by Dennis Dalman
Aric Putnam and Tama Theis will – for the third time – compete against each other in the November general election.
Election Day is Nov. 8.
This time around, incumbent state Sen. Putnam (Democratic-Farmer-Labor party member) will be challenged by incumbent House Rep. Tama Theis (a Republican who for the past decade has represented the greater St. Cloud area – District 14A).
In 2016 and 2018, Putnam challenged incumbent Theis for that House position, but he lost in both elections. In 2020, Putnam won as state senator for Senate District 14, which includes St. Cloud and surrounding areas. About 85,000 residents live in Senate District 14.
In last year’s legislative-redistricting process, District 14 was extended to include about half of St. Joseph, from College Avenue to the east right up to Waite Park and St. Cloud. At that time, Theis decided to file for election for the senate seat in District 14 instead of refiling for her current House seat in House District 14A. She was first elected to the House in 2013.
(The following are profiles of both candidates, based on their campaign websites and other information. The responses have been edited for length. Read the candidates’ responses in their entirety at thenewsleaders.com.)
Sen. Aric Putnam
Since 2003, Aric Putnam has been a professor of communication studies at St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict. He has also published many research articles and books, including “The Insistent Call: Rhetorical Moments in Black Anticolonialism, 1929-1937.”
Putnam was born at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, shortly after his father returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam. His mother was originally from St. Paul, his father from Washington, D.C.
Putnam grew up in California and earned degrees from the University of Minnesota (doctorate), San Francisco State University and the University of Maine.
In the Minnesota Senate, Putnam serves on the following committees: Aging and Long-Term Care Policy, Higher Education Finance and Policy, Jobs and Economic Growth Finance and Policy. He was the chief author of many bills on the Senate floor, including the following: establishment of an automatic voting-registration system, safe workplaces for meat and poultry processing, appropriations for summer education programs, allowing St. Cloud to impose a local sales tax and use tax, a grant appropriation to create the regional Great River Children’s Museum in St. Cloud.
His other legislative work involved a bill to prohibit price gouging, bills to encourage more people to work in childcare, responsible tax relief, supports for schools and smaller class sizes, bills to establish grant programs for colleges and universities, bills to enhance safe and thriving neighborhoods, efforts to help the homeless and create more affordable housing, business relief payments appropriation, and ways to encourage incentive bonuses to get more people to join local and state law enforcement agencies.
In addition, Putnam co-authored and/or signed on to legislation to establish the Hunger-Free Campus Act (ways for cash-strapped students to have access to nutritious foods), a Teachers of Color Scholarship program, a grant for Big Brothers Big Sisters and more.
Putnam and his wife, Laurie, who is the superintendent of the St. Cloud School District, have two children: Eliza and Phineas.
“In the last two years, I have had the honor of serving our community in the Minnesota Senate,” Putnam stated on his website. “During that time, I have held more town halls and listening sessions than all of the legislators in central Minnesota combined. Instead of relying on staff as most do, I’ve answered all my own correspondence. I’ve knocked on the doors of people who’ve sent me angry emails.
“In the last two years, I have had the honor of serving our community in the Minnesota Senate,” Putnam stated on his website. “During that time, I have held more town halls and listening sessions than all of the legislators in central Minnesota combined. Instead of relying on staff as most do, I’ve answered all my own correspondence. I’ve knocked on the doors of people who’ve sent me angry emails.
“I’ve done this work focused on our community, not party. No one cares if a Democrat or a Republican creates a job opportunity, helps them buy a home or educates their kids. I don’t either. Instead of being comfortable with partisan excuses, I’ve worked to create solutions.
“I’ve authored legislation that would provide healthcare for childcare workers to inspire more people to do this work and help the rest of us get back to work. I’ve authored five bills that would help recruit and retain law enforcement officers, and I’ve been a vocal advocate for building relationships between law enforcement and the community. I’ve advocated for mental-health supports in our public schools and passed the Hunger Free Campus Act into law so people who are trying to improve their lives don’t have to choose between eating and paying tuition. I have been a very effective legislator. But we still have work to do. And we are the people who will do it.”
Rep. Tama Theis
Since February 2013, House legislator Tama Theis has represented the people of House District 14A, which includes St. Cloud and the areas in or near Waite Park and St. Augusta.
A lifelong resident of central Minnesota, Theis has lived in St. Cloud for more than 30 years. She and her husband, Greg, own several small businesses of which Tama Theis serves as chief financial officer and business manager. They have three grown children, and all are members of the Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud.
Theis earned a degree from St. Cloud Technical and Community College.
Besides her legislative work, Theis is actively involved with many organizations: a mentor to small business owners as former president of the Central Minnesota Builders Association, past chair and vice chair of the Chamber Connection of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Sales and Management Advisory Board of St. Cloud Technical and Community College, a volunteer from Freedom Flight Inc. (which promotes awareness of POWs/MIAs), board member of the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, past president of Birthline, Inc., fundraiser for a new skateboard park in St. Cloud, former member of the board of directors for Quiet Oaks Hospice, a commissioner for the St. Cloud Transportation Infrastructure Advisory Board and a former member of the board for the Good Shepherd Lutheran Foundation.
A campaign statement on Theis’s website says the following: “Being a small business owner, a parent and lifelong resident of central Minnesota, I understand the values of our community. During my time in the House, I fought back against reckless government expansion and tax increases, and pushed for policies that help grow jobs, strengthen our economy and invest your tax dollars wisely.
“Now more than ever, we need to turn things around as our way of life in Central Minnesota is slipping away. With rising costs eating up family budgets, crime is rising to record levels, and our education standards continue to plummet. We need to bring common sense back to St. Paul. I will be a strong voice who prioritizes people over politics, and service above self.”
If she is elected senator, she noted, the following would be her legislative priorities:
One: Rebuilding the economy and tackling inflation.
“The (pandemic) shutdowns left a mark that has been difficult to come back from. Government induced inflation has made life more expensive than ever. We need to get money back in your pockets be returning the record surplus back to Minnesotans, because you know what is best for your family – not government.”
Two: Restore public safety and respect law enforcement.
“Rising crime isn’t just a Minneapolis problem, it’s a statewide problem, and we must restore public safety in our communities. That starts with respecting police as partners rather than an enemy. Holding violent criminals accountable with new sentencing guidelines in addition to investing in training, higher pay and loan forgiveness will help bring more qualified candidates and retain good talent in law enforcement.”
Three: Excellence in education and the empowerment of parents.
“Seventy percent of (prison) inmates cannot read at a fourth-grade level, and year after year education standards continue to drop for students across Minnesota, setting them up for failure in the long term. Not all students learn the same way either. Our education system cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. Our focus should be about reading and math achievement, not divisive political agendas.”
During the past year in the state House, Theis has served on the following committees: Commerce Finance and Policy, Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee, and as a ranking member on the House’s Housing Finance and Policy Committee. Throughout her decade in the House, she has served on many other committees.
Among the legislation she sponsored were the following: a bill allowing public prayer at student athletic events, a bill for an act relating to state government that permits the legislature to terminate any order by the governor directing a response to an emergency if that emergency continues beyond 30 days, an appropriation for the state funding program for state parks, work on the Hometown Heroes Act, a bill for an act for consumer choice of fuel and modifying some rule-making authority such as eliminating “Clean-Car” rules, many bills recommending tax changes or tax reductions, a bill to limit use of funds for state-sponsored health programs that provide abortions, requiring a photo ID to vote, a bill for “right-to-carry” firearms without a permit, and more.
State Sen. Aric Putnam
State Rep. Tama Theis
