Franzen: Keith Downey Misleading Voters with 'Cheap Political Gimmick'

Editor's Note: The following comes from the office of Melisa Franzen, DFL candidate for Senate District 49. The views expressed are solely hers and do not reflect those of Patch.

I am now in the home stretch of my campaign for the Minnesota Senate in District 49 which includes Edina, West Bloomington, and segments of Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. I’m grateful to the voters that I meet for engaging in a meaningful conversation about the public policies that affect their lives. And the number of volunteers, contributors, and supporters that have joined the campaign overwhelms me. I have personally knocked on more than 6,000 doors across the District in my effort to earn your vote on November 6.

Being a candidate has been a life-changing experience that strengthens my belief in our democracy. But it has not been without disappointment. In an e-mail in early September, my opponent Rep. Keith Downey proposed holding two debates before the election. His proposal was to hold the debates in two different areas of the District so that as many voters as possible can hear our positions and policies. Since I received that e-mail I have appeared in seven public forums across the District moderated by a variety of organizations including a local Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters, and local Parent Teacher associations and one hosted by the I-35W Transportation Solutions Alliance, which Downey chose not to attend. These debates were well attended by voters and many were televised and are still available for viewing on YouTube. I appeared at each one of these debates prepared to discuss the issues, to challenge my opponent’s track record, and to answer questions from voters. Seven debates is more than the number being held for United States Presidency or the Minnesota race for the U.S. Senate.

In recent days my opponent has chosen to ignore the facts, and is instead publicizing accusations that I refused to debate him on five different occasions. It’s disappointing that Rep. Downey is taking this opportunity to mislead voters with a cheap political gimmick instead of discussing issues and defending his track record. It is fiction, plain and simple, to suggest that I refuse to engage him in debate after having done so repeatedly. I invite you to visit my website, where you will find a calendar of the debates. I encourage you to take a look and make up your own mind.

At each debate, I took the full opportunity to speak directly to Rep. Downey and to challenge his extreme Tea Party agenda and his voting record. His voting record during two terms in the legislature reflects his willingness to roadblock and shut down State government, attack and short-change schools and teachers, block reproductive rights, deny women equal pay for equal work, support divisive Constitutional amendments for the purpose of political advantage, and accumulate one of the dirtiest environmental voting records of any legislator in the entire country.

Rep. Downey used the debates to trumpet his claim that Minnesota has a budget surplus, a claim that was characterized by former Republican Governor Arne Carlson as an "exaggeration" and "fiction" in a newspaper column titled "Republican legislators have forsaken fiscal integrity." Rep. Downey did not mention that his claim of a $1.1 billion "surplus" is offset by the $2.4 billion loan taken from the Education Budget. Rep. Downey described borrowing from the Education Budget by saying "We pulled an accounting gimmick basically to make our budget look more balanced than it was." An honest appraisal without the gimmicks, and some simple subtraction, puts the budget in the red by $1.3 billion.

During each of these debates, I clearly outlined my policy positions and my political philosophy: I’m a moderate Democrat and I will go to the Senate ready to negotiate and broker compromises that serve my constituents. I will vote NO on the Constitutional Amendments. I will support the construction of the Southwest Light Rail corridor and the 60,000 new jobs it will serve. I will defend pay equity for women. I will make sure women have access to basic health care and family planning services. I will work tirelessly to strengthen our education system and pay schools back the $2.4 billion borrowed from their budget. I will work to reduce taxes on small business, and streamline the regulatory process so that businesses and the economy can grow. And I will balance the State Budget honestly and without gimmicks.

I have enjoyed the seven debates and the public forum they provided voters to see and hear us engage on the issues side by side, in person. It’s disappointing that Rep. Downey is making false claims intended to fool voters into thinking otherwise.

As your Senator I will apply my experience as a corporate attorney for one of Minnesota’s largest employers. I will work together with my colleagues in the Senate, Republican and Democrat, to bring home sensible, pragmatic solutions that reflect our values and our priorities. I will be honest about the choices we face, even when those choices are difficult ones. I ask for your vote on November 6 so we can get to work.  

Sincerely,

Melisa Franzen

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