St. Louis Park Resident Ready to Get Back to Work

Justin Kaufman has had a long vacation—and he wants it to end.

The St. Louis Park resident and City Council candidate was . Jobless for 14 days now, he said he expects to be back to work by the middle of next week, though he knows nothing is set in stone yet.

"Everyone's holding their breath," the state negotiations manager said.

Kaufman said part of him has enjoyed the time off, as he's gotten to spend more time with his wife and kids. But ultimately, the feeling of uncertainty has worn on him and he said he just wants the shutdown to be over.

"I've gotten to the point where I don't even watch the news," Kaufman said.

When he does get back to the office, Kaufman said he knows there will be plenty of catch-up to be done, as he hasn't been able to check e-mails or voicemails remotely—something he said he typically does while away from work—during the shutdown. Kaufman said he expects similar scenarios to play out for many of the more than 20,000 state workers laid off because of the shutdown.

"I think everybody will be behind the eight-ball," he said. "Two weeks of work doesn't go away."

Kaufman said he could foresee some state employees leaving for private sector work, though he for one plans on remaining with the state.

"I like my job and I like what I do," Kaufman said.