Meet the Candidate: John Swanson
With the filing deadline behind us, Patch looks at the local candidates for legislative offices.
Editor's Note: Today is the last in a series of bios on the candidates for District 46 seats. These races will be decided during the General Election on Nov. 6. Today, we look at John Swanson, the Republican challenger in House District 46A.
John Swanson
Party: Republican
District: House District 46A
Political Experience: Has not run before
Occupation: Retired computer systems executive
Education: University of Illinois
Home: Plymouth
Age: 71
Family: Married to wife Sherry, with two sons, and a daughter who passed away 10 years ago
Campaign Points/Goals:
- Swanson said he believes strongly in public education. "I'm basically running for the kids." Along with his wife, Swanson started a learning center in Minneapolis for inner-city youth about five years ago. He said he wants to use his experience to help find ways to spend money more efficiently in the classroom.
- Along the education lines, Swanson said he thinks it's important that parents be kept better informed of how their children are doing. Swanson also said he wants better pay and support for teachers.
- Swanson supports the voter photo ID amendment. "We've had some very close elections. We need citizens to be confident that their vote counts."
- From his work experience, Swanson said he understands budgeting well. He said he'd focus on spending money "wisely."
- Swanson said he wants to bring residents of 46A together, as Plymouth is new to the district after redistricting. "I want to represent all the people of the district."
Mike Hindin
8:05 am on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Nice person with great community record of working with disadvantaged children and convicts. He became divisive when he attacked the League of Women Votors debate hosts for an audience question and spouted other tea party slogans.
John Swanson
4:43 pm on Sunday, November 4, 2012
The league person asked a question that showed a bias which she could have easily restated. John does favor cutting as much as we can from the government budgets so we can fund education without raising taxes as his opponent wants to do.
mike savick
5:22 pm on Sunday, November 4, 2012
The rules were stated that the moderator was going to read audience questions. They did not say they would edit the questions. You were so ready to spout the standard teaparty slop that you failed to listen to the instructions and made a fool of yourself.
John Swanson
4:41 pm on Sunday, November 4, 2012
His opponent wants to raise taxes on everyone; that includes more revenue from:
Higher Personal Income Taxes, More Sales Taxes, New Internet Sales Taxes, Higher liquor and cigarette taxes, and More Business taxes. He has said, " I probably voted for every tax increase I could" during his time in office.
mike savick
5:30 pm on Sunday, November 4, 2012
"John does" "His opponent" or your opponent? Who is writing these comments? First persoin or third person? Or aer there two Jophn Swansons? Comments were probably taken out of context as usual. Minnesota retail businesses want an internet sales tax to level the playing field. Democrats propose to pay for the budget items instead of borrowing and spending using gimicks like tax shifts and borrowing from the schools.
John Swanson
8:38 pm on Sunday, November 4, 2012
Democrats and Republicans representatives and Governors have voted for the shift for several years. This is not a recent issue nor one that either party can claim that other party deserves all the blame. With interest rates so low it turns out the shift has enabled the schools to receive more funding which is a good thing.
John Swanson
8:43 pm on Sunday, November 4, 2012
Regarding the LWV's and their using questions from the audience. Actually, the a League has the right and the responsibility to edit questions from the audience when they are stated in a biased way. After the St Louis Park LWV forum, one of the the League members apologized to me because the moderator used a biased question. She stated that the moderator or the assistant to the moderator should have revised the wording of the questions to remove the bias. I believe the LWV works hard to be unbiased so I was surprised when they used a biased question.