by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Michael Willemsen of Sauk Rapids believes deeply in his heart in the essence of democracy as spoken so succinctly by Abraham Lincoln in his address at Gettysburg: “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
That, a longing to be a public servant, Willemsen said, is why he is seeking the Democratic-Farmer-Labor endorsement as a candidate for Minnesota Senate District 13, a seat long occupied by Michelle Fischbach (R-Paynesville), who is now serving her seventh term.
Senate District 13 includes the area of the cities of St. Joseph, Avon, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, Cold Spring, Kimball and Paynesville.
Willemsen, 34, said he hopes to win the DFL endorsement at the March 1 caucuses in District 13.
Willemsen, who has never run for a political office before, is a behavioral aide for a local group home. Raised in Sartell, he and his family moved to Sauk Rapids years ago. He graduated from Sauk Rapids-High School in 2000, then earned his certification in holistic health therapy from the Tao Institute, St. Cloud. Among the many holistic disciplines he studied and practices are acupressure and massage.
Other issues for which Willemsen is passionate are the importance of excellent education, the application of land stewardship, the need to check global warming and strengthen ways to enhance everyone’s health. He’s a strong believer in healthy diets (he himself is a practicing vegetarian), and he believes preventive medicine must be emphasized so there will be less need for catastrophic fixes, such as surgeries and other expensive treatments for health crises which could have been prevented through wiser lifestyle choices.
“I care a lot about global warming,” he said during an interview with the Newsleader. “If we don’t do something about that, all is for nothing if we do not protect our ecosystems.”
Willemsen said at one time he pondered seeking the DFL endorsement for one of the two legislative districts in Senate District 13. But at the time, another DFLer planned to seek the endorsement so he decided to try for the senate endorsement.
If he wins the DFL endorsement, Willemsen plans to do an extensive door-to-door campaign to meet the people before the Nov. 8 election. He recently read a book entitled Doorstep Democracy by Jim Read, a professor at St. John’s University. That book, he said, was a true inspiration about the importance of winning elections and representing the people by meeting them one by one, at doorsteps, in person, up close.
“It’s important to meet people face to face,” Willemsen said. “It’s important to listen to them, to talk with them, to find out what matters to them.”
Michael Willemsen of Sauk Rapids recently announced he will seek the DFL endorsement as a candidate for Minnesota Senate District 13 in the November election.
