Minnesota Capitol. Photo by Minnesota House Public Information Services.
Editor’s note: This is the third installment in the Reformer’s series introducing readers to the 22 new Minnesota House members and one state senator. Read our first and second installment.
A judge last month ruled that Rep.-elect Curtis Johnson didn’t live in his district and was therefore ineligible to serve, meaning that lawmakers will gavel into the session on Jan. 14 with Republicans holding the majority, 67-66, at least temporarily until a special election.
Because of the power dynamics, each new member can wield considerable influence not typically seen among freshman legislators. New members typically follow the lead of their caucus, as they are still learning how the Capitol operates.
But this year, new members can withhold their vote and gum up the entire caucus agenda.
The Reformer reached out to all 22 new members (including Johnson). Reps. Tom Dippel and Alex Falconer spoke with the Reformer for this installment; the others either participated in previous editions or did not respond to requests for comment.
Tom Dippel, R-Cottage Grove
Tom Dippel owns a dental manufacturing company, and he’s a board member and co-founder of Valor Classical Academy, a private K-12 school in Woodbury that teaches students a classical, liberal arts education also grounded in Christianity.
Dippel, who will represent House District 41B, said he ran for office because he grew up around the Cottage Grove area, and he wanted to give back to the community. His top issues include clean water for the Hastings-Cottage Grove area, where much of the water supply has been contaminated with per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances — known as PFAS — created by 3M.
Dippel, 42, said he’s working on a bill to fund water filtration facilities at Hastings’ city wells. Some of Hastings’ wells were not included in 3M’s $850 million settlement to clean up contaminants, so Dippel said he’s hoping the state can step in to help the city.
Dippel said clean water should be a bipartisan issue, though he also expects to clash with Democrats on the state budget.
“The budget was raised in an extreme way and we see what happens, what the aftermath and fallout of those kinds of somewhat irresponsible policy making decisions are,” Dippel said, adding that he hopes Democrats can work with Republicans to make life more affordable for Minnesotans.
In his free time, Dippel likes to hunt, and he listens to audiobooks at 1.75 times or double the speed.
Alex Falconer, DFL-Eden Prairie
Alex Falconer is the campaign manager for Save the Boundary Waters, an advocacy organization that works to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area from mining.
Falconer, who will represent House District 49A, has long been involved in DFL politics and has managed several congressional campaigns. He said he’s looking forward to proposing solutions from inside the Legislature. His top issues include protecting the Boundary Waters, ensuring students receive a quality education and lowering the price of health care for families.
Falconer, 44, said he’s also excited to get to know his fellow lawmakers and learn where they can find common ground to pass bipartisan legislation.
“I’m hoping for a general temperature reset that people can go to the Legislature with cooler heads, expecting that by the very nature of the session, we are going to have to work together and just get to know people,” he said.
A few years ago, Falconer combined two of his interests, running 110 miles across the Boundary Waters in 38 hours and 15 minutes.
Rep. Erica Schwartz, R-Nicollet
Erica Schwartz works for her husband’s business, the Nicollet Mart, a local convenience store and gas station. Schwartz declined the Reformer’s request for an interview. According to her campaign site, Schwartz was diagnosed with a brain tumor during her senior year of high school and worked as a single mother.
Schwartz will represent House District 18A, which includes part of Mankato, North Mankato, Kasota and St. Peter. She beat DFL Rep. Jeff Brand by three percentage points.
Schwartz focused on local issues and mostly stayed away from national politics, the Star Tribune reported. She said she’s seen people struggling to pay for food at her convenience store, the Strib reported.
In audio obtained by the Reformer, Schwartz once insinuated during a Republican fundraiser that Democrats are pushing the country toward the conditions that led to the Holocaust. She later apologized, saying she made an “inartful comment trying to highlight some of the reasons I ran for office: my deep concern about the one-party control in Minnesota, and the increasingly hostile political environment where free speech is under attack and Americans are divided against each other.”
Rep. Terry Stier, R-Belle Plaine
Terry Stier is the chief of police for Belle Plaine, and he’s married to Le Sueur police chief Pilar Stier, the state’s first Latina police chief.
Stier, who didn’t respond to the Reformer’s requests for an interview, will represent House District 22B, which includes Le Sueur, New Prague, Waterville and Belle Plaine.
Stier also serves as a board member of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association.
In an interview with House Public Information Services, Stier said he ran for office because of increased vitriol against law enforcement.
“The attacks on public safety have caused a lot of turmoil within law enforcement. We’re facing recruiting, retention issues across the state, and I think I can either talk in a coffee shop about what we can do to fix it, or I can step up and actually do something,” Stier said.
Stier said his constituents are tired of political polarization and would like to see Minnesota lawmakers come to the middle to get bipartisan legislation passed.
Rep. Drew Roach, R-Farmington
Drew Roach, a self-described “constitutional conservative,” is a small-business owner who was elected to replace longtime Rep. Pat Garofalo.
Roach is also an election conspiracy theorist who once got into a brawl with the son of a Rosemount city councilwoman. Roach was trying to serve papers at her house to notify her of a lawsuit to try to stop an upcoming primary election. Roach was charged with disorderly conduct after an altercation with the councilwoman’s son.
Roach, who didn’t respond to the Reformer’s requests for an interview, will represent House District 58B, which includes Rosemount, Vermillion, Farmington and Dennison.
In an interview with House Public Information Services, Roach said he’s not a politician.
“I’m just a regular, blue-collar guy,” Roach said. “I’m an outsider-type candidate … We needed somebody to represent the community with some strong conservative values, and so I made the leap.”
He said his priorities include promoting private school vouchers, getting parents more involved in their children’s education, lowering taxes and protecting 2nd Amendment rights.
Rep. Thomas Sexton, R-Waseca
Thomas Sexton is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and helicopter pilot.
Sexton, who didn’t respond to the Reformer’s requests for an interview, will represent House District 19B, which includes Owatonna, Medford and Waseca.
In an interview with House Public Information Services, Sexton said he declined to run for office twice in the past, but after enough encouragement he decided to run.
Sexton said the number one thing he heard from voters while door-knocking was that they want to see politicians get along. His top legislative priority will be public safety.
“We’re 1,000 officers short across the state,” Sexton said. “With my military background, I realize that people are not coming into the career field. Eventually that catches up with us, and it’s very hard to replace,” Sexton told House Public Information Services.