Letter: Dotseth delivered for his district

It was disappointing to read a recent letter to the editor that missed the mark so widely regarding a Carlton County bonding project. The letter writer failed to recognize or understand the crucial role Rep. Jeff Dotseth played in delivering funding for this project and what he accomplished for the people of District 11A.

I am a past chair of the House Capital Investment Committee and currently serve as the lead Republican on the committee. The Capital Investment Committee receives requests for billions of dollars more than we appropriate for projects around the state. We strive to achieve political and geographic balance to serve the best interests of Minnesota. The request from Carlton County for $22.5 million for the Female Offender and Judicial Facility was a big ask. It is not uncommon to phase funding for such requests in increments. That is what happened in this case.

Since a DFLer currently chairs the committee, we tried the avenue of switching Rep. Dotseth from chief author of this proposal to co-author in hopes that a DFL legislator could influence the chair and get the full funding. That didn’t happen, despite full DFL control in St. Paul.

But, due to the tireless efforts of Rep. Dotseth, $10 million was garnered for the facility. In addition, two other bills Rep. Dotseth chief authored for the area received funding: The city of Cloquet received $5 million for a water infrastructure project, and $17.5 million went to the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District.

This is extraordinary success in a bonding bill for a freshman member. You are fortunate that Carlton County is represented by someone who understands the importance of bonding projects to his area and the State of Minnesota and, more importantly, knows how to get it done.

Rep. Dean Urdahl,

District 16A, Grove City