Legislative candidates debate issues

Sept. 29--St. Cloud-area candidates for seats in the Minnesota Legislature debated health care, education and other key topics Thursday at a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

About 100 people attended the forum at the Whitney Senior Center, which featured all seven candidates for the Senate District 14 and House Districts 14A and 14B seats.

Although the candidates clashed over some issues, they agreed on much, including the need to reduce partisan bickering at the Capitol. Several painted themselves as independent and able to buck their political party when necessary.

"If the DFL were to send me talking points, I would correct them, grade them and send them back," said Aric Putnam, a college professor running as a DFLer against Rep. Tama Theis in District 14A.

The candidates did split over MNsure, the state's health insurance exchange system. Rep. Jim Knoblach, who is running to keep his District 14B seat, called it an "unmitigated disaster" and said the state should scrap it and use the federal exchange instead.

"It's already there. It is working in other states," Knoblach said. "Why are we spending all kinds of money here to reinvent the wheel? Let's just use what's already out there."

He suggested Minnesota should allow for-profit companies to sell health insurance in the state to increase choice and competition.

Theis noted that counties are seeing rising costs from having to hire more workers to help people enroll in MNsure. In some cases, people have found out too late that they weren't actually insured, she said.

"It's not convenient. It's not doable," Theis said.

Knoblach's challenger, DFLer Zachary Dorholt, said as a mental health professional, he deals with health insurance every day. He noted that MNsure is not insurance, but an exchange for private insurance companies.

"It is the private insurance companies who are raising their rates," Dorholt said. Nonprofits are working hard to reduce costs, he said. Dorholt proposed tort reform and other regulation changes to help reduce costs.

With the majority of the audience was made up of older voters, many of the questions focused on topics important to seniors, including phone scams and funding for nursing homes.

Republican Jerry Relph, who's running for the open District 14 Senate seat against DFLer Dan Wolgamott and Libertarian candidate Steven Zilberg, called for more education to help prevent seniors from falling victim to fraud. He said he'd support a central hotline for victims to report scams.

"The idea here is that if people are aware of this, if they're educated, then they can be armed and be able to deal with it," Relph said.

By 2020, Minnesota is projected to have more people older than 65 than school children. The candidates had varying ideas about how to deal with the so-called "silver tsunami."

Wolgamott proposed continuing to defer property taxes for seniors and increase local government aid to cities to help seniors afford to stay in their homes.

"It is devastating when seniors have to move out of their lifelong homes because of the property tax burden," Wolgamott said. " ... We've got to do everything we can to prepare as a state for the changing demographics that face us."

The St. Cloud Times is sponsoring a town hall-style forum for District 14 candidates on Oct. 17.

Follow Kirsti Marohn on Twitter, Facebook or contact her by phone at 320-255-8746.

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