Our View
Vote for Harry Welty in 7A Republican primary

House District 7A represents 36,800 people in eastern Duluth. Geographically, the district also includes Lake Superior Unorganized, but there is no population there.

The general election to be decided Nov. 5 will feature incumbent Rep. Tom Huntley of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the winner of the Sept. 10 Republican primary.

The editorial board interviewed the two candidates running in the Republican primary, Al Johnson and Harry Welty.

House District 7A
Republican primary:
Harry Welty

The Republican primary election features a choice between a person who has some elective experience at the local level and a person who is a newcomer to elective politics.

Welty is serving his second term on the Duluth School Board. Johnson is a paramedic for Gold Cross Ambulance and St. Luke's One medical helicopter.

Johnson says he would bring to the Minnesota House the perspective of a person "not tainted by politics." He says his job as a paramedic has prepared him for the stress and long hours of legislative work.

Welty says elective experience ought to count for something. He's had to deal with budgets and political pressures. He's made difficult decisions to erase school deficits and says he would bring the lesson he learned in this to solving budget deficits at the state level.

Taxes

Both men, to their credit, have rejected the justly maligned "no new taxes" pledge. Both would raise the gas tax, which hasn't been increased since 1988 and has been eroded by inflation, to pay for transportation projects. Both men consider it a travesty that the Legislature was unable to pass a transportation bill in 2002 because too many House members foolishly signed the pledge.

But Johnson and Welty do have different approaches on other tax issues. Johnson is pushing a property tax freeze. Welty supports the recent reform that cut residential property taxes but says "we don't need a freeze." He points to the example of California , where a property tax freeze "fouled up" the state. Welty's approach is more realistic.

Education

Both men support requiring students to pass eighth-grade basic-skills tests in reading, writing and mathematics.

Johnson would eliminate the higher standards portion of the new graduation rule, called the Profile of Learning. Welty has a more nuanced position. He says it's a "good construct" that needs some modification, but he doesn't want to "throw out the baby with the bathwater."

Johnson says the "old ways worked well" from when he was in school. We believe Johnson is naive.

It is no longer enough just to get an education in the "three Rs," particularly as our economy increasingly demands skills in the use of information-based technologies.

IRRRB

Both candidates minced no words in criticizing the 60-year record of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. Welty says it has been rife with cronyism and that too many projects have been "cosmetic," squandering money in ways that do not contribute to the economy. He'd like to see a more open board and would give the governor more appointive power. Johnson also says the agency is in "dire need of checks and balances" and that it has squandered millions of dollars. His solution, however, would make things worse. He wants the agency to be regulated by county boards and industry leaders.

In a community dominated by the DFL Party, Welty has been willing to put his name forward and to bring Republican Party issues to the debate. That should count for something. In his first run for the Minnesota House in 1976, he received 29.3 percent of the vote. In 1978, he received 17.1 percent. In 2000, he was willing to take on a powerful, entrenched Senate incumbent, winning 30.2 percent of the vote.

Johnson is a young man with a future. We encourage him to learn from this campaign and get some political experience for a future run. He's energetic and enthusiastic, and he cares about people.

Welty describes himself as a "creative individual" who can "think outside the box." Others might describe him as quirky. He will no doubt bring his maverick style to the fall campaign.

In general, Welty has more nuanced, practical solutions for state problems than Johnson. Welty is the stronger candidate to face incumbent Huntley in the general election.

What you can do:

Watch the editorial board's endorsement interviews with House District 7A Republican candidates Johnson and Welty. The one-hour forum will be broadcast on Public Access Cable Television (PACT) channel 7 three times: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; 11 a.m. Thursday; 2 p.m. Sept. 6. Remember to vote in the primary election Sept. 10