Guest commentary: Vote to continue our important work

It‘s been the honor of a lifetime to have served the citizens of Carlton County and all of District 11A in the Minnesota Legislature for the past 10 years. As we weigh the options of who will continue the efforts for working families, the environment, economic development, and the host of other issues that impact our lives, please consider your role while casting your vote on Nov. 8.

Do we want a representative that will follow his political party’s mandates that restrict a woman’s ability to choose her health care and reproductive options? I would rather trust women and families to come to their own decisions with the advice of medical professionals and clergy if they so wish. Let’s keep the hands of the government off of our bodies.

Working families are threatened by “right-to-work-for-less” legislation that is introduced annually and supported with zeal by the Republican caucuses. Stripping away the organizing and bargaining rights that have led us to the prosperity so many of us enjoy is just plain wrong for working families. We need not empower the legislature to weaken the rights of hard-working Minnesotans. Restricting the efforts of labor organizations that lift standards for all workers must be rejected.

Reasonable and responsible environmental stewardship has a proven track record in our state. The St. Louis River watershed cleanup efforts are paying dividends with cleaner water that supports a healthy fishery and recreation area downstream without restricting industries that are so critical to the economic well-being of this area. We need to be both wise and vigilant in protecting our natural resources.

I‘m not falling for the tactics being used by one candidate in the 11A race to instill fear and panic to motivate voter support. Carlton County is not under any threat from supporters of Black Lives Matter militants as has been suggested by one candidate. Perpetuating racial hatred and division by calling on people to prepare for conflict by securing a network of so called patriots to defend us from BLM interests is not only ridiculous but certainly mirrors the leadup to the storming of the capitol on Jan. 6, 2020.

We are better and smarter than that.

I will be putting my trust in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor endorsed candidate Pete Radosovich to ensure respect for women‘s rights, to continue supporting working families best interests,and to champion reasonable environmental stewardship.

Pete’s undying reverence for democracy and public service defines him as a superior candidate to serve us in St. Paul. He is not a political clone, but rather a moderate voice at a time when it is needed most.

Just a word of thanks to all that have afforded me the privilege of serving as a state representative. My wish is to see Pete Radosovich continue this important work.

Mike Sundin, DFL-Cloquet, is the current state representative for District 11A. He announced in spring he would not run for a sixth term. Contact him at [email protected], or at 651-296-4308.