State Representative candidates

Duane Quam
Name: Duane Quam
City: Byron
1. Tell us a little about yourself, to the extent you feel comfortable. (family, job, hobbies, etc.)
Raised on a farm near Byron, graduated from Byron, married to my wife, Pat for 40 years. Have degrees in Engineering and Physics. Have worked at IBM, Motorola, and Bosch. Served on the Byron and ZED boards. Chaired the MN Academic Science Standards writing committee.
2. Why are you running for this position?
To continue to being your voice for doing things smarter and better. When bills move through committee, being there to ask questions to highlight gaps and working to avoid unintended consequences.
3. What is something in your past that has prepared you to run for office and serve the public?
I grew up on a farm, learned early not to do stupid, because it takes greater effort and cost to fix it.
I’ve worked with or volunteered at over two dozen schools; including help create and drive corporate programs for local schools.
I’ve worked at creating new things, testing to find weaknesses and making them better to prevent failures. I look of innovative solutions and am good at finding and avoiding unintended consequences.
4. What specific issues do you hope to address if elected (please limit to top 3 issues)?
Regulations that make MN a difficult place for businesses and farmers.
School funding, for decades has been funding failure. Successful schools, like those in our area, get a fraction of the average per pupil funding. Half of all increases should be evenly per pupil. All the special programs should be reviewed for effectiveness. Continue or expand the ones that work, cut ones that don’t.
Allow options, so that local governments can pick what works best for their community.
5. How do you work toward compromise with people who share differing opinions?
On numerous occasions, I have worked with my colleagues across the aisle. An example from this year, is when the transportation chair asked me to write a micro transit amendment, even though I’m not on his committee, he included it in his bill.
6.) Are you willing to vote against a personal belief for the “common good?”
Yes, I have voted for my district and for compromises that got a solution passed.
Heather Holmes
Name: Heather Holmes
City: Byron
1. Tell us a little about yourself, to the extent you feel comfortable. (family, job, hobbies, etc.)
I grew up in Superior, Wisconsin, and my husband, Amos and I are high school sweethearts. We lived in California briefly while he worked as a wildland firefighter and then moved back to Minnesota in 2006 to be closer to family. We’ve got a 16 year old daughter named Gabby. We share our house with two tree frogs and a tortoise. I earned my bachelor’s degree in biology and have worked in research jobs since college. I’ve worked in my current research lab studying kidneys for almost 18 years. However, I have done research in a variety of fields including aquatic biology, coral reef ecology, botany, and agriculture. As far as hobbies go, I love reading, hiking, running, baking, and making art. Our family also really enjoys going to concerts and the theater. If you love musicals, I can’t recommend Hadestown enough. It’s my absolute favorite!
2. Why are you running for this position?
I am running because I believe in making Minnesota a place where everyone is free and empowered to make the life they choose. Being in the legislature gives you a unique opportunity to help shape our communities and make life better for our neighbors. It’s an amazing way to give back and truly make a difference. Part of what inspired me to say yes to running for office is my daughter. From an early age, she has done what she can to give back and try to make the world a kinder and more just place. She can’t vote or run for office but still does so much. Even though running for office is way outside of my comfort zone, I realized if my child can do all she does, I could say yes to this opportunity. While it’s a lot of work, it has been an amazing experience so far. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done this year!
3. What is something in your past that has prepared you to run for office and serve the public?
Working in science for over 20 years has given me a skill set that I believe will be really useful for being a legislator. First, I am naturally curious and love to ask questions and learn about new topics. I am able to learn new information quickly, critically analyze data, and then apply that knowledge to whatever I am working on. In the lab, we frequently have to improvise and come up with creative solutions to problems that arise. Finally, being in a research environment has helped me to understand what information I don’t know, be willing to ask questions, and look to people who have a better understanding than me. No one can ever know everything about everything, and I think it’s important that people (especially our legislators) be willing to learn from others.
4. What specific issues do you hope to address if elected (please limit to top 3 issues)?
There are a lot of issues I would like to address if elected. One of the biggest is to continue the work for our rural Emergency Medical Services. Much of Greater Minnesota (and all of Dodge County) is served by volunteer ambulance services. We must protect these vital services to ensure that everyone has access to emergency care when they need it. Serving on the school board has given me more insight into the issues facing our public schools. Making sure there is equitable funding for our public schools is vital. When our schools don’t have the resources they need, it ends up costing taxpayers in higher property taxes from referendums and levies. Investing in our children’s educations is something that is beneficial for our communities and helps to create a strong workforce. Finally, I would like to work on making childcare more affordable and accessible. Childcare is infrastructure. We already have workforce shortages in our state, and if people don’t have reliable affordable care for their children, they can’t work. It is an incredibly complex issue, but it is one that needs to be addressed.
5. How do you work toward compromise with people who share differing opinions?
When working towards a common goal with people who share a different opinion, I think it’s important to first figure out what viewpoints you have in common. Starting with where you agree can help build common ground and a good rapport. Then it’s important to be willing to listen and try to understand the other person’s point of view. If you truly understand the other person’s perspective, it helps to foster mutual respect, even if you disagree. You can then move forward with deciding what both parties are willing to compromise on.
6. Are you willing to vote against a personal belief for the “common good?”
There are certain beliefs I hold where I would not be willing to do this. However, if there was legislation being discussed that I personally agreed with in principle, but in reality it would be harmful to our district, I would be willing to vote against that. As a legislator, your job is to represent the people in your district and do the best you can to support what is needed for your area.