Update: Her website is live now: Lisa Bayley for Minnesota House. end update.
Update #2: Bayley returned our call, noting that her committee paper paperwork was filed this morning with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. In Bluestem's experience it's not unusual for new filings to appear the next morning, when the site is updated. Her filing, and that of all new candidates for state offices, will be available here.
She's looking for the debate with Rep. Kelly about serving the district. [end update]
A friend in Red Wing emailed a link to the "place keeping" website for "Vote Lisa Bayley for Minnesota House of Representatives 21A." The seat is now held by House Transportation Committee chair and Eagan County Park fanboy Tim Kelly, a Republican and financial adviser from Red Wing.
No campaign committee is registered yet at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board and we can't find any articles online in the media, but should the website indeed be a harbinger of a run for the seat, Kelly has attracted a top-tier opponent. UPDATE January 20: The Post Bulletin's Heather Carlson blogged about the bid while we were working on this post yesterday; check out her post Bayley to run for Minnesota House at the Political Notebook.
Our source snagged this press release from online, although the page is now gone (pdf below):
Lisa Bayley, a member of the Red Wing City Council and attorney, has officially entered the race for the Minnesota House of Representatives seat in District 21A. A two-term Council member, Democrat Lisa Bayley will challenge State Rep. Tim Kelly. Bayley said she is running for state representative to bring a stronger voice for Greater Minnesota to the State Capitol.
"This is an exciting time in Minnesota—we are poised to do great things," said Bayley. "I’ve worked hard for eight years in local government as we struggled through the economic downturn. Now we’re primed for big steps forward in the areas of economic development and transportation upgrades. I can bring my experience in local government to the state capital, making sure our local needs are heard."
Lisa Bayley said she was frustrated to see the 2015 session end without compromise on the issues important to Greater Minnesota. The legislature failed to pass a comprehensive transportation bill, failed to pass a tax bill, and failed to make significant gains in Greater Minnesota economic development initiatives like broadband infrastructure and workforce housing. In each of these areas, Representative Tim Kelly voted with his party leaders.
"I’ve seen first-hand how the decisions made at the capital affect our business people, schools and local government. It’s frustrating to see so little progress being made on issues affecting our region. There’s no question we can do better," said Bayley "I will work hard to put the priorities of our community first even if that means standing up to my own party. It’s the only way we’ll make progress on the issues important to our community."
Lisa Bayley, an attorney, has a private law practice in Red Wing, and regularly appears in court in Goodhue, Wabasha and Dakota counties. Both as a city council member and as an attorney, Bayley has worked closely with citizens from all over District 21A.
"As a former prosecutor, I worked with law enforcement and social services on cases involving those in need," said Bayley.
"I’ve seen the need for better funding for our police, courts and social services. At the same time, I also understand the need to budget, prioritize and set limits."
Lisa Bayley said she believes more attention should be paid to the growing need for senior housing and assisted living options, particularly in greater Minnesota, where we are facing a looming shortage of housing options and trained employees for our senior citizens.
"I regularly visit the nursing homes and senior facilities and see the need first hand," said Bayley. "I know the regulations and funding issues are complex—but it’s no excuse to blame red tape. We’ve simply got to come up with a solution."
Raised in Rochester, MN, Lisa Bayley has lived in Red Wing for ten years with her husband, Doug, a public defender, and their two high-school age children. She has a B.A. from Harvard College (1989) and a law degree from Georgetown University (2000). She clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Davis before working as a criminal prosecutor in Hennepin and Wabasha Counties. She is currently in private practice, focusing on family law, elder law, criminal defense, and some land use issues.
Lisa Bayley said she looked forward to talking with the people of the district over the coming months.
"I plan on working hard to earn the trust and support of this area," said Bayley. "There’s no substitute for getting out and meeting people face to face."
We embedded the document at the end of this post. According to Bayley's bio and vision on the Red Wing City Council web page:
Lisa has a Bachelor's Degree from Harvard University and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Lisa said, "I want to work on building a strong Red Wing for the future. My professional and personal experiences, in the public sector as a public prosecutor, as counsel to the Wabasha County Board and a community volunteer have prepared me well. I want to be an active advocate for citizen involvement, strengthening Red Wing's economic base, and building on the traditions of our community. I ran on a platform of open government and common sense decision making. Working together, we can make Red Wing stronger now and for our children."
