Transportation

Ted believes Minnesota needs to re-invest in its transportation infrastructure and build the safest, most effective transportation system in the country. 

Safety First:  Obviously, the recent collapse of the I-35W bridge has shined a bright spotlight on safety concerns.  We must prioritize our transportation spending to ensure that unsafe roads and bridges are repaired or rebuilt as soon as possible.

Valuable Time:  A recent study found that in 2005 the average Twin Cities area driver spent 43 hours sitting in their cars on the way to and from their jobs.  The study found that Twin Cities area congestion cost a total of $1.1 billion!  For Andover and Ham Lake residents, the time spent in our cars is most often higher than the rest of the metro.  That’s time that we could have spent more productively on the job, in our communities, or at home with our families.  Ted will work to upgrade our transportation system and eliminate bottlenecks, especially those found on Highway 65 and U.S. Highway 10.  The economic and quality of life costs of the alternative are too great.

Education

As the husband and son of teachers, Ted knows enough about education to know that we ought to give our teachers the resources they need in the classroom and the Legislature should get out of the way. 

Our public schools should be focused on preparing thoughtful, problem solving, civic-minded students who can become future leaders.  This should start with pre-Kindergarten programs and continue through strong support of Minnesota college students.

Ted believes in limited testing to track performance of our schools, but it must be done with a focus on long-term results.  The State’s constant changing of standards and tests in the last few years has resulted in confusion among the public and great anxiety among educators that has caused some of the best and brightest to leave the profession.

Health Care

Ted has worked in health care finance at the University of Minnesota and has real ideas to improve our health care. 

Minnesota has the lowest rate of uninsured people in the country.  That means we are in the best position to become the first State in the country to truly have affordable, comprehensive health care for all.  We can get there by building on and creating efficiencies within our existing system. 

The first health care initiative Ted will push for at the Legislature is to allow small business owners and their employees to buy into privately administered health plans backed by the State and for small business owners to receive tax credits for contributing to the cost of their employees’ coverage.  This will moderate the rapid premium increases seen by small businesses in recent years and will help ensure more Minnesotans have access to the health care they need.  

Additionally, Ted will work hard to eliminate costly administrative hurdles our doctors face every day so they can focus on caring for patients.  Having a common claims submission format for all insurance companies in Minnesota is one step in the right direction and Ted will work to make sure that happens.

Jobs and the Economy

In Minnesota, we’ve been fortunate to be the birthplace of great companies like General Mills, Medtronic, 3M, and Target and we’ve all benefited from their economic contributions.  But where will the next generation of companies come from?  Ted believes that if we invest in our education and transportation infrastructure, and remove barriers to entry for entrepreneurs, we CAN grow the next generation of great Minnesota companies. 

Ted’s health care plan for small businesses would be one step in the right direction.  A recent study found that one of the top reasons potential entrepreneurs don’t start their small businesses is concern about affordable health insurance.  We need to ensure that small business owners have access to affordable comprehensive health care for themselves, their families, and their employees.