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>> Rep Nornes thank you for coming in today and talking to us.
>> glad to be here. >> what do you do for professional career,
and what can you share about your life? oxide the life
>> I'm retired from my career prior to the legislature. What I did during those years
and it is the early 1960's I attended Brown Institute on Lake St. and got into the broadcast
field. I became I guess you would call a deejay a program director a TV weatherman, a former
reporter and a lot of a variety of things and eventually got to be a station owner and
that was my goal I guess to be my own boss. So I had that dream come true and I was in
the radio business from about 1962 until 1997. That's the same year I came to St. Paul. Sometimes
life works out that way. >> can you describe the District you represent
and tell us what your constituents care about? >> I live in west central Minnesota in Otter
tail County specifically I did not pick that location to live in, I came there because
I had a job I did realize what really was there till I got there. Then I found out it
has everything and it has a thousand lakes believe it or not in one county 10% of Minnesota
lakes are in my county and at most people don't know that. In past still has some dairy
farms is a big deal farming as a variety of farm lands from rolling hills to real fertile
plains in the valley. So it's agriculture, it is recreation, tourism, industrial health
care we basically have a tall and people are concerned about all those things. When it
comes to government and laws and regulations I can't take any one thing I guess so we have
Education Bennett didn't mention we of a community college and so education is a big part of
it. It is a variety and it's an interesting place to represent because of and our economy
is so diverse 11 thing is up something else might be down so it evens out we also have
an ethanol plant located there. That is a big part of our agricultural system so I consider
myself one of the luckiest representatives to have such as need area.
>> what legislation have you worked on in the past that you are most proud of? education
>> has always been on my agenda. Whether it's early childhood I serve on that committee
many years, Kate 12, I chaired the Higher Education Committee twice and I still serve
their as the lead Republican. So I think probably some of the bonding projects would be things
I can point to that are long-lasting we have a conference center we added on to the prairie
wetlands learning Center we have central lakes trail that runs from Fergus falls almost all
the way to St. Cloud that's actually part of Lake woebegone trail. That was something
that we got we got the final part of that done through legislation and it worked on
behalf of the city this pasture because we of a large state hospital they're trying to
redevelop and we have some language that we were able to pass last year that gave it another
two years a reprieve before the wrecking ball comes in and that is for a lot of people in
the committee that was a major thing. >> why did you initially decide to run for
office as a representative? >> have been asked that a few times, and I
was quite a bit younger when I think back to those days I served 12 years on the school
board. I had worked hard in the professionalism and still was in fact that's about the time
I got into real heavy ownership with my own corporation and I had enough to do but I had
an interest in since I was on the school board and interest in being on the other side of
the educational equation because we were responding to what the state was telling us we had to
do. I thought this is frustrating so if there's a chance I would like to be on the other side
or I can represent the school board and other members who feel like I do so was kind of
the basic reason for it. Then there was an opportunity in 1992 some we went through the
precinct caucuses in Minnesota and there was some there was some unrest people were happy
with the current Representative and I was recruited to challenge him. I did add an in
1992 I did do it again in 1994 and finally I won in 1996 so I run three times get my
certificate. >> what are your hidden talents or hobbies?
>> I'm not good at most things but I used to play the trombone. In fact was a card-carrying
member of the Union at one. Pass I really was not good and a dissident have to take
a test to get the card but I was playing in a band a city and and will have to be union
members. That's in the past I don't do that anymore but I play the piano and I have three
panels in my house a baby grand and electronic data and a spin that and most people are content
with one. So I have three I can only play one at a time and also collect guitars and
the other thing my wife and I both do together we enjoy camping so were campers and we do
that in a motor homes were not roughing it much but it still camping so I've a variety
of things I do outside of the state legislature. . .