Like many Minnesota progressive bloggers, we're taking part in the Steve Sarvi blog day, in which we ask that readers contribute to DFL-endorsed Second District congressional candidate Sarvi via Act Blue. As soon as this is posted, we'll be chipping in with a contribution.
Others have already posted about Kline's awful record (higher education , veterans issues and great YouTube on energy here), the Second's recent trend toward blue, and a personal story from the father of an active duty Marine. Others focus on how Sarvi's a great fit for the district. Watch the for more posts via MNBlue and MNCR. Kudos to MNBlue's Big E for developing the project.
So we'll focus on one of the issues that got some of our ancestors in colonial Boston in such a lather: detached leadership serving interests other than those of the citizenry. As people in my father's family moved westward with the frontier--finally stopping in Minnesota in the mid-1850s--the principle that leaders serve the people moved with them.
We first met Steve Sarvi at last year's Minnesota Farmers Union convention and were immediately impressed with his understanding of issues facing rural Minnesotans and vets. While Minnesota's Second District is suburban, it also encompasses LeSueur, Goodhue, and Rice Counties.
Steve understands small town and suburban communities, having served as a city administrator in Lanesboro, Watertown and Victoria, and mayor of Watertown. He stepped down as mayor of Watertown when he volunteered to serve with his unit in Iraq. The military recognized his civilian experience by appointing him Civil Military Affairs Officer for Task Force Wild, which supervised reconstruction effrots in Iraq.
That positive news from Iraq about rebuilt schools, roads and water systems? Steve was part of it.
Another piece of Sarvi's work in the military was rebuilding civil engagement in Kosovo. His bio says:
One of Steve's most rewarding experiences was using his mayor and city administrator expertise to teach villagers about local government. Steve worked with Kosovar and United Nations leaders to hold an election in a multi-ethnic village. Following the election, Steve mentored the new village council on democratic governance, showing them how to overcome differences in order to rebuild their village and come together as a community.
Now, Kosovo is an extreme case, part of the Balkans region that has lent its name to the coining of a term for political fragmentation. Nonetheless, the story illustrates Sarvi's understanding of the bedrock of democracy: the engagement of ordinary citizens in their own government.
Although his voting record and positions on issues are out of step with Minnesota, we find John Kline to be most troubling because he has been a pioneer in establishing absentee governance in the state. He's the one who introduced Rep. Michele Bachmann to the idea of substituting tightly controlled teleforums for real town hall forums and open public meetings like Tim Walz holds across the First.
And (to borrow one of Walz's favorite expressions) "make no mistake about it," Walz and the people he represents are the better for being able to openly debate their concerns from the Iraq War, Iran, the Farm Bill, veterans concerns, renewable energy, healthcare, small business needs, seniors' issues and the host of things on the ordinary citizen's mind.
Sarvi already held 14 town hall meetings to find out what's on people's minds. He'll be a face-to-face leader like Tim Walz.
Like people in the First, voters in the Second deserve a Congressman who'll meet with them face-to-face. Sarvi has demonstrated that he can bring people together to work on rebuilding civil society in Kosovo and Iraq. We doubt he'll shy away from the people he'll represent in the Second.
Finally, for readers living in the First: Tim Walz represents a couple of townships in LeSueur County, and we'd like to see him be able to work with a more congenial representative than John Kline.According to the Rochester Bulletin, Kline has acted as a mentor to the GOP-endorsed candidate in the First. Give now and help Steve Sarvi keep John Kline campaigning at home. Given the trends, grassroots support, and some money, Sarvi can win in November.
Please contribute via Act Blue.
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