House 10A candidates Kresha and Hipp meet for debate

BRAINERD — Incumbent Republican Rep. Ron Kresha, who represents District 10A in the Minnesota House of Representatives, faced off against DFL challenger Julia Hipp during a debate Friday evening in Brainerd.

The debate aired on Friday, Oct. 11, on Lakeland PBS in Brainerd, with the candidates fielding questions on topics including community, child care, schools and the economy.

District 10A covers areas in Aitkin, Crow Wing, Kanabec, Mille Lacs and Morrison counties, including the cities of Aitkin, Fort Ripley, Isle, Onamia, Little Falls and Randall.

Kresha kicked off the debate by thanking his wife and kids for sticking by him since he started in the House in 2012.

Telling the audience that he would get into policies and ideas during the debate, Kresha started by telling the story of how he and Hipp met during the campaign.

“One of the first times we met was through a parade,” Kresha said. “I had my dog, Teddy. I was walking through the parades, and Julia had brought her dog. And admittedly, the first time we met, I was like, ‘Oh, I can't believe my opponent brought a dog too.’”

Kresha said after they met, they got to know each other and developed a friendship over their love of dogs and the outdoors.

“A lot of the ideas that we have, we go back and forth on, and I think that cordialness has carried forward,” Kresha said. “In fact, I don't want to embarrass you, Julia. But I'm standing outside, and she looks at me, she says, ‘I have to do this.’ And she fixed my collar. And what I realized was, this is not Ron running against Julia. This is just us talking about ideas.”

Kresha said he was looking forward to giving the voters a look at their candidates and how they plan on taking their ideas to St. Paul.

Jumping in where Kresha left off, Hipp said their friendship has flourished thanks to both of them being willing to talk to each other and not at each other.

Hipp described herself as a dedicated individual who brings a unique blend of experiences as a mother, a businesswoman, an athlete, a hunter and an advocate to her leadership approach.

“My campaign is built on five pillars, economic development, affordable housing, affordable health care, clean water and education,” Hipp said. “These pillars are interconnected and cannot be addressed effectively without considering the others. Freedom and democracy are at the core of my vision for a better Minnesota.”

Health care for all is important, Hipp said, especially as a cancer survivor.

“Making health care accessible and affordable, including drug prices, is a top priority for me,” Hipp said. “Environmental justice is crucial in the face of a warming climate; both urban and rural communities have felt the impact of climate change. I will advocate for sustainable solutions such as environmental practices and the conservation of our natural resources, including habitat conservation. As a bird hunter and outdoor enthusiast, I am passionate about preserving our outdoor experience for our current and future generations.”

The first question candidates were asked was about a shortage of affordable housing across the state and what state legislators can do to address it.

Hipp said a significant part of the issue is the aging population, particularly in Aitkin and Morrison counties.

Along with saying adequate housing is needed for the aging population in the area, she talked about a local nonprofit organization in Aitkin that gathered a coalition of contractors and other resources to get funding and grants for a 41-unit housing project.

“Those are the kinds of initiatives that as a community we can all pull together and solve this, or at least have a resolution to the housing issue,” Hipp said.

Kresha said when it comes to affordable housing there are some things the state can do and some things it can't do. One of the things that they could do is to help counties by reducing property taxes.

“We want these young families to be able to afford a house,” Kresha said. “It's one thing to be able to get into the house and then have a mortgage in principle, but we have to be able to keep those ongoing costs down.”

Kresha said another part of the housing issue is an aging population where some will be looking to transition into other new homes or assisted living.

Those older homes are not being put back on the market, Kresha said. So young families are not able to enter the market by buying that old fixer-upper, making updates and then moving on to the next house.

“Right now, the state actually hinders this because we're putting too many restrictions,” Kresha said. “We're making it harder. What we need to do is take some of Calvin Coolidge’s ideas from when he was president. That is, stop making the mandates, stop making the laws, and let things just work themselves out.”

The next question asked what can be done at the state level, within the constraints of the Constitution, to try and prevent a future school shooting.

Kresha said that every time a horrific shooting happens, or any violent thing happens at school, he wonders how a person gets to that point in life where they decide to take whatever tragedy in their own life out on students in a school.

He said the DFL removed school resource officers during the last school year.

In 2023, school resource officers were pulled out of schools in Brainerd, for example, at the suggestion of the police chief in response to changes in the wording of state law. Across the state, officers were removed from schools by their departments in response to the change in wording.

At no time did the law remove officers from schools.

The law previously stated school resource officers could use a level of reasonable force to “restrain a student or to prevent bodily harm or death.” The newly adopted language removed the word “or.” The amendment also states school employees and agents (including school resource officers) “shall not use prone restraint” or “inflict any form of physical holding that restricts or impairs a pupil’s ability to breathe.”

Following clarification from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, school resource officers were reinstated in the Brainerd School District under a new contract in October 2023.

