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>> Representative Norton thank you for joining us. >> I'm happy to be here.
>> tell us a little bit about yourself your district and your professional career.
>> I represent District 25 b and as Northwest and Northeast Rochester I came to the legislature
basically with a background in heavy voluntarism. I did nonprofit work on the the director for
nonprofit on math and science related an academic background is in education so all I never
formally worked as a teacher in K 12 I worked in the area of special-education birth to
three cited home visits and I used my educational and special education background that way
and very much enjoyed it and because of some of that work either as a volunteer or my career
I have advocated for children of lot on education and health-care issues so I came into politics
and an unexpected way I certainly never expected to end up doing politics at all. I have very
much enjoyed at the out reach and serves on the school board for each year's first and
then ended up running for the state House. Basically I come at this work with an interest
in policy more than politics. >> what are your top legislative priorities?
>> for this year certainly it is a bonding year so there are a number of bonding projects
certainly two or three times maybe a little more than that now ideas and projects that
are proposed that we can afford in the state and spent a summer driving around on the boss
looking at those project and it will be a tough decision I think to whittle that down
to some what under $1 billion of bonding projects. By local community has the Rochester Civic
Center the civic and convention center is growing, local civic center for many years
ago into a midsize criticized convention center that's needed for our committee so that's
my local project but there are a myriad of state wide projects we really need to get
moving roads and bridges and other state infrastructure priorities.
>> what do you see as the biggest challenge facing your district?
>> Rochester is a medical committee for one, and I think the challenges locally are growing
we are a growing committee so are we going to grow our going to grow in a smart way how
can we be more than just a medical community? we have to look at other businesses and other
concepts for entrepreneurial growth in our committee so we been doing that for the last
couple of years with a really strong economic development association as well as a Chamber
of Commerce that works with the community and part of my job here is to watch that and
see if there are things we can do to help our committee growth in a very smart way both
environmentally and energy wise and and certainly the destination Medical Center legislation
that passed last year was up part of that making certain we ever really strong infrastructure
to support the growth we know is coming in the next 20 years.
>> what is the most difficult aspect of being a legislator?
>> hands down its the partisanship and sometimes not very subtle communication and behavior
among politicians. I think was also struck over the years not only by the partisanship
issues but also the differences in regional areas within a party. At the Democratic caucus
I serve and gas certainly focused heavily from the Twin Cities area but there are those
of us who represent more out state region's agricultural and the Iron range all within
the caucus and meeting all those needs and remaining civil and and beyond that becoming
friends and I think that's a challenge here sometimes in the Legislature how can we get
to know each other as people and his friends so we can be more civilized when we work together
when we disagree. >> if given a chance who would like to be
for a day or who would like to change roles with?
>> in my lifetime one thing always can have an affinity for our this will may seem strange
ice skaters and I was a gymnast and that part if you will in that sport if I could be a
champion skater or gymnast for a day. . .