Senate DFL discusses ‘06 election plans

By Chuck Haga Star Tribune

Officers and others of the Senate District 4 DFL met Saturday September 10, 2005 at Jimmy’s Restaurant in Walker to discuss issues and candidates for the upcoming 2006 election season.

The main order of business was discussion on the 2006 endorsing convention and how to support candidates.  Parts of Beltrami, Crow Wing, Hubbard, and Itasca counties in addition to all of Cass County make up Senate District 4. (SD4)

According to SD 4 DFL Chair Michael Meuers of Bemidji, the group discussed the date and place for the convention that will endorse candidates for Senate District 4, State Representative for District 4A (currently held by Rep. Frank Moe, Bemidji), and State Representative 4B.

It was decided that the convention will be held in Walker sometime between mid-March and mid-April 2006 at a place yet to be determined.

“The most significant idea to come out of the meeting”, Meuers went on, “was the formation of a Candidate Support and Development Committee”.  The committee, according to Meuers, will look for a variety of ways to help current and future candidates for public office understand how the process works, some of the complexities involved, basically the ins and outs of how a campaign works.

The first project for the Candidate Support and Development Committee will be to hold an informal get together for any and all those interested.  “We will invite people from the Senate and House DFL caucus to make a presentation about state government” said Meuers, “and maybe have some other presentations as well.  But basically it will be an informal get together for candidates thinking of public office now or in the future to learn more about what is involved.”

Meuers concluded that the informational get together will again take place in Walker, at a place yet to be determined sometime between mid-October and mid-November 2005, depending on the availability of venue and presenters.

Any one interested in more information is encouraged to contact Meuers at 218-444-5558, or SD4 DFL Associate Chair Martha Johnson at 218-947-3656.