Kresha said he thinks getting back to having a good home environment with a family could help with some of the issues facing young people nowadays, as there is no way to legislate evil out of the world.

“We're just going to have to continue to pull together as a community,” Kresha said. “We're going to have to care about these kids and these families. You know it's an unfortunate reality of what we have today. I don't know that there is any silver bullet that would just stop this.”

Hipp said she would start by banning AR-style rifles, improving the state's red flag laws and bolstering the permitting that goes into a private gun sale.

“The root of the problem really starts in the family,” Hipp said. “We need more, especially our young ones, need more mental health help and more awareness of the health that is there. There are a lot of young people that are hurting.”

Hipp said there needs to be regulation along with increasing the mental health resources in the community.

In his rebuttal, Kresha said he voted for and supported higher standards for straw purchases. A straw purchase occurs when an individual buys a firearm for someone ineligible to purchase or possess them.

“If you buy a gun and you give it to somebody else illegally, you should be held to higher standards and you should be prosecuted,” Kresha said. “And if that person kills somebody, I think you should be tried for murder.”

Hipp said she agreed and that there was a lot of room for improvement.

The candidates were asked what policies they would look to enact to assist the aging population in rural areas.

Hipp said she saw it as a combination of things that would be needed to bring the necessary economic growth back to rural areas.

“This could include investment in infrastructure development to improve transportation and connectivity, providing financial incentives for businesses to establish and expand operations in our rural areas, offering tax breaks or credits to reduce operating costs and promoting workforce development programs to enhance skills and attract talent,” Hipp said. “Additionally supporting our local entrepreneurs, fostering innovation, expanding access to affordable health care, child care services can further stimulate economic activity and lower cost for businesses in rural cities and counties.”

Hipp said that would be a start, as she does not have the experience that Kresha has in the Legislature.

Kresha said he agreed the aging population issue is a big problem and talked about solutions to assist people as they transition to the later stages of life.

“One of the ideas that I've had and a bill that I've been working on, is allowing somebody that's been in their family home for a long time to transition to a newer, single-level home, and put in tax incentives so that they can save money when they sell that home. Retain the tax savings because they're going to need that money down the road for health care down the road, as they transition from the family home to maybe that little townhome. And then when they transition to assisted living, their costs in health care are only going to go up.”

Kresha said helping the aging population would also help younger families find homes and get them to move to areas where they are needed.

Along with that, he said leaving $19 billion on the table while not funding any emergency management services was a mistake, as rural services and the people who live in those areas suffer.

Asked if either of them had a rebuttal, Hipp said no and Kresha mentioned that he was a big supporter of virtual health care, seeing firsthand how it helped his mother-in-law.

Candidates were asked about the closing of the mental health hospitals and what the Legislature can do to address the deficiencies in mental health resources.

Kresha said he would support strengthening the state's mental health resources along with supporting additional funding for personal care attendants who come to people's homes to assist them with their health care.

“When I look at mental health or families that have children with disabilities, those are two areas that stick out to me,” Kresha said. “I think we absolutely should come in and try to help those families.”

He said he supports the workers and programs that help families in their homes.

Hipp said she was not aware of any policies currently in the Legislature to address the issue of mental health but would advocate for more support.

She talked about how her family had to work through problems with addiction and how she understands what families are going through.

“Having empathy for the family unit (dealing) with that addiction, it requires mental health professionals to reach out,” Hipp said. “And particularly the younger generation, and particularly men are less likely to reach out for help, and we need to raise awareness of these kinds of programs, as well as the subsidies that go towards them.”

Asked for rebuttal, Kresha told Hipp he was sorry her family had to go through that and said it's important for legislators to hear these stories as it puts a human side to what they do in the Legislature.

Candidates were asked what piece of legislation, if passed, would have the greatest positive impact on their constituents.

Kresha said that if he could only pass one, it would be to pass a simple state budget each year and not argue about adding things in.

“I think the best legislation we could do, the best we have as legislators, we get down there and pass a fair state budget every year we come in,” Kresha said. “If we could, again, I'll go back to Calvin Coolidge, President Coolidge, if we could just pass a fair state budget that didn't have any more mandates, and we just let things work through the economy for a little bit. Then we can start to see what's working and what's not working.”

Kresha said he always tells his constituents not to ask for new laws or bills to be created because, though it may help some, it will also affect people negatively as well.

“The unintended consequences are far worse, many times, than the original kind of law,” Kresha said. “We have to stop over-legislating.”

Hipp said one of the biggest things she would get behind are free or discounted meals for kids. She said children who often go hungry are more susceptible to anger and attention issues in school.

Though she, too, would like to see some things work themselves out. Hipp said she would want to look at the combination of factors and the variables of those decisions before making a decision that would have lasting effects.

Candidates were asked how they plan on making sure the voice of Greater Minnesota does not get lost when bringing it down to the metro.

