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>> Rep Pelowski thank you for sitting down and talking to us.
>> thank you, I appreciate it. >> can you describe your district and tell
us in what ways you in your district are similar? >> my district is primarily the city of Winona
is the largest one. I have Lewiston, have homer, those are relatively smaller communities
but still a very diverse. I'm a fourth generation and on and three generations of my family
had degrees from Winona State my father was and is in the Athletic Hall of fame for being
the only person to be the golf coach and captain of the team for the four years he was at Winona
State. My father was also good golf professional and a U.S. states and his brother was a pro
at Westfield and one time when half dozen golf professionals in the family. In southeastern
Minnesota and in others of the country and so why reflect the district I've? think after
four generations you have relatives who will definitely not be afraid to tell you what
to do. >> what is your occupation outside of the
Legislature? >> I taught it would own a senior high for
about 20 years and I've got about 20 years at one estate University of that jump faculty
have had and had been the adviser to of model legislation only one of its kind in the country
where we have 100150 students from as many as seven area high schools who for two days
will have their own Senate House and Governor they produce bill books that have been 400
pages plus in length and they have nine standing committees and have today is to balance the
budget of which date successfully do. Don't pass all the bills that pass about the same
percentage as we do but it's non-partisan. So the focus on process and policy rather
than politics. >> what legislation have you worked on in
the past that you are most proud of? I >> have your cake about $200 million in bonding
projects that of gone to Winona State, the Technical College, the city of Winona, and
other areas in the District and those are probably the most visible but that the committee
offered I did carry the legislation. I have chaired a Higher Education Committee twice
all times with billion dollar budgets both times we put record amounts into higher education
in this year predicted early we froze tuition for the first and I think in the history of
the state we froze undergraduate tuition at the University and MnSCU and we now are hopefully
addressing the other big problem and that we are fourth highest in the nation in student
debt and or hoping to begin to turn the corner on that.
>> what do you see as the biggest challenge the state will face in the next 10 years?
the bigger >> is challenge the state is going to face
is coming out of this recession. I think run a good path you are saying of last year of
budget surplus for the first time in almost a decade in the history of Minnesota, you're
seeing an investment again in what Minnesota needs education for instance as we also have
all day kindergarten for every school child in this state they will have all day kindergarten.
No one will have to pay to go to all day kindergarten and state and as a said we also froze tuition
we made record investments in local government aid, so you see the commensurate decline in
property taxes or very small property-tax increases. You're going to see a rather massive
investment in infrastructure roads, bridges, but keep on buildings, across the state and
I think the response has been the economy is improving nationally but Minnesota is also
leading the way were leading the increase in of jobs were leading the way and quality
of life and were once again to go to stay if you want to see how to innovate. The place
to go. >> if given the chance, who would like to
be for today or who would like to change roles with?
>> I'm a huge fan of Lincoln. I don't know if I would like to Lincoln I would have like
to have been there when Lincoln was making those decisions. I would like to have heard
him, I would like to have been able to have said I was there when he was crafting policy
and speeches and particularly his stories I would've loved to have been able to have
laughed at the Lincoln stories if I had a choice that's where would like to be. . .