Representative Elect Kristi Pursell, who will represent the newly drawn District 58A in the State House of 
At the top of her list is the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee. Pursell is married to a former farmer and as the Executive Director of Clean River Partners for the past few years, she has worked closely with farmers on issues of soil conservation and sustainability. As a candidate, in fact, she campaigned on the idea that her party needs to make a better connection with farmers, and respect the coalition represented in the name DFL.
“I’ve been endorsed by the Democratic Farm and Labor Party, and I haven’t seen quite as much as I would like of that ‘Farm’ part showing up inside the party’s platform So that’s probably my number one, is I want to be pushing from the inside.”
Pursell said other issues she has prioritized include education and health care. As a former head of a non-profit trying to provide health insurance for her employees, she said she has a certain perspective on ways to improve health care costs in the state. And as a mother of two young children, education is an obvious priority as well.
She also said she has been taking a look at housing, which, among local candidates, was perhaps the top priority during the election. Pursell has taken a special interest in the rights of manufactured homeowners, coming on the heels of troubling issues that emerged from Viking Terrace this past summer. Pursell said she has talked to the new ownership of the Riverside Manufactured Housing Park as well, and she sees a difference between the way that group has worked to enhance their residents’ experience, and the adversarial tactics taken by Lakeshore Management, which took ownership of Viking Terrace last spring.
“So, the Riverside Park ownership has really invested in widening the streets so that emergency vehicles could get to all the homes looking at fixing their water infrastructure so it’s not so leaky and expensive. [And I’ve been] talking with our housing chair about how to make sure that residents of those parks especially feel like they have rights and that they have a voice.”
Pursell said she hopes to have her committee assignments by the end of the week.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Elect Kristi Pursell can be heard here
Underdahl sees education for new pols will be necessary
Representative Pursell will be a first term member of the State House of Representatives in the coming year, and she 
Northfield Hospital + Clinics President and CEO Steve Underdahl said it will be important that every new member, at both the national and state levels, understands the importance of local health care.
He said he believes the change in the US Senate will be helpful, because the Democrats’ wider majority should help with the confirmation of some of the Biden Administration nominees for important governmental roles – in particular the head of the National Institute on Health after longtime director Francis Collins announced he is stepping down.
But the more important issue will be to help new Senators and new members of the House understand that certain sectors of the healthcare system have to be funded in order to perform at the necessary level.
“I don’t know that I think that all of the answers to all of the questions in the world are about money, but sometimes it’s about money.”
Underdahl is especially concerned about long-term healthcare centers like nursing homes and organizations such as Laura Baker Services Association. The rates of reimbursement they receive from insurance companies have been steadily on the decline, and the governmental aid they receive does not do enough to offset that problem.
He said society tends to treat nursing homes with a disconnect. On one hand, it is very important to have a good place to send family and loved ones for the proper care, but on the other hand, with so many demands on governmental funds, organizations like nursing homes keep getting pushed to the back of the line.
If we do not make them a priority right away, he said, the consequences could be dire.
“I think we’re going to have to pick a lane here. Either we value these things as a society or we’re going to have to think of a new structure for this, because, again, my prediction is you’re going to see these many of these places blink out of existence this year.”
He said members of the healthcare industry will keep calling on all state and national legislators to make this more of a priority and take measures to avoid what could become yet another national crisis.
Search begins for consultant to guide new Comprehensive Plan
And, the Northfield Comprehensive Plan, a document created to guide policy making and the city vision for two decades
will expire in 2028, and the city is now preparing to write a new plan that will guide the city to nearly the midpoint of the 21st century.
The Comprehensive Plan sets direction for land use, housing and economic development; heritage and cultural preservation; transportation and related infrastructure. The adopted 2008 Northfield Comprehensive Plan and supporting documents can be found on the city’s website at northfieldmn.gov/CompPlan.
As plans to create the new plan are beginning to get underway, submissions are now being sought from consultants with expertise in writing municipal comprehensive plans, demonstrating use of best practices in people-centered policy development and planning for sustainability, race and ethnic equity, and inclusivity.
Respondents must be able to demonstrate success with inclusive and creative community engagement. Cultural competency with Spanish-speaking communities from Central and South America and demonstrated ability to involve those from all historically marginalized populations is critical.
A group appointed by the City Council will review, interview, and offer a recommendation of the preferred team. The City Council will review that recommendation by March 2023.
More information can be found on the Northfield website. The deadline for submissions is January 20th.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
[recent_post_carousel slides_to_show=”1″ limit=”5″ slides_to_scroll=”1″ category=”10″ media_size=”medium” dots=”false” show_read_more=”false”]
