DFLers OPEN PERMANENT MANKATO OFFICE

07/17/2005

[by Mark Fischenich; Mankato Free Press, July 14]

It’s not autumn. It’s not even an election year. But local Democrats have set up what they hope will be a permanent office on Riverfront Drive.

“The message we’re hoping to send out is that the DFL is a permanent presence down here, that we’re energized, that we’re active,” said Terry Morrow, chairman of the Nicollet County DFL.

Local Democrat Leigh Pomeroy said he was skeptical when the idea of setting up a permanent office— only the fourth DFL field office outside the metro area— was proposed by Morrow and congressional candidate Tim Walz.

“My reaction was ‘Are you kidding?’” Pomeroy said.

But Pomeroy said volunteers quickly dug into remodeling the space at 630 Riverfront Drive in Old Town, and the office is open every weekday and at times on weekends.  He attributes the enthusiasm for the office as a sign of the seriousness with which average people are now viewing politics and government.

“It attests again to the sort of bottom-up, grass-roots interest we’re seeing,” he said, referring to both the growing concern about foreign policy and Middle Eastern wars and the struggles at the Capitol in St. Paul.

The office serves state Senate District 23, which includes Mankato, Nicollet County and parts of Sibley County.  Part of the space has been rented to Walz for his campaign against Congressman Gil Gutknecht, R-Rochester.

Area Republicans say they have no interest in matching the Democrats with an office of their own—at least not until a few months before the election in November 2006.

Morrow said the office has a clear purpose.  It allows average people from southern Minnesota to get together, discuss important issues and work together to bring about change.

“A lot of the purpose here is not so much to win elections but to get people to be politically involved,” Morrow said.