Liberal in the Land of Conservative

BIG LAKE—Steve Andrews, the DFL-endorsed candidate in House District 16B, officially launched his campaign this week by filing election papers with the office of the Secretary of State.

A resident of Big Lake Township and father of two sons, Andrews said as state representative he’ll focus on working for Sherburne County residents, not playing the kind of political games “that really turn off voters of both parties.”

“I’ve been talking to people for months now—Democrats, Republicans, independents and none of the above,” Andrews said. “One thing that keeps coming up is the distrust in government, the lack of faith in the system. As state representative, I’m not going to worry about becoming a star with the crowd in St. Paul. I’m going to wake up, drive to the Capitol, work hard and come back home at the end of the day and listen to what people have to say.”

Reflecting on the current state of affairs at the Capitol, Andrews said he looks forward to ending the practice of “placing party loyalty ahead of doing what’s right.”

“I’m proud to be a Democrat, true,” Andrews said. “But I’m not going to let my party affiliation trump my core values and beliefs. I’m pro-life. I believe rural Minnesotans deserve the same from government as people who live in the Twin Cities. And I don’t believe we can simply tax our way out of every problem—we have to innovate, as well.”

In a well-received speech at the party convention in April, Andrews outlined his common-sense vision for the future:

• Ending Massive Property Tax Hikes: “We are at the limit of what we can afford to pay in property taxes. This is particularly true for our seniors and others living on a fixed income. Simply shifting taxes to local government has been a failure and now it’s time to clean up the mess and bring about fair taxation.”
• Building an Education System for the 21st Century: “(W)e must provide our children with the tools they need to compete … unfunded mandates and rollercoaster funding policies have taken their toll. It’s time to fix the problems with ‘No Child Left Behind’ or get rid of it!”
• Effective Solutions to Local Traffic Problems: “(W)e have to make the hard decisions and spend (state funds) wisely on the most needed projects.”
• Health Care for Children is a Moral Obligation: “We will not rest until all the citizens in our state have access to health care. We will find common ground because 80,000 children in our state without health care is inexcusable and immoral.”

The political system isn’t broken, Andrews said, it’s simply being misused right now.

“People are tired of the same old games, the same old distractions and the same old results,” Andrews said. “I think if we can stick to the basics at the Capitol we can really produce the kind of results Minnesotans expect and deserve.”

A native Minnesotan, Andrews graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in government. He is currently vice president of technology at Fintegra Financial Solutions. He and Mary also own and operate a retail food distributorship. Their sons, Oliver and Clarke, attend Pinewood Elementary School.