Voters will have the opportunity to decide two state house seats in Tuesday’s general election.

 

Rep. Jim Newberger, Republican, is again running for his House District 15B seat and is opposed by Democrat Karla Scapanski of Sauk Rapids.

 

Senate Distict 15 is seeing two new contestants. Chilah Brown of Isle, a Democrat, is facing off with Andrew Mathews, Republican, of Milaca.

 

Scapanski farms with her family, including four children. She is an SCSU graduate and a licensed child care provider, now working  on an early childhood education degree.

 

Newberger, Becker, is married with three children. He has served as a paramedic for a trauma center for the past 27 years and is seeking his third term in the House.

 

Mathews hails from the Milaca-Princeton area and has lived there for 20 years. He has worked in farming, business, government aid at the state capitol, served as a pastor and a federal veterans case worker.

 

Brown is a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, works in tribal government and was recently graduated from UM-Duluth.

 

Brown and Scapanski are in support of a mandated increase in the minimum wage.

 

Scapanski argues economic development is the result of increased minimum wage. 

 

They also support small business grants with a government incentive to offset their costs.

 

Light rail transportation is not supported by Newberger, claiming over half of each rail fare is supported by taxpayers.

 

Scapanski says state roads are failing because of lack of funding, and supports light rail as an alternative.

 

Brown has also argued for more funding for transportation, including light rail.

 

Mathews argues against additional funding for light rail, claiming it takes in only $2.5 million a year while costing the state $15 million.

 

He also said the past legislature supported a road improvement bonding program, but that was held back by Gov. Dayton, who wanted light rail funding to the southwest Twin Cities part of it.

 

Brown and Scapanski are opposed to any additional coal produced-electrical energy. They advocate for wind and solar to pick up the slack, and that would make for a cleaner environment.

 

Newberger and Mathews contend the Sherco plants are a mainstay in Minnesota electricity generation and should be supported.

 

Newberger asserts that should Sherco be shut down and turned into a natural gas-fired facility, 150 local jobs will be lost.

 

Mathews asserts, also, that should coal generation be lost, the cost of electrical production will increase significantly.

 

Mathews contends the VA hospital system is stressed and many veterans are not being cared for. Significant dollars are needed to shore up that service. He also advocates for review of the present system to prevent waste.

 

Scapanski, a care worker, says special needs children have improved lifestyles, but more funds are needed.

 

Newberger has long been an opponent of MnSure, the state health system, and says it should be abandoned. People are looking at 60% insurance rate increases, an offshot of ObamaCare, with a $400 million dollar website that hasn’t worked.

 

Newberger says government remains too big - it needs to be reduced, and with the costs that attend it.

 

It’s a message that has been enchoed by Mathews. Scapanski says family and womens issues remain a priority for her.

 

Brown wants the roads fixed.