by Steve Timmer

Sep 19, 2014, 3:30 PM

Waiting for Dario: getting ready for the debate

Update: Tonight’s debate (9/22 @ 7 PM) between Ron Erhardt and Dario Anselmo will be live tweeted on the @LeftMN twitter account, hashtag #49debate.

Readers here know that I have been trying for a long time to get some position statements from Republican candidate for House District 49A, Dario Anselmo.

Completely without success, even though I’ve been trying since May. But here’s my chance, and yours, too.

You see, on Monday, September 22nd, at 7 PM, the League of Women Voters will host a debate between the candidates in 49A, incumbent DFLer Ron Erhardt, and Dario (the Silent) Anselmo, the Republican challenger. (And you will want to stick around for a debate between incumbent DFLer in House District 49B, Paul Rosenthal, and his challenger, Barb Sutter, at 8 PM.) Both debates will be at Edina City Hall.

All of you are perfectly capable of coming up with your own questions for the candidates (which you will have to submit in writing; there will be cards to do that), but just in case you are stuck, here are most of the questions I put to candidate Anselmo, just to get you started:

1. How would you [Dario Anselmo] have voted on the marriage equality bill that passed almost exactly a year ago? [remember, this was back in May]

2. A related question: would you have voted to put the gay marriage ban amendment before the voters, as Keith Downey did?

3. How about the voter ID amendment?

4. Would you have voted for the comprehensive anti-bullying bill passed this session? If not, why not?

5. In 2008, then and current local representative, Ron Erhardt, voted to override the governor’s veto of a gasoline tax increase. Would you have done that?

6. Mr. Erhardt was the last pro-choice Republican in the Minnesota House. Would you vote to expand abortion restrictions beyond current law? Would you vote to ease them? Would you vote to restrict public funding of abortions?

7. Getting back to invasive carp for a moment [Mr. Anselmo has said on Facebook that he was foursquare against invasive carp], Mr. Erhardt has been a board member of Minnesota Lakes and Rivers, an association of people concerned about, inter alia, invasive carp. What have you actually done about the problem?

8. Would you favor the creation of a special assessment district that included businesses on both sides of France Avenue to finance the construction and maintenance of parking ramps used by patrons of businesses on both sides of that street?

9. If elected, would you vote for a statute or constitutional amendment for the so-called “right to work?” This is one that the Legislature ran out of time to consider in 2012.

10. Does Mr. Anselmo support so-called “stand your ground” legislation that eliminates the duty to retreat, if possible, from threatening situations? [before employing deadly force]

11. A law banning “reparative therapy” withstood court challenge in California recently. Reparative therapy is, of course, the specialty of the counseling clinic owned by Marcus Bachmann, husband to Rep. Michele Bachmann. Does Mr. Anselmo support the passage of a bill to ban reparative therapy in Minnesota?

I hope to see many of you Monday night.