Tuesday the Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) held its annual caucus. For the Benton, Sherburne, and Carver counties, this event took place at Becker High School. Proceedings began at 7p.m.. Citizens from all over the area gathered to discuss local issues, vote on resolutions, and cast their ballots for gubernatorial candidates.

 

People sat at tables organized based on their community: Becker City, Becker Township, Big Lake Township, Clear Lake City, Clear Lake Township, Clearwater, Clearwater Township, Orrock Township, Palmer Township, Princeton City, and Santiago Township.

 

Karla Scapanski, running for state representative, was the only candidate present.  Caucus Convenor Ron Theissen explained, “What we have here today is the lowest end, grassroots stuff. At the next levels such as the congressional district election, that’s where you’ll see lots of unions represented and more intense political drama. When there are larger crowds gathered, that’s when more of the candidates show up.”

 

Though the agenda included a few administrative items, most of the time was spent on making decisions on resolutions--formally written issues that citizens believe ought to be brought up to the state level. Some of the common issues presented at this caucus were the following:

 

• Free pre-school (the state should fund it rather than placing the burden on parents)

 

• 28th Amendment (money does not equal speech; let’s make campaigns represent the voice of constituents rather than the interest of donors)

 

• Universal healthcare (healthcare should be accessible and affordable to all)

 

However, there were also topics brought up which were unique to certain communities. One in particular was the legalization of marijuana.

 

It was a unanimous vote in Becker Township, because the voters thought it was simply ridiculous for it to be illegal. “We want to reduce the stigma of certain drugs versus harder drugs. There are other uses for marijuana other than just for medical or recreational purposes, and there are people that enjoy it responsibly,” said Janis Hansen, caucus chair for the Becker Township. Others from Becker stated that they believe there should be more studies conducted to see the statistics of what harm marijuana actually causes. Alcohol is dangerous, too, but there are people who don’t abuse it, and the financial incentives could be huge if we were allowed to tax marijuana sales. 

 

Another interesting topic, from the Clearwater neighborhood, was net neutrality. “We should treat the Internet as a utility rather than as a consumer good. We shouldn’t be having to choose between paying premiums or facing restricted access to certain websites,” argued Cole Hendry.

 

Becker City had the most resolutions adopted (15+) ranging from getting rid of the electoral college to making higher education more affordable. However, they seemed to be most passionate about the ‘right to work’ clause most unions have in their contracts. Kathy Greary explained this wording has basically undermined unions so that they have no bargaining power. Wages and safety are decreasing rapidly due to loss of protections, and lots of workers are suffering the consequences.

 

While some communities did not have any resolutions to discuss, they were excited for the opportunity to be in the company of neighbors and shared that they were glad people were gaining motivation and hope participation in these types of activities will continue to increase.

 

Angie Schoenrock, caucus chair of the Santiago Township, said she was just happy to be involved. “Last year after the drama with the elections, there was fury all over Facebook but no one cared about my complaining. I figured that I could either do something about it or that I might as well just shut up. So here I am trying to make a difference.”