Thursday, December 6, 2012
In a statement released yesterday, Rep. Ryan Winkler said that without revenue, we can't fix Minnesota's budget issues.
In light of Gov. Mark Dayton's statement on November's 2012 budget forecast, Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-District 44B), said that the only cure to Minnesota's budget issues is to find more revenue and invest in students and school. “With a $1.1 billion deficit, $1.1 billion owed to schools, class sizes at 47th in the nation, kids of color graduating at half the rate of white students, college and university funding at 1998 levels and student debt piling up, Minnesota’s budget is in tatters and we’re not investing in future prosperity," Winkler said in a press release. "We can’t fix these problems without more revenue." Winkler said the budget forecast shows that Minnesota will spend less on government in 2015 than it did in 1991. "We need to …
Friday, November 16, 2012
Rep. Ryan Winkler said that the "saga is over."
Minnesota received its final payment in its $8.9 million settlement with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. over the collapsed I-35W bridge. This settlement and similar past settlements went to substantially reimbursing taxpayers for the Survivor Compensation Fund. State Representative Ryan Winkler (DFL – Golden Valley) released the following statement: “After five years, this saga is over. I want to thank Attorney General Swanson and Minnesota taxpayers for their work and patience during this process, and thank the legislators and many others who worked on the I-35W Survivor Compensation Fund. Without it, people would have waited far more than five years for compensation. Thanks to that action, victims weren’t held hostage to the legal process…
Monday, October 8, 2012
Two House races and a Senate race will be on the ballot this November.
With the Nov. 6 election fast approaching, Patch wants to give you the chance to pose a question to the District 46 candidates. In the Senate District 46 race, incumbent Sen. Ron Latz (DFL) is taking on Republican challenger Paul Scofield. There are two local House races—in 46A, Democratic incumbent Rep. Ryan Winkler faces Republican John Swanson, and incumbent Rep. Steve Simon (DFL) takes on Republican challenger David Arvidson in 46B. In the comments below, we welcome you to post your questions. If you'd like to just question one particular candidate, please note that. Otherwise, we'll assume all questions are intended for all the candidates. Please keep questions civil and respectful. We'll gather some of the best questions we receive …
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
At a Tuesday night forum, local politicians said more funding needs to go to districts.
Local DFLers are making one thing clear—if they're elected into office this November, they will push to get more money to schools. At a Tuesday night forum in Hopkins, House members John Benson (District 43B), Steve Simon (44A) and Ryan Winkler (44B), along with candidates Yvonne Selcer (48A) and Paul Rosenthal (49B) said shifting funding back to school districts after last year's shutdown diverted money is a primary goal this session. "To me, the state's responsibility (to funding education) has been woefully lacking," Benson said. The deal that ended the two-week government shutdown in July 2011 included delaying $700 million in K-12 payments statewide. Winkler said that if he wins his reelection campaign against John Swanson, he'll …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
In a statement Wednesday, Rep. Ryan Winkler said that modern transportation is a necessary component of 'economic competitiveness.'
Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-District 44B), announced that he supports Gov. Mark Dayton's decision to delegate $2 million to the Southwest Corridor Light Rail Transit project. According to statement released Thursday, Dayton announced which projects would receive part of the $47.5 million in DEED bonding funding. In a press release, Winkler said: “I would like to thank Governor Dayton for recognizing that this region's economic competitiveness requires a modern, efficient transportation grid that includes mass transit. I would also like to thank the Twin West Chamber of Commerce, Greater Minneapolis Chamber and Greater St. Paul Chamber for supporting Southwest Corridor, and for making the clear statement that rail transit is good for business. …
Monday, June 25, 2012
With the filing deadline behind us, Patch looks at the local candidates for legislative offices.
Editor's Note: Through Tuesday, Patch is running bios on the candidates for District 46 seats. These races will be decided during the General Election on Nov. 6. Today, we look at Rep. Ryan Winkler, the Democratic incumbent in District 46A. Tomorrow, we'll look at his opponent, John Swanson. Party: DFL District: 46A Elected: to the House in 2006, and re-elected in 2008 and 2010 Committees: Government Operations and Elections, Legacy Funding Division, State Government Finance Occupation: Attorney Education: BA from Harvard, JD from University of Minnesota Home: Golden Valley Age: 36 Family: Wife, Jenny, and three children Proudest accomplishment in office: “My proudest moment in office was passing the Interstate 35W compensation bill,” …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The plan passed by a 38-28 margin late Tuesday.
Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) joined 37 other senators in passing a Vikings stadium bill late Tuesday. With the 38-28 vote, the plan will now head to a House-Senate conference committee so differences can be ironed out. The Star Tribune reports that both the House and Senate bumped up the amount the Vikings would pay—the House to $532 million, the Senate to $452. The team has proposed $427 million. In addition to changing the state's overall contribution, the Senate also tweaked how that money would be raised, adding a series of user fees on things like tickets and parking that would supplement money raised from expanded gambling, the Star Tribune notes. The conference committee will be responsible for reconciling the two bills and …
Monday, May 7, 2012
The state representative added the plan is not without its flaws, however.
- OPINION
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Monday, May 7, 2012
Editor's Note: The following letter was sent to constituents by Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-District 44B). Dear Neighbors and Friends, Minnesota’s economy remains slow, and too many of our citizens are still looking for jobs and cannot find them. We have an immediate jobs shortage, and we must take action to create a broadly prosperous state for our children and grandchildren. Yet state government has been incapable of providing even short-term solutions, much less embracing a vision for economic success. The current Vikings stadium debate is a vivid demonstration of our inability to set the right priorities for our state. Building a Vikings stadium will not produce long-term economic growth. Every independent economic analysis shows that …
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Sadder: 'Voters should ask him why he supports this whopper of a job killer.'
- OPINION
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Saturday, April 28, 2012
To the editor: There has been much debate between the majority and minority parties in the Legislature on who can create jobs. I've supported some tax credits or grants; some believe we should use bonding dollars for job creation. One thing I think all the parties would agree is that it is a bad idea to charge businesses an extra tax when they create new jobs. That would undoubtedly take us in the wrong direction. So why is Rep. Ryan Winkler, D-Golden Valley, supporting a 900-percent increase in taxes on corporations for increasing a firm's payroll as the chief author of H.F. 2480? Minnesota taxes its corporations on an average of three items: its sales; its property value; and its payroll. It has wisely relied mostly on the sales factor, …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
A stadium bill failed in a House committee on Monday.
After a Vikings stadium bill failed in a House committee on Monday—a move that leaves the plan in "peril," the Star Tribune reported—an advocacy group is urging people to contact legislators, including two from Senate District 44 that voted against the bill. SaveTheVikes.org states that the setback could potentially send the team packing to Los Angeles. The group is asking people to contact the nine legislators in the House Government Operations and Elections Committee who voted against the plan. Senate District 44 DFLers Ryan Winkler and Steve Simon were among the "no" votes. Winkler questioned the value of the plan for the state. "How do we know we're getting a good deal?" he was quoted as saying by the Pioneer Press. "Are we subsidizing…
Bill Levine
2:01 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012
Not what most of us want to hear! Granted, more revenue would greatly help, but to say that the "only" cure for our achievement gap and our ailing schools is: Winkler said in a press release. "We can’t fix these problems without more revenue." Well..I am not sure I agree with this! Throwing more money at education will not solve the achievement gap! Until you get parents on board with their … more ›