Hipp said a difference could be made by having colleagues in the Legislature she could talk with and by helping one another to find solutions to problems. She would also bring the power of women down to the metro and enact positive change.

“A legislative representative needs to possess principles of justice and fairness and eloquence and moral clarity while advocating for issues for all the people, such as infrastructure development, economic opportunity, women and women and voter rights; it takes a heartfelt attitude for caring about our residents,” Hipp said.

Kresha said there are 87 counties with 134 members of the House and each of them are fighting every day to get resources for their constituents and their communities.

“I don't doubt, you know, as Julia said, the power of women, frankly, the power of her fighting, would come down to fighting that seven-county metro,” Kresha said. “I think that any legislator that is in 10A is going to take that on. The one advantage that I have is my experience and my relationships. I've been down there. I know how the place works. It (took) six years to understand the budget, to understand where pieces are. Then, I have experience as a senior legislator and lead on education. I lead in the Ways and Means with Rep. Heintzeman, and that leadership matters because when a bill comes up, you go to the leaders.”

Kresha said his experience leads him to find the right people to talk to when he is unsure of an answer or needs help.

Candidates were asked what they would do to support agriculture in the district.

Kresha said, as a legislator, he is going to go to the experts and those who work more closely in the farming industry.

“I'm going to work with them, and then I'm going to find out what's the best agricultural policies we can put in place, and then what programs we need to fund and to keep,” Kresha said.

Hipp said she would support the preservation and protection of farmland through soil conservation and sound, sustainable ecological practices.

She said the economic well-being of rural communities can be achieved through the preservation of small businesses and family farms by having fair prices for agricultural products, access to farm credit at reasonable terms and interest rates and temporary relief during economic emergencies.

The last question asked of the candidates was what they would do to help alleviate the child care shortage in Greater Minnesota.

Kresha said he feels part of the problem lies in a breakdown of family, talking about how single parents are at a disadvantage, often needing to work multiple jobs to pay for care.

“You go to some areas of the state, and I've heard these stories where moms are like, ‘Well, I'm planning my pregnancy based on when there's an open slot,’” Kresha said. “I don't know that the state can fix this.”

Kresha said that is a hard question to answer, as the state is still looking for answers.

Hipp said she would start with offering incentives for child care.

“The supply is low, and the demand is high,” Hipp said. “So there again, that's where the prices are going to go up, supply and demand. We need to figure out a way that we can have child care and without — I hesitate to say — without any added regulations.”

Hipp said she is hesitant to talk about lessening the regulations as she had experience with someone she knew who was sexually assaulted in child care at 6 years old due to a lack of regulations.

“That cost to a family is unbearable, and we need to figure out this problem of having proper child care,” Hipp said.

Hipp said she is a dedicated individual who values hard work, integrity and brings a unique blend of experiences as a mother, businesswoman, athlete, hunter and advocate to her leadership approach with a firm belief in the power of women to drive positive change.

“I'm confident in my ability to make meaningful contributions to our communities,” Hipp said. “My commitment lies in supporting the people of Minnesota and achieving financial security and living lives of autonomy and dignity. This election is not just about policy. It is also about values and character. In the face of widespread challenges where many individuals are grappling with financial uncertainties and concerns about their way of life, I'm determined to work towards solutions that promote well-being, resilience and prosperity for all.”

She said she is committed to prioritizing her constituents' concerns and working to strengthen communities and create an inclusive economy. Her key issues are habitat conservation and rural family farms, ensuring water quality, improving health care accessibility and affordability, promoting affordable housing and senior living, addressing economic challenges including child care, tax reform, safeguarding workers rights and upholding the freedom of democracy.

“I just want to encourage everyone to overwhelm the negativity that's out there with good thoughts and good actions,” Hipp said. “To hear good sounds, speak good words and show the good that we are. Thank you so much, and I invite you to join me in bridging our way forward.”

Kresha started by thanking Hipp for joining the race, as her ideas and passions have helped shape and sharpen his ideas. He said as a state representative, he takes accountability and responsibility very seriously, as he is accountable to the people that he represents and to his family.

“We need balance,” Kresha said. “We need to take the ideas that are coming from the metro and the other ones and put those up against a backstop of rural Minnesota middle-class families and say, enough is enough. Let's stop with this. Let's put some balance.

“Because if the voters and the people that I serve are coming to me saying, ‘Hey, Ron, I'm making my dollars stretch further, I'm working harder, I'm taking on the job,’ then we at the state level should be doing the same thing that they're doing. And that accountability and responsibility that, frankly, we've seen a lack of with the administration we have now, and the parties in place, that has to stop. We all have to be responsible for the decisions and votes we make.”

The House 10A debate can be watched in its entirety at tinyurl.com/ya6nw5h7 .

TIM SPEIER, staff writer, can be reached on Twitter @timmy2thyme , call 218-855-5859 or email [email protected] .