Don’t Forget To Vote Downballot
When you vote, do you remember to check the back of your ballot to make certain that you voted for everything that’s happening? Sure, you know about the President, Congress, and State Offices. But what about your local courts, mayors and city council members, and park commissioners? Each of them play a vital role in how your city, county, and state works. Statewide and local elections can determine our rights.
85% of judges in the United States are elected, and most run unopposed. But when there is an opposed race, one should know about who is running. County Commissioners are like other legislative bodies, representing the interests of your community during regular meetings of the county board and at state and federal events. County services include things such as parks, libraries, and hospitals. City Councils are similar (depending on the city), passing ordinances into law and adopting city budgets. It’s important to be aware of what your city, county, and judiciary are doing and who is holding office.
I am not going to post every race happening, nor am I going to post the unopposed races. But here are some of the races that are in my area and in areas that I’ve been asked to look at.
Hennepin County Commissioner District 6
City of Edina Council Member
Elect 2
Associate Justice - Supreme Court 4
Michelle MacDonald
Paul Thissen (Incumbent)
County Commissioners
Chris LaTondresse’s Facebook states that the current District 6 County Commissioner, Jan Callison, has endorsed him - in fact, the people and organizations who endorse look good. He is a member of the Hopkins School Board, and he says that fighting climate change and gun-violence prevention are important issues. Inclusion and innovation appear to be important keys to how he’ll approach issues, and also recognizes that affordable housing and robust public transportation are important to the well-being of the county.
Dario Anselmo is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, having served in State District 49A before losing it to Representative Heather Edelson (who is running unopposed this year). Though this is a nonpartisan position, he was on the Republican ticket in the State Legislature - he now calls himself a “fiscally conservative, socially tolerant” centrist. His platform issues are hit-or-miss - his stance on taxes is concerning, his stance on public safety is tone-deaf, and his stance on transportation doesn’t say much. He did introduce legislation to raise the smoking age to 21 while he was a member of the legislature, however, and cosponsored legislation for universal background checks for firearms. Mental health seems to be his core issue.
Honestly, I would lean towards LaTondresse. Both candidates have some similar stances, but the fiscal conservatism is concerning. Fiscal conservatism always leads to a reduced safety net and a deficit, and I want Hennepin County to be able to run smoothly and efficiently.
Edina City Council
It’s a little more difficult to find background information on people running for city offices, unless either they did something extremely newsworthy beforehand or you dig deep. Otherwise, the most you’ll find will likely be their website and the fact that they filed for council. Fortunately, for the Edina City Council, the Sun Current already talked about the candidates’ platforms. Check it out, read the candidates’ websites, and go from there.
Judicial Offices
Associate Justice Paul Thissen is an incumbent Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice and former Minnesota State Representative. His website discusses his legal career and public service history, and he told MinnPost he is now seeking re-election to the court because he enjoys the job. The responses on his Minnesota State Bar Association questionnaire looks good, too.
When I saw that Michelle MacDonald was running, I asked myself why that name was so familiar. It’s because she ran for Associate Justice 2 in 2018 against the incumbent then. This 2014 MinnPost article is an important read before making any decisions on how to vote. She does not seem to have reformed, as her license to practice law was suspended in 2018 and got in trouble in 2020 for repeating prior misconduct; extra concerning because she was on a 2-year probationary period as well (read about the case here). Her Minnesota State Bar Association questionnaire does not look as good, either.
I strongly recommend reelecting Associate Justice Paul Thissen. Don’t vote for Michelle MacDonald. Just. Don’t.
I write these posts in an effort to help people find out about political candidates and become more informed about who they are choosing to represent them. I would appreciate it if you would share these posts to aid others in learning about their candidates. Together, we can build a better tomorrow.
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