Showing posts with label Joanne Dorsher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joanne Dorsher. Show all posts

St. Cloud Times Editorial Board: House District 15A &15B
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The St. Cloud Times recently conducted endorsement interviews with the candidates vying for the House District 15A and House District 15B seats.

In District 15A, the incumbent is Republican Steve Gottwalt vs. DFLer Joanne Dorsher. There is little doubt in my mind that Joanne Dorsher would serve the people far better than the hyper partisan Gottwalt. While Steve and his supporters would like to pretend that he has been good for education and has worked well across the aisle, the reality is that if he doesn't agree with you his response is little more than scorn and dismissal. As always, in my mind, education is the top issue and time after time Gottwalt has been an abject failure.


In District 15B, the incumbent is DFLer Larry Haws vs. Republican Josh Behling. Larry tells it like it is and has been nothing less than straight with me about where he stands even when that position is counter to my own. On the other hand you have Behling who appears to be little more than the ultra conservative drone who has little independent thought of his own (apart from perhaps a strong hatred for Hillary Clinton but that too is probably authorized by the "everything is Clinton's fault" wing of the ultra conservative coalition).

I have cut the full interview into the subsequent questions. However, you will have to forgive the same introduction being added to each question so as to give proper source attribution.

Candidate Introductions:


Question #1: What are your specific plans for education funding?


Question #2: What specifically (taxes? formula? bill? idea?) are going to do to fix education funding?


Question #3: What are your specific solutions to fix the budget deficit? This portion covers ONLY 15B candidates Josh Behling (R) and Larry Haws (DFL).


Question #4: What are your specific solutions to fix the budget deficit? This portion covers ONLY 15A candidates Joanne Dorsher (DFL) and Steve Gottwalt (R).



My predictions, for what they are worth: Both incumbents ( Steve Gottwalt (R) & Larry Haws (DFL) ) get the endorsement from the St. Cloud Times. Who do you think will be endorsed and why? Who deserves endorsement and why? Who deserves to be elected and why?
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Joanne Dorsher: LTE Onslaught...
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7:00 AM | Posted in , ,
Over the past week there has been an onslaught of letters in the St. Cloud Times touting the candidacy of DFL candidate, Joanne Dorsher. The theme of each has been to positively explain who Joanne is and what she is about. While some will claim that these editorials are little more than platitude laden fluff pieces, they fail to see the experience angle being laid out by each of these successive editorials. Dorsher has been in the trenches trying to improve the educational opportunities of our children and volunteering to further that education beyond the walls of the school building.

From the August 12th letter:

Joanne has shown that she cares for the quality of life in our community. Our children have benefited from her years of service on the St. Cloud school board and as a volunteer in our schools. Joanne has supported the St. Cloud Public Library. She is a member of the St. Cloud Friends of the Library and volunteers in the bookstore.

From the August 13th letter:

She has shown herself to be an enthusiastic and responsible leader serving our community. Before she was elected to the St. Cloud school board, she spent many hours tutoring public school students in reading and math and leading academic extracurricular programs. She also volunteered with the Adult Basic Education program, especially helping English language learners.

From the August 17th letter:

From the time she arrived in Central Minnesota 18 years ago, Joanne has been a community builder who does her homework and works behind the scenes to get things done.

Not only has she served in elected office on the St. Cloud school board, Joanne has also served in numerous other civic positions, including on the board of G.R.E.A.T. Theater, as a Girl Scout leader and a member of the NAACP and Interfaith Alliance. She works quietly and effectively to build relationships and accomplish goals.

This is an extremely impressive resume when you consider that much of the work at the Capitol is centered around education and children. It is quite easy for people to dictate from afar what and how we should be teaching our children and it is a common problem affecting both Republican and Democratic politicians. However, the experience and real life solutions come when you have actually stood in front of a large group of children and tried to get them all moving in the same direction and at the same pace. That is the experience of Joanne Dorsher.

When you compare that to her "Just Say NO" to education and everything else opponent who has spent nary a moment in a classroom, it is absolutely clear who people should be supporting come this November. Couple that with his connections to organizations bent on destroying public education and his shameful lack of support for anything advocated by Education Minnesota there is little choice for those concerned about the educational opportunities of our kids.
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Joanne Dorsher & Tarryl Clark Team Up For Education
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H/T to Larry Schumacher at his blog, Political Quarry:

Joanne Dorsher (DFL), candidate for House District 15A against Steve Gottwalt, will be teaming up with Tarryl Clark (DFL) for a discussion about education at Caribou Coffee this Saturday (8 am). I have some things going on this weekend but I am going to make every effort to cover this event.