Her law practice's website Attorney Profile fills in more of that history:
. . . Lisa Bayley is a 1989 graduate of Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a 2000 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, in Washington, DC. She clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Michael Davis in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and spent two years in the environmental litigation division of Leonard, Street and Deinard, LLP. Seeking more trial experience, she worked as a criminal prosecutor in the Adult Violent Crimes Division of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and in the Wabasha County Attorney’s Office, prosecuting criminal sexual conduct, domestic abuse and child abuse cases. In Wabasha she was actively involved in child protection--“CHIPS”--cases, as well as civil zoning and land use cases.
Lisa Bayley has handled misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor and felony cases, and has presented cases to grand juries for felony indictment. She is admitted to practice in the State of Minnesota, and U.S. District Court of Minnesota. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Minnesota Women Lawyers, and currently serves as a city council member for the City of Red Wing.
In a 2012 city council candidate profile in the Red Wing Republican Eagle, Bayley, who was first elected in the council in 2008, discussed policy interests within the city limits. She is married and the mother of two children.
In the 2012 profile, Bayley mentions that she's not afraid of asking hard questions. She demonstrated that ability the next year when, as council president, she questioned then-mayor Dennis Egan's new job as a frac sand industry group's lobbyist. Tony Kennedy reported in the Star Tribune:
Egan said Tuesday he sees no conflict of interest and won't step down while he works as executive director of the Minnesota Industrial Sand Council.
But Red Wing City Council President Lisa Bayley, a lawyer, said she has received many "complaints, questions and concerns'' from residents about the mayor's new job as a paid advocate for an industry that is at the forefront of local ferment.
Egan later resigned as mayor, and Baylor served as acting mayor until a special election brought Dan Bender into office in June 2013.
Forum Communications' Don Davis reports in his Capitol Chatter column ‘Absolute crisis’ in rural workforce, housing that Bayley testified about Red Wing's workforce housing issues before a state senate committee in February 2015. Workforce housing is part of the Minnesota House DFL's "Greater Minnesota Agenda for All" that was announced in a press conference Tuesday.
Davis also reported in Bill would slap governments offering program to keep offenses off record that as Red Wing City Council president, Bayley butted heads with state representative Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) over a program that kept minor traffic tickets from going on drivers' records in exchange for driving safety classes offered by counties and cities.
She also supported the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities challenge MPCA's enforcement of federal clean water standards, though she was frustrated by the additional payment of $6000 that the city had to make, according to the minutes of the December 14, 2015 city council meeting. Prior to the vote, we had looked at the issue in Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities asks for dirty water tithe to fund 'bull hockey' litigation.
We've left a message at Baylor's City Hall office and her law practice asking about her intentions. We'll update this post when we hear back from her.
Kelly's parking scandal
While Kelly was unable to craft anything other than a "status quo" transportation bill in the 2015 session, he did manage to find a parking spot with Rep. Tara Mack (R-Apple Valley) in Eagan’s Lebanon Hills Regional Park, where the document-swapping, teal-panties exposing tryst merited a public nuisance ticket for each lawmaker when the document grappling was spotted by a passing park ranger.
After some public grandstanding, both Kelly and Mack paid their fines, and the Scandal cost state Reps. Tim Kelly and Tara Mack their Ethics Committee spots, as Mike Rietmulder reported in the City Pages in September 2015.
The district
While Kelly has won his seat easily in pre-scandal elections, this is a swing district that a strong and tough DFL candidate could snag, if indeed Bayley plans to challenge Kelly.
House District 21A is represented in the Minnesota Senate by freshman Matt Schmit, who snagged the seat from CD2 Congressional candidate John Howe in a 2012 race that MinnPost's Doug Howe reported "may be 'nastiest' campaign in state."
Schmit won with 52.43 percent of the vote, with Kelly, who was first elected in 2008, taking 57.49 of the Red Wing side of the district. The district voters picked Barack Obama for President in 2012, and favored Mark Dayton for Governor by a small margin in 2014.
Should Bayley enter the race, this will be one to watch.
Photo: Screenshot of the "place keeping" website for "Vote Lisa Bayley for Minnesota House of Representatives 21A."
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