Reprinted courtesy of

  October 23, 2004

Otto exhibits sounder judgment

Voters in the St. Croix River valley demonstrated in the February 2003 special election won by DFL Rep. Rebecca Otto that they preferred representation by a pragmatic moderate over a rigid conservative. They have the same choice this year, and ought to come to the same conclusion. Otto deserves reelection.

A business owner and former teacher from Marine on St. Croix, Otto, 41, quickly distinguished herself at the Legislature as she advocated responsible, lasting solutions to the budget shortfall. Her mantra is, "We have to worry about the next generation, not the next election."

As in 2003, Otto's opponent is Matt Dean, 38, an architect from Dellwood. He's a likable man whose campaign literature espouses numerous positive policy goals, such as increased bus transit service, a three-lane freeway around the Twin Cities and smaller class sizes. But he vows not to raise taxes to pay for them, calling them "long-term values" rather than things his constituents might expect anytime soon.

He expresses a degree of loyalty to Gov. Tim Pawlenty that calls his independence into question. He also latched onto one of the worst ideas to come from the Taxpayers' League, a constitutional ceiling on state spending, though he now says "it's unnecessary if the Legislature does its job." Otto exhibits sounder judgment.