2014, CultureFest, Junior Achievement, Owatonna Forward, United Way, run the Park and Rec Youth Soccer Program, assist the Owatonna Police Department as an interpreter, and worked at Riverland Community College.
Tom Sexton
Age: 61
Occupation: Retired (Colonel, U.S. Air Force and Vice President, Construction Management and Program Director, UniversalPegasus Intl.)
Education: University of MN, Carlson School of Management, B.S. Business Administration; Embry-Riddle University, M.S. in Aeronautical Sciences; US Air Force Air Command and Staff College, Master of Military Art and Science; US Army War College, M.S. in Strategic Studies and a graduate of the highly selective National Security Policy Program. Military Professor, US Army War College for four years.
While serving in senior leadership roles in the military, I worked with multiple federal agencies and host-nation representatives coordinating US policy and resources in the Middle East and West Africa. These experiences helped qualify me to instruct at the U.S. Army War College. Next, my work in the pipeline construction industry required extensive environmental permitting and land management coordination with state and federal agencies. During retirement, I am volunteering as the Co-chair of the City of Waseca Planning Commission and a member of the Waseca County Planning Commission. For the City of Waseca, we are updating Waseca’s Comprehensive Plan.
Why are you running, and what are the most significant issues and/or topics you want to address?
Fernandez: On July 4th of 2020 I had a near drowning experience that sent me to a hospital for almost a month. Thankfully for me, lots of people at the lake that day did not hesitate to jump into action. I am very grateful for the well-prepared teams of first responders, paramedics, nurses, law enforcement, and people in general willing to help, regardless of who you are or what you look like. Coming back home I learned that my community had wrapped their arms around my family in my absence providing meals, money and emotional support. I am running to represent MN House District 19B to show my gratitude, respect and appreciation for this community.
Sexton: I am running for office to prioritize the needs and values of our community in Southern Minnesota (HD-19B). I will focus on pro-family policies, improving infrastructure, preserving family farms, strengthening law enforcement, assisting veterans, improving educational programs, helping our senior citizens, addressing workforce concerns, and ensuring the integrity of State programs to protect taxpayer funds. My campaign is dedicated to promoting security, prosperity, and unity while advocating for the interests of our community to shape an improved future for Minnesotans. My most significant issues include controlling the ballooning State of Minnesota budget, reversing our statewide shortage of police and peace officers, addressing education shortfalls, and funding rural infrastructure issues (clean water, quality bridges and roads, and enabling the construction of affordable housing).
How will you work across party lines to ensure legislation that benefits your constituents will be supported and passed?
Fernandez: I am running a campaign that aims to put our constituents first. My slogan, “Working Together, Winning Together” conveys the message that we need to start looking for opportunities to lift each other up because we all know that we all do better when we all do better, and we need to stop this polarization between party lines. When I am in St. Paul, my number one goal will be to work very hard to find a middle ground from both sides of the aisle and being accountable for the work we do. As public servants our job is to voice the needs of our constituents and NOT to look after political parties’ interests. I am aware this is not going to be easy to achieve but we cannot afford to sit back and do nothing about it.
Sexton: This is a great question, and the number one topic mentioned by the people I when I am out knocking on doors and introducing myself. Universally, our House District 19B constituents want our legislators to get along and do good work for all of Minnesota. My personal reference throughout my years of leadership experience can be defined by the three C’s; Conscience, Constituents, and Caucus in that order. We all possess values reflective of our education, experience, and our social environment. I will use my experiences to work together, build trust, and create policies beneficial to all Minnesotans. However, I will not go along to get along. Our Southern Minnesota family values are very important to our region and rural Minnesota.
What will be your approach to balancing the state budget in terms of reducing spending and/or raising taxes and fees?
Fernandez: This subject keeps coming up every time I have talked to people during my door knocking campaign as something affecting their lives. One of the most important and difficult things to understand is how inflation works and how it impacts the economy of the state. Balancing the state budget involves cutting spending and raising revenue. Prioritizing investments in infrastructure, education, and healthcare is imperative, as these drive long-term economic growth. Education, transparency and accountability are a must and will be critical in making sure the decisions taken will not affect those who are already suffering from financial hardship, primarily young families and New Americans. A balanced approach that emphasizes both fiscal responsibility and growth is key to a sustainable state budget.
Sexton: We must reduce spending! First, we are enacting too many programs without the proper controls established to prevent fraud like the $250 million dollars in unaccounted for spending from the Feeding Our Future program. $250 million dollars buys a significant amount of rural infrastructure repair. Second, we must not continue to spend budget surpluses like the recent $17.8B surplus as it reset the baseline budget from $55B to over $72B. If the economy slows, the surpluses will become a large budget deficit! My approach is to start with the critical needs and focus on removing or reducing programs that were started with surplus funds. If these programs were not needed prior to the surplus, then we must determine if they are really value added now.
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