Here's our interview with William Beck who is running for the legislature in house district 41B that covers Cottage Grove, Denmark Township, Hastings, and Nininger Township. He's the endorsed republican candidate for this November's election.
1.) Tell us about yourself, how long have you lived in the Cottage Grove area? What line of work are you in?
I'm a husband and father of two young kids, and they're the reason I decided to run for office. Like a lot of young families, we're thinking every day about what kind of Minnesota our kids will grow up in. After graduating from college, my wife and I bought our first home in Hastings so we could be closer to family. I'm a former teacher and now work as a lab technician. I also serve on the board of a public charter school in Woodbury and on the Heritage Preservation Commission in Hastings. Outside of work, my family spends a lot of time advocating for Minnesotans with disabilities, which is something that's very personal to us.
2.) Many would say it is refreshing to see a person new to politics enter the race. How has your real world experience going to impact the way you legislate?
This is the first time I've ever run for public office and I think that's one of the biggest strengths of our campaign. I don't have years of political baggage. I know what it's like to work a regular job, raise a family, and live within a budget.
I'm a Republican, but I'm not interested in being a rubber stamp for anyone. If I'm elected, my job is to represent the people of Cottage Grove, Denmark Township, Hastings, and Nininger Township, not party leadership. Sometimes that will mean voting with my party and sometimes it won't. My goal is to make decisions based on what's best for the people I represent.
My background in education and healthcare also gives me a unique perspective on two of the biggest parts of the state budget. Those are areas where we need to deliver great services while also making sure taxpayer dollars aren't being wasted or stolen through fraud.
My background in education and healthcare also gives me a unique perspective on two of the biggest parts of the state budget. Those are areas where we need to deliver great services while also making sure taxpayer dollars aren't being wasted or stolen through fraud.
3.) What are your top three issues you would like to address if you were elected?
Our campaign is built around three priorities: affordability, accountability, and academic excellence.
Minnesota has become too expensive for too many families. Whether it's property taxes, childcare, groceries, or energy costs, people feel like they're falling behind. We need to make it easier to build a life here.
We also need more accountability in state government. Minnesotans work hard for their tax dollars, and they deserve to know that money is being spent responsibly. We've seen too many examples of waste and fraud.
And finally, I want every student to have access to an excellent education. Parents should have a real voice in their children's education, teachers should have the support they need, and our schools should be focused on helping kids succeed.
3.) Being new to State level politics, who, if any, past or present, legislator is someone you admire and why?
I admire our two most recent State Representatives, Tom Dippel and Shane Hudella, for many of the same reasons. They're both friends of mine, and neither of them set out to make politics a lifelong career. They came to the Legislature with specific goals, got to work right away, and focused on delivering results for our community.
For Shane, that meant securing funding for the Hastings Veterans Home and working to combat the fentanyl crisis. For Tom, it has meant restoring fiscal sanity at the Capitol and securing funding to help Hastings build new water treatment facilities.
That's the kind of representative I want to be. I don't want to spend years climbing the political ladder. I want to get to work immediately and collaborate with anyone, regardless of party, to make progress on affordability, accountability, and academic excellence. I also believe our Legislature works best when it is made up of citizen legislators, not career politicians. That's why I plan to limit myself to two or three terms in the House.
4.) Minnesota has the weakest child rape laws. We wrote an article about it. Kare11 came out with a story on the weak sex offender laws in Minnesota sourcing a full study by Protect.org. “We know of no other state in the union with sentencing as weak as Minnesota’s for child sexual exploitation.” Our page has dozens of local stories about child predators walking away with weak sentences. This is a real local issue. We have 8 bill ideas. Would you consider helping to write a bill to address this issue?
Absolutely. Protecting children should never be a partisan issue. If there are ways we can strengthen penalties for child predators, close loopholes, and better protect victims, I'd be proud to work with anyone (Republican or Democrat) to get that done. Keeping dangerous offenders off our streets should be common sense.
5.) How can people reach you and donate?
The easiest way to learn more about my campaign, get in touch, volunteer, or donate is at BeckforHouse.com. Feel free to send me an email anytime at Beck4MN@gmail.com.
