|
Star Tribune | December 21, 2018
Minnesotans know Dayton well. They know a quirky fellow with a big heart, a deep love of Minnesota, a strong calling to public service, an unpredictable streak and too much humility to comfortably toot his own horn. But as he leaves office, a fanfare is in order, albeit one with a few discordant notes. Dayton has served this state well and deserves its thanks.
Dayton, 71, won the governorship in 2010 promising to reverse the disinvestment in education and social services that occurred during the two terms of his predecessor, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and saying he was willing to raise taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans (himself among them) to do so. With the help of a recovering economy and, in 2013-14, a DFL-controlled Legislature, he made good on both promises. As a result, both K-12 schools and public higher education are stronger, and state revenue is better able to rise apace with an economy in which rewards have disproportionately flowed to upper-income earners.
The state fiscal stability that ensued ranks among Dayton’s top achievements. It kept state and local borrowing costs down, made possible long-overdue investments in all-day kindergarten, expanded preschool programs as well as aid to cities and counties, and built the state’s reserves to more than $2 billion — the kind of cushion a $46 billion biennial budget requires.
Dayton has been a champion for social, racial and economic justice. On May 14, 2013, he proudly signed into law a bill legalizing same-sex marriages. He prodded state government to step up minority hiring; brought more diversity to the courts, restoring a female majority to the Minnesota Supreme Court (Perpich installed the first one); and secured an increase in the minimum wage.
[Read More]
Pioneer Press | January 4, 2019
Asked to list his most significant accomplishments in 40 years of public service, Dayton said he was proudest of restoring stability to state government. When he became governor in 2011, the state faced a $6.2 billion deficit and owed local school districts $1.8 billion.
Two years later, the state had balanced its budget and repaid the schools. Now it has a projected $1.5 billion budget surplus, a record $2 billion in a reserve fund and its AAA credit ratings have been restored, meaning it’s less expensive for the state to borrow money for roads, bridges and other public works projects.
“We’ve transformed the state’s fiscal condition from chronic deficits to chronic surpluses,” leaving it in a strong financial position for the future, he said.
Another top priority, he said, was keeping a campaign promise to increase funding for public schools every year he was governor, “no excuses, no exceptions.” The state grew school aid by $2 billion on his watch.
[Read More]
MPR | December 10, 2018
Dayton's two terms in office have sometimes been rocky and have taken a toll on his health. But he racked up significant accomplishments during his eight years as governor.
He leaves the state with a projected $1.5 billion budget surplus and more than $2 billion in reserves, a dramatic turnaround from eight years ago, when Minnesota faced a projected $6.2 billion deficit.
He pumped an additional $2 billion into education during his time as governor and guided complex public works projects to fruition, including the Vikings stadium and funding for the Southwest Corridor light rail system.
Dayton signed gay marriage into law. He raised the minimum wage and made good on a campaign promise to raise taxes on the state's top earners. DFL Party activists, who literally shut him out of their 2010 endorsing convention, gave him a standing ovation at this year's gathering.
[Read More]
Woodbury Bulletin | December 17, 2018
When Gov. Mark Dayton and I took office in 2011, Minnesota faced a $6 billion shortfall, and the state's public schools had weathered more than a decade of inconsistent funding and even outright funding cuts. Graduation rates were stagnant, full-day kindergarten was only a dream, and public preschool options were limited or nonexistent.
As we prepare to leave office in January, Minnesota has regained its financial footing, paid back more than $2 billion in school shifts that had been used to balance the state budget, and our public schools have benefited from the governor's promise kept to increase school funding every year, "no excuses, no exceptions." Our graduation rates are the highest they've ever been, 99.6 percent of school districts offer full-day kindergarten, and more than 35,000 young children have attended or are attending high-quality preschool in a variety of settings.
[Read More]
|
The Timberjay | December 20, 2018
While his record as governor is one of real achievement, Mr. Dayton will likely be best remembered for his genuine decency and sincerity, two exceedingly rare commodities in politics these days. As the scion of the department store founder, Mr. Dayton clearly never entered politics as an occupation. He didn’t need to enter the fray and face the slings and arrows of his political critics. What we have witnessed in Mr. Dayton throughout his political career is a genuine desire to serve the public, and particularly those who, on occasion, need a helping hand. Time and again, Mr. Dayton has demonstrated compassion and has always been willing to listen to those who don’t have high-powered lobbyists to represent them. He may come from great wealth, but he has always recognized the challenges faced by average Minnesotans and has worked to make life here a little bit better and a little bit kinder. As he looks toward the end of his career in politics, Mr. Dayton has much of which he can be proud.
He entered political life with a sincere desire to make Minnesota a better place. He can enter retirement with the recognition that he has done exactly that.
[Read More]
AP | December 17, 2018
Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton says his proudest accomplishments in his 40 years of politics came late in his career: restoring state government to financial health and funding all-day kindergarten.
"Being governor is where I've have accomplished the greatest good for Minnesota," Dayton said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Now getting ready to "sashay into the sunset," Dayton said his two terms as governor contrasted with his frustrating single term in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2007.
As an anti-war activist at Yale University, Dayton earned a spot on President Richard Nixon's "enemies list." He took a more establishment turn later in the 1970s, when he worked as an aide to then-Sen. Walter Mondale and served as the state's economic development commissioner under Gov. Rudy Perpich. He made an unsuccessful first run for the Senate in 1982, self-financing it with nearly $7 million of his personal wealth as a member of the family that launched Dayton's department stores and Target discount stores. After one term as state auditor and an unsuccessful run for governor in 1998, he ousted GOP Sen. Rod Grams in 2000.
Now 71, Dayton is not sure what he'll do next. His health problems been aggravated by lung damage that was a complication of his recent back surgery. He fainted during his 2017 State of the State speech and underwent surgery last year for prostate cancer.
When Dayton became governor in 2011, the state was facing a $6.2 billion budget deficit with hardly any money in the bank. As he prepares to leave office Jan. 7, the state is projected to have a $1.5 billion surplus for the next two-year budget period, with a $2 billion reserve fund to cushion against future downturns.
[Read More]
ECM Editorial | December 26, 2018
As the administration of Gov. Tim Walz prepares to lead Minnesota for the next four years, the former congressman from Mankato will certainly face hurdles and challenges. One thing is certain for the new governor: Minnesota is much better off today than it was eight years ago.
And much of that credit has to go to DFL Gov. Mark Dayton who was first elected in 2010 and won a second term in 2014.
[Read More]
MPR | January 2, 2019
Every new year should start off with the type of letter to the editor that Seng Vang got published in today’s Star Tribune.
As Gov. Mark Dayton’s time in office winds down, I feel compelled to share my personal observations about his leadership and why this wealthy and powerful politician will always be remembered as a “man of the people.”
[Read More]
 KSTP | December 31, 2018
In one of his final interviews as governor of Minnesota, Gov. Mark Dayton said progress with the economy and education are among his top accomplishments, while rough rollouts of two new major information technology projects affecting health care and driver licensing marked his biggest frustrations.
[Watch This]
|
