So you’re thinking of running for public office…

You’ve been thinking it’s time I stepped up to the plate and run for public office.  Maybe it’s the Township Board, School Board, Mayor or City Council, County Board or Board of Soil and Water. These offices are all non partisan except for the largest cities and counties in Minnesota and really are focused on overseeing the various levels of government. Over the years I’ve see many times people elected to an office on a single issue and they are going to charge that issue no matter what. Then they come to find out that most boards and councils are policy boards and the Superintendent, City or County Administrator actually runs the entity for the board or council. If after realizing all this you want to run for that office, I say more power to you.

Of course if you are looking at running for the State House or Senate Offices you cross over into a very partisan world compared to local government. There are two schools of thought on running for higher office. The route for me was being in local government for fourteen years on the North Branch School Board for ten years and the Chisago County Board for four years before I ran for the State Senate. I like this model because you learn how government works and spend time at the Capital in support of various bills and learn how the process works. The downside is you can develop baggage on votes you’ve taken at the local level.

The second school of thought is running for the Legislature without having held any office. Both ways work and with never having held an elected position you don’t have the baggage that some votes you take at the local level could make a nice campaign flyer against you.

It’s been one of the great honors of my life to have held elected office for eighteen years from School Board to County Board to the State Senate. If you decide to run your family needs to be behind you 100% and they will be in parades, fairs and phone calling for you.

After all this, you still want to run we can work on a plan for your campaign for filing to Election Day!

Thanks Rick Olseen