Sen. Nelson Addresses Fellow Rotarians
Addressing her fellow Rotarians Thursday at the Kahler Hotel in Rochester, Sen. Carla Nelson gave some remarks as to how she carries the Rotary Club’s motto into practice.
Our Rotarian motto, “service above self” is the very thing we need in our communities, business and in our government. I’ve carried this motto, service above self, from my well known community volunteerism to the Minnesota Senate. It is a motto that I strive to live by.
Sen. Nelson went on to recount the highlights of her two years in office as a Senator from Southeast Minnesota.
Our first task at the legislature was to set the biennial budget for fiscal years 2012 and 2013. The reality we faced is that our state faced a $6 billion deficit for 2012 and 2013. In other words without changing the law, our state had committed $6 billion more in spending than it had in revenues. This was the largest budget deficit in Minnesota history.
So where are we today? According to the latest MMB reports the 2012 and 2013 budget has reversed from a $6B deficit to $1.44B surplus.
Sen. Nelson went on to illustrated how she is fighting to keep healthcare strong and competitive in the district, which she aided by working to phase out the 2% “sick tax,” and in trying to make Minnesota a more business-friendly by working in the Legislature to get business taxes down. Currently, the Tax Foundation rates Minnesota 45th out of 50 states for its business climate.
To work towards a state that’s competitive, Nelson cited her experience as an educator:
We must make sure our students are well prepared to succeed and fill technical jobs. As a former Rochester teacher, reading specialist and Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee, I have been a leader in enacting state policy to help our schools ensure that our students graduate college and are career ready. And it starts in the early grades as this Rotary Club will knows. That is why one of our club’s goals is early literacy.
As an example of the Rotarian virtue of “service above self,” Sen. Nelson graciously turned attention to her hard-working volunteers, a number of whom were seated in the dining room for the luncheon.
Everyone who’s selflessly volunteered their time in this campaign is doing so to build a better community. They want this to be a place where good jobs and educational opportunities thrive.