by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Anne Buckvold of St. Joseph recently received the endorsement of DFL Central Committee of Minnesota House District 13A in her bid to unseat Rep. Jeff Howe in November.
The committee met June 8 in St. Joseph and unanimously endorsed Buckvold to challenge the incumbent Howe, a Rockville Republican, for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
“A number of locally-elected officials and state leaders have failed to take seriously the groundswell of support for the Northstar extension to St. Cloud,” Buckvold said.
The longtime citizen activist recently served as an organizer for St. Cloud GRIP/ISAIAH, a coalition of local faith communities intent on extending the Northstar rail line to St. Cloud.
Northstar runs 40 miles from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis using track and right-of-way owned by the BNSF Railway with passenger service starting in 2009 but it has struggled.
“I have an independent streak,” said Buckvold, a 40-year-old native of Minneapolis. “But at the same time I am very, very willing to work with people to get things done at the Capitol.”
She has been lead organizer for the “Finish Northstar” campaign during the past year, organizing and serving as spokesperson for multiple visits and communications with Minnesota legislators on issues of transportation for greater Minnesota.
“I am very discouraged by the lack of involvement or response from many of those elected, including my own Jeff Howe,” Buckvold said. “I finally realized we are not going to get traction with the issue . . . so I started to think about running . . . and the DFL reached out to me.”
The first-time candidate expressed frustration that elected representatives were unable or unwilling to pass a transportation bill with the needed long-term funding to maintain outstate infrastructure. But first she will have to take on Jane Leitzman in the DFL primary Aug. 9.
“St. Cloud to Minneapolis is one of the most traveled corridors in the state. It’s the fastest growing corridor in the state,” Buckvold said. “We know that our elected officials have been very hard pressed to pass a transportation bill with the funding that’s needed.”
Buckvold said her campaign will focus on transportation but also will address the “unmet needs of her district” regarding housing, education and jobs.
“I have four young children whose future is interconnected with the future health of our state,” she said. “I care about all children and what kind of future they will inherit if we do not plan and invest properly in our public policy decisions.”
Anne Buckvold
Jeff Howe
