Caledonia Argus

Davids proud to serve Caledonia

Posted: 1/7/03

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

Caledonia is moving in the right direction economically, said District 31B Representative Greg Davids at an address to the Caledonia Rotary on Friday, January 3.

ìIím excited to represent Caledonia,î he said. ìItís aggressive, but smart; extending, but not overextending. There are great workers in this area, and great opportunities for businesses to work and expand.î

Davids, now in his seventh term as a state legislator, is representing the Caledonia area for the first time, due to redistricting prior to the November 2002 elections. In his former district, Davids served venues as large as Rochester. Now representing an area that covers most of Fillmore County and Houston County, he can focus solely on small town issues.

ìFillmore County and Houston County are a great fit together,î Davids noted. Agriculture and tourism are salient issues in both counties, and the platform upon which Davids campaigned for the November electionñ focusing on K-12 education, nursing homes, and local government aidsñ are equally relevant in the two counties.

Heading into the 2003 legislative session, the forecasted $4.5 billion state budget shortfall, he noted, is of paramount importance. It will impact not just state agencies, but local agencies as wellñ cuts in local government funding, he said, is something that state legislators should be held accountable for, even when itís the local governments that might have to end up raising taxes.

ìOne of the most devastating things that can happen is cuts to local government aids,î Davids said. ìDuring my campaign, I said publicly and was very clear that if we as state legislators cut local government aids, we have to come out and say the local officials didnít come out and raise taxes, we did.î

The projected deficit, he added, is something that, though sure to raise tensions at the capitol, is manageable, and not without precedent.

ìIíve been through deficit periods before,î he said. ìThe moneyís tight, and thereíll be policy debates, but Iíll go day and night to try and make it work.î

The MN Department of Finance has asked for budget balancing input from the public, providing an online form on the Finance Departmentís website on which people can make suggestions as to how the state government can meet this yearís budget challenge. Davids exhorts district residents to contact him directly about this matterñ or other matters regarding state governmentñ through his St. Paul office.

ìI want people to call me, I want people to visit me at the capitol,î Davids said. ìIf they canít come up, Iíll meet them down here.î

Representative Greg Davids can be reached via phone at (507) 951-3893, or by mail at 379 State Office Building, 100 Constitution Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55155-1298.

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