A return to civility in politics focus of Brainerd town hall

BRAINERD — Concerned community members gathered to discuss their concerns with the current state of the government at a town hall at Brainerd High School.

Approximately 150 people attended the town hall Wednesday, April 23, organized by Practicing Democracy , a new group led by Jen Schultz and Adrienne Dinneen, to address local concerns that people in Minnesota have about federal policy and decision making.

According to their website, Practicing Democracy is a local political action committee that helps people in greater Minnesota engage in the fight for our country.

Schultz, who unsuccessfully ran as the Democrat candidate against U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Hermantown, in the previous two elections, welcomed the crowd to the town hall, saying they decided to hold these events in response to constituents' complaints about elected leaders not making themselves available to discuss the concerns of their constituents.

Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

Schultz said Practicing Democracy had invited Stauber and all local elected officials to their town halls. An empty chair with a sign reading “REP STAUBER” was next to the podium. She said he has yet to attend any. Of note, Minnesota’s State of the State address took place in St. Paul on Wednesday night.

At one point during the town hall, it was asked how many people present had attempted to reach out to Stauber. About half of the crowd raised their hands.

“I know a lot of people outside the metro have felt really neglected and not heard, and we really want to give you a voice,” Schultz said. “This is your time to share your story and educate members of your community about how you experience what’s happening at the federal level and how it affects you, your family and your community.”

With much of the country having a polarizing view of today's political environment, she said their goal is to bring people back together to have civilized discussions as there is a common love for the country and democracy, stressing that empathy for one another will go a long way.

Before inviting community members to share their concerns and experiences, Schultz invited any elected official in the crowd to be recognized. Brainerd School Board members John Ward and Michelle Brekken both stood. No other elected officials were recognized.

Ward and Brekken talked about how losing federal funding for schools would greatly affect the quality of education students would receive. Ward said on average a public school gets about 10% of its budget from federal funding, equating to a $3 million to $6 million loss for Brainerd Public Schools.

Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

Both reflected on their time working in the schools as they talked about how the loss would affect everything from staff and teachers' aids to special education and school lunches.

“Between the two of us, we walked that walk,” Ward said. “We know what the federal money means to our educational system and our students, and we are ready to fight for our students and for our public education.”

Brekken said if there are supporters of the education system, they should consider running in 2026 for the three seats that would be up for election.

Schultz invited community members to come forward to share their concerns. One community member talked about how taking away grant funding from farmers is hurting them now.

“We granted money to farmers to be able to purchase equipment or to hire an attorney to do a succession plan or to expand their markets, and they are not able to get paid. These are reimbursement grants,” she said, explaining that farmers had already made purchases after being told they were approved for government reimbursement grants, only to have the government renege on the grants.

Another guest, Air Force veteran Dr. Peter Neifert, talked about how the due process of individuals has been around since the Magna Carta in 1215, over 800 years ago. He said it was written into our founding documents to prevent government overreach and ensure fairness in legal proceedings for everyone in the country, regardless of legal status.

Neifert said countries around the world are now issuing travel restrictions for their residents thinking of vacationing in the United States. An article by NPR said Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Canada have issued travel advisories for those planning to travel to the U.S.

Another man got up and talked about how his dad, a World War II Pacific theater veteran, said he joined the military to stand up to those who want to suppress freedom.

“And I said to him, ‘Well, why did you do it?’ And he said, ‘Because it's important for Americans to stand up to fascists, authoritarians and those that want to suppress the rights of Americans and free people across the world.’ And if he was alive today. I know he would just be heartbroken about what's happening,” the man told the crowd.

Shannon Wussow, executive director of the Relationship Safety Alliance, said they are the only domestic violence shelter in Region 5, or north central Minnesota. Wussow said a cut to their federal funding would remove around $300,000 from their budget and be extremely devastating, as they do not charge individuals for their services.

Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

“So when we talk about wanting to make sure that everyone's rights are protected, people who are the most vulnerable need their rights protected, too. One in three women and one in four men are going to experience domestic violence in their lifetime,” Wussow said. “... domestic violence is a nonpartisan issue. I don't care what letters are behind your name, where you live, or anything like that.”

Operating since 1978, she said when their doors eventually do close it's because they eliminated domestic violence and not because they no longer have the funding to help those in need.

One of the attendees said the government is trying to make her illegal, stating she is a transgender woman. She said she fears being persecuted by the government for something she can’t control. She said the agenda of trans people is to just stay alive, as she fears they are being persecuted by the Republican Party.

Angel Zierden, who was a Republican candidate for the Senate District 6 seat, was there to introduce her friend, DFL-endorsed Senate District 6 candidate Denise Slipy. Zierden said polarization of government will accomplish very little as long as people are not able to meet in the middle to get things accomplished.

Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

Slipy said she will fight for seniors and children not to be the first cuts on the chopping block every time a budget needs to be balanced.

“Why am I here? I want this job,” Slipy said. “I want to represent you. I want you to tell me what you want done in St. Paul. I'm not running to go to St. Paul, I'm running to take you to St. Paul. “Does our district really need a husband and wife team that absolutely don't show up for us?”

Republican Senate District 6 candidate Keri Heintzeman, who won the recent primary against seven other candidates, was not at the town hall.

In closing, Schultz asked everyone to continue having these conversations and talking with people, building empathy, sharing experiences and the love of our country and its democracy.

“The most important thing, I think, is creating clubs, nonpartisan clubs — book club, gaming club, news club, hockey class, whatever — bring people together, your neighbors, for nonpolitical reasons, just to start re-engaging in your community,” Schultz said.