As I have noted several times before, Steve Gottwalt is far from being a supporter of a strong public education system. All Dorsher need do is show up at the Capitol in order to become a better friend of education. I would encourage everyone to go and judge Dorsher for themselves.

Let's just hope that Dorsher doesn't treat potential constituents with the same contempt that Gottwalt and his friends in the blogosphere have in the past:

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Reading & Softball (With A Dash Of Politics)
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8:59 PM | Posted in , ,
Joanne Dorsher invited my children and myself to the Lake George Municipal Complex today for some reading time. Dorsher has a background in supporting education and educators that her opponent simply cannot match.

Community Service and Leadership:

  • 1993 Outstanding Lay Person in Education for District 742
  • Facilitated groups in Math Masters, Odyssey of the Mind, Academic Triathlon, tutored math and reading.
  • Member of advisory and site councils of Talahi Elementary and South Jr. High
  • District 742 Curriculum Committee member
  • Troop leader and past member of Land of Lakes Girl Scout Council, St. Cloud Friends of the Library, American Association of University Women, St. Cloud Area League of Women Voters, the Sierra Club and the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce
  • Great River Educational Theater Board member since 1998 and past president
  • District 742 School Board member since 2001
    • Served as Board chair and led the Communications, Community Linkages, Personnel and Legislative Committees.
    • Currently is Board Treasurer and on the Legislative Committee
She was kind enough to allow me to do some YouTubing:



Also, this evening I attended the DFL Picnic and Softball Game over at Wilson Park. While I have never claimed to be the best athlete, I have to say that I did pretty well (it might have been the lax manner of the game though). As my old basketball coach used to tell me: "The sun shines on a pig's ass every once in awhile".


Cross Posted on St. Cloud Times
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Minnesota House Elections: Three Candidates That Need Your Help...
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With the end of a legislative session there begins an election campaign in Minnesota to see who will control the State House of Representatives. As of now there are 85 DFL members and 49 Republican members which, unlike the Minnesota Senate, is just short of a veto proof majority. Obviously, the Republican Party will be fighting hard to keep that from happening just as hard as we should be fighting to make sure that it does happen. Right now there are three districts right in this area that are difficult pick ups but have Democrats running in them with the potential to make it happen. All they need is for people to help!

Steve Andrews (District 16B):
In perhaps the most difficult district in the state for a DFLer to win, Steve Andrews has a unique opportunity to show the people of 16B that they no longer have to be represented by the divisive and destructive wing of the conservative movement. Mary Kiffmeyer may have won the Republican endorsement but in all likelihood, Mark Olson will run as a so called Independent Republican. With this situation there is the potential for these two ultra conservative candidates to split the heavy Republican vote leaving Mr. Andrews to sweep in to office with Democrats and truly independent voters. I am confident that if given this chance, Andrews can show the people of 16B that he can be an effective voice for them in the legislature.

Andrews, though, will need the support and foot work of every single person in his district. Having talked to Andrews and knowing that he is passionate about education and reforming the way we invest in education, I implore educators in the area to get in touch with Mr. Andrews and help him so that they can finally be represented by a friend of education rather than a representative bent on destroying public education.

Rob Jacobs (District 14A):
A little closer to home is Rob Jacobs running against Dan Severson. While Severson is prone to using wedge issues in order to gain support, Jacobs is not backing down from the fight. He is mounting a one man letter writing campaign focusing on bread and butter issues that will hopefully resonate with voters concerned with economic concerns.




Joanne Dorsher (District 15A):
I haven't had the opportunity to cover Mrs. Dorsher in any detail, but was able to meet and briefly wish her luck at the Senate District 15 Convention. Having worked on the St. Cloud School Board for 7 years, she offers a wealth of education experience that her opponent does not have. While some might label this a safe district for Steve Gottwalt, it should be noted that Tarryl Clark carried the district. Also, given the way that Gottwalt treats those people that disagree with him, Dorsher should be able to highlight her ability to work with even those people that aren't in 100% agreement. I am hoping, in the coming months to reach out to Mrs. Dorsher to find ways that this blog can help her get her message out to the voters in the area.


