Roz Peterson Meets With Congress to Urge Support for Education

Lakeville's School Board chairwoman joined 700 other board members from across the nation to meet with Congress to discuss education funding, which could face big cuts.

  Roz Peterson, Lakeville's School Board chairwoman, was among about 700 school board leaders from around the nation to meet with Congress in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, advocating for education programs that could be cut by the federal government by way of sequestration. The school board leaders urged Congress to forge a bipartisan solution that puts education first. The meeting was part of the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) 40th annual Federal Relations Network Conference, held Jan. 27-29. With the sequestration looming, more than 700 school boards have passed resolutions asking Congress to stop the across-the-board cuts that would dismantle key education programs in their school districts. These federal cuts to K-12 …

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How Much Did Burnsville Candidates Raise, Spend in Months Before Election?

Check out the campaign finance reports for local candidates.

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter| Blog for us Election season has come to a close. Want to see which of Burnsville's candidates won the fundraising race? Check out the most recent finance reports recorded by the state's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.  Some candidates have raised tens of thousands of dollars during the election cycle. Here's a look at the pre-election totals through Oct. 22 for candidates for Senate District 51, House Districts 51A, Senate District 56, House District 56A and 56B. To view the full campaign finance reports, click on the candidate's name. Special notes: *—Denotes incumbent candidate  $2,420

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Morgan Beats Peterson for House District 56B—By a Hair

Burnsville DFLer Will Morgan won the seat in a tight race against Lakeville Republican Roz Peterson.

It looks like southern Burnsville and northern Lakeville will be represented by DFLer Will Morgan, who came out ahead of Republican opponent Roz Peterson by less than one full percentage point. According to the Minnesota Secretary of State. Peterson took 10,515 votes (49.5 percent) while Morgan tallied just 170 more at 10,685 votes (50.3 percent). If he has the seat in new House District 56B in his grasp, Morgan has made a comeback from defeat in 2010, when the two-time house rep was unseated by Republican Pam Myhra. In that contest, Myhra won 50 percent to 46.5 percent. The 2012 race pitted Peterson, a five-year veteran of the Lakeville School Board, against Morgan, a teacher at Burnsville High School.  RELATED CONTENT • To see other …

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Letter to the Editor: Roz Peterson Could Be Bachmann-In-Training

Letter writer: "It doesn’t seem that Roz Peterson has the temperament or the desire to work with those she disagrees with to find common ground."

To the editor, Ending the political gridlock in St. Paul is a critical issue of this election year. Because I want to elect someone who will not further feed into this political standoff, I cannot cast my vote for Roz Peterson.  In the past week I have seen on multiple outlets, both local and national, the way that Peterson deals with those she disagrees with. The video of her calling the Governor “mentally unstable” was not only disrespectful but is not fitting of the kind of person I want representing me and the community I call home.  I believe that if Peterson were serious about serving our district, rather than furthering her political career, she would have thought twice before hurling such personal attacks. She was willing to …

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Letter to the Editor: Roz Peterson Can Overcome Partisan Gridlock

Letter writer Dan McElroy asks voters to support Peterson (the GOP candidate) in her bid against DFLer Will Morgan, citing her experience in business and the Lakeville school board.

  Letter to the Editor: Many of us are in a new district this year for the Minnesota House due to redistricting. Through the endorsement process, I have gotten to know Roz Peterson and have been impressed by her qualifications, experience and approach to important issues.  Roz has been a business owner, a member of the ISD 194 School Board and a leader in the local