by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Michael Willemsen comes from a long line of farmers from the Cold Spring and Eden Valley areas, but he hopes to make a difference in St. Paul come November.
The 34-year-old from Sauk Rapids was endorsed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party in St. Joseph in April and recently filed his candidacy for the Senate District 13 seat.
“I’m running, honestly, because I care about our community,” Willemsen said of his first bid for an elected office. “I care about the environment. I care about education.”
The Sauk Rapids-Rice High School graduate hopes to take on state Sen. Michelle Fischbach, a Republican from Paynesville who is in her seventh term.
“I think one of the biggest reasons I’m running is because we need to provide funding – you know, more affordable higher education – and more money for our schools and more local-government aid,” Willemsen said.
Senate District 13 includes the cities of Sartell, St. Stephen, Sauk Rapids, St. Joseph, Avon, Clearwater, Cold Spring, Eden Valley, Holdingford, Kimball, Paynesville, Richmond, Rockville, Roscoe and Waite Park precinct four. It also includes 18 townships in the area.
“I think we can lead the way with regards to the environment for renewable energies – solar power, wind power, geothermal and those kinds of things – because I think we have a limited amount of time, and we really need to take into account future generations,” Willemsen said.
Willemsen is a Sauk Rapids native. He is a holistic health professional who works at Everyday Living in Sauk Rapids.
“One of the big things I’m running for and that I’ve heard a lot from people when I’ve been out door-knocking is they want people who are willing to work together in our state legislature,” Willemsen said.
Willemsen said he believes in “working democratically to seek equitable and compassionate solutions for our communities around central Minnesota.”
“I’m a strong advocate for unions and for labor,” Willemsen said. “As a working-class citizen, I believe in the rights of the working class. I also believe in the rights of farmers and small family farms.”
Willemsen will be participating in parades on Saturday, June 4, in Rockville and on Wednesday, June 8, in Paynesville.
“There is so much we can do as far as equity and redistribution of wealth, but we need a fairer, progressive taxation system to actually be able to do that,” Willemsen said.
Michael Willemsen of Sauk Rapids is running for Minnesota Senate District 13, which includes the cities of Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St. Joseph and St. Stephen.