All of these candidates need our help given that they are all in challenging areas that will likely see only minimal support from the state DFL Party. So, it is incumbent upon us locally to find ways to assist them. Whether that help is leg work, financial, or even writing a letter to the editor it is time to mobilize and bring these three seats out of the divisive wilderness and in to a world of common sense leadership.
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Senate District 14 & 15 (A Review)
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Over in Senate District 14, the DFL endorsed Larry Hosch and Rob Jacobs for the Minnesota House of Representatives. For Jacobs, it took two ballots to achieve the required amount of support for the endorsement while Hosch cruised to a unanimous endorsement. Having met both these men, I can say with no uncertainty that they are fantastic choices and would serve the area well.

On the delegate front, I wasn't able to get hard numbers from District 14 but it appears as though Tinklenberg and Franken cleaned up much in the same way that they did in Senate District 15.


In Senate District 15, the DFL endorsed Larry Haws and Joanne Dorsher (both unanimously) for the Minnesota House of Representatives. I am hoping, in the next month or so, to do some more detailed reporting on the Dorsher campaign. She has a difficult road ahead to unseat Steve Gottwalt but after a brief conversation, it seems as though she is ready for that challenge.

Larry Schumacher has a nice article up on the events of the day. He also took some video of the day which you can view here. Although only here can you find speeches by the candidates in their entirety. Take that Larry! :)

There were some wonderful speeches given by various Democratic candidates throughout the day:

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer


Jack gives a great stump speech and really knows how to inspire a crowd. While the challenge ahead of him is almost insurmountable, I become more supportive of his candidacy every time I hear him speak.

Bob Olson


Elwyn Tinklenberg


This is quite possibly the best speech I have heard Mr. Tinklenberg give and if he continues to improve like this our hopes of defeating "The Dimmest Bulb" will grow exponentially.

Tarryl Clark


Larry Haws


The Haws speech was hands down the best speech of the day. He has a "fire in his belly" for service and that bodes well for all of us in House District 15B. On the several occasions that I have been able to speak with Mr. Haws, I have been supremely impressed. With personality and humor he all but dares you not to go along with him. Keep up the great work Larry!

Joanne Dorsher


Unfortunately, due to my own ineptness, I was unable to get the entire speech. However, this small segment highlights the commitment Joanne has to addressing the needs of education.
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Senate District 15 DFL Convention
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I will have some more information regarding the District 15 Convention (with corresponding youtubing) but for now there is only time for a quick update.

From two fairly reliable sources, I can say with some certainty that Elwyn Tinklenberg comes out of this convention with 11 committed delegates while Bob Olson comes out with 2 committed delegates. There appears to be 1 uncommitted.

Joanne Dorsher got the nod to run against Steve Gottwalt while Larry Haws got a resounding endorsement and made a great speech as he moves one step closer to re-election.

I am still awaiting word on Senate District 14...
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BREAKING NEWS...
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11:08 PM | Posted in , ,
The word on the street is that Joanne Dorsher will be seeking the DFL nomination to run against Representative Steve Gottwalt in District 15A.

From her School Board Profile:

Joanne Dorsher has been involved in education all her life. She comes to the Board with a perspective of a student, a teacher, an administrator, a parent, and a community volunteer. She graduated from UCLA with a major in psychology/mathematics and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in special education.

Her previous experiences include being a special education teacher and the administrator of a developmental achievement center. She has been involved in District 742 schools the past ten years, volunteering in the classroom, providing enrichments for students, and participating in site councils and district committees. Outside of school hours, Joanne coached Academic Triathlon and Odyssey of the Mind Teams.

Currently, Dorsher is on the board of the Great River Educational Arts Theatre, and serves occasionally as a costumer. As part of the School Board, she serves as the Chair of the Board Personnel Committee and is a member of the Board Community Linkages Committee. She is the Board appointed representative on the Central Minnesota Joint Powers Board, the Fiber Optics Joint Powers Board, the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Grant Advisory Committee, the Community Relations Task Force, the Special Education Study Review Committee, the Waite Park Chamber of Commerce, and the Schools for Equity in Education (SEE) Organization. Dorsher is the Board of Education liaison to Discovery Community School, Area Learning Center, and the Children’s Home.

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