Greetings to all again in District 23A. I’m Colin “Coke” Minehart, born and raised in Albert Lea. I live seven-tenths of a mile from where I was born. We were fortunate to have had Naeve Hospital faithfully serve this area for well over 100 years.
In 1978 I was finishing my senior year at the University of Minnesota and having served as ALHS student body president and participating in two years of YMCA Youth in Government, I was ready to start a career in politics. District 31A was an open seat. The DFL endorsed Chuck Carpenter, and the Republicans endorsed Bob Haukoos. Two years later, I won the endorsement of the DFL, and I was defeated by the incumbent, Bob Haukoos. Never discouraged, I ran again unsuccessfully in 1982 and 1986. Bob served 16 years in the House and a term as mayor of Albert Lea.
Best thing that ever happened to me was not winning those elections. To grow up seeking a career on the floor of the Minnesota Legislature would have limited my growth and understanding of how the world really works. To become a self-serving politician is everything I don’t ever want to be.
In 1983 my wife, Sue, and I began our career as entrepreneurs in the food and beverage business in Manchester, moving over to Alden in 1995 and finishing up at MineAgain’s in Albert Lea at the end of 2024.
Along the way I gained intimate knowledge of small city operations that operate on tight budgets, volunteer fire department operations within the cities and townships and why the county-wide cooperation between all departments was developed to protect our county residents.
I also took time to step into leadership roles with the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association (MLBA) as president and chairman of the board and was a founding member and vice president of the American Beverage Licensees (ABL). Working within these organizations I honed my legislative skills over the past 40 years in St. Paul and Washington, D.C. I developed several working relationships with various legislators, a couple of governors and a slew of lobbyists. What did I learn working on bills favorable to small business?
You need to know how to negotiate the terms of a fair contract in good faith so you can do the same to negotiate fair tax and spending. You need to treat employees in a manner that has them show up for work when it is cold outside. They don’t want to let you down as they see themselves as working with you. You need to know how to serve customers so they return just like you will need to know how to advocate for constituents dealing with or impacted by state government.
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Good government results when the people speak and the administrators listen. I want to promote “economic zones” where smaller cities can take advantage of government incentives that not only benefit the business owner but the city participating in the zones.
Understanding health care and affordable access is changing at a rapid rate with disappointment and confusion creating chaos. The future of health care is regional medical centers and “hospital” at home.
Taxes will forever be a hot button issue. This Blue Dog DFLer will guard your tax dollars as they are mine, too.
As reported, it now takes a six-figure income to buy a house today. I will make this pledge to work diligently to create affordable housing ownership opportunities for our citizens rather than corporations.
Finally, no matter what the state does, we must maintain local control of our school systems. If we want to grow our smaller communities, we need to create new job opportunities so our kids can stay home.
I am not running as a mainstream Democrat seeking a political career. I already have had a career. I am running as a Blue Dog DFLer who was heavily influenced by Hubert H. Humphrey as a youth, a key founding member of the DFL that brought multiple factions under one roof. Being a small business owner with experience in building coalitions to move legislation puts me in a position to use my knowledge and wisdom to serve the people of Minnesota House District 23A.
Check out voteforcoke.com or Minehart for State Representative on Facebook. Then go vote DFL or Republican on Aug. 11.
Colin Minehart of Albert Lea is a DFL candidate for House District 23A.
Published in the Albert Lea Tribune here.