While some Twin Cities conservatives grumbled about Governor Dayton's series of town halls as a set of latter-day Potemkin villages (a phrase that is itself seated in a historial smear), local media and citizens saw something else entirely.
The Mankato Free Press gives the event in south central Minnesota a thumbs up in Dayton's town hall:
To Gov. Mark Dayton's town hall meeting in North Mankato last week.
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When governors venture out, particularly to Greater Minnesota, the events are often choreographed tours, meeting with selected local leaders, capped with a press conference.
But when Dayton went to South Central College in North Mankato he invited anyone from the public who wanted to come and 200 did.
For 90 minutes Minnesota Dayton took a wide variety of questions, from his views on frac sand mining moratoriums to highway funding. The governor answered honestly, sometimes agreeing with people and sometimes challenging their views.
It was a good, old-fashioned, democratic exchange of ideas and an opportunity for regular citizens to have face-to-face contact with the head of the state.
We hope he makes it a regular routine.
Read the Free Press's coverage of the event in Dayton meets with voters in North Mankato, KEYC-TV's Dayton Hears It From Silica Sand Supporters, and the New Ulm Journal's Dayton explains his position on gas tax hike.
Dayton is back down in Southern Minnesota today, the Worthington Globe reports in Political leaders arrive today to see damage from the double-whammy ice and snow storms.
Photo: Governor Mark Dayton.
I think this is one of the reasons the people of MN trust Mark Dayton. He doesn't do this for the optics; he genuinely wants to hear the questions and talk about the issues.
Posted by: Josh Lease | Apr 13, 2013 at 01:56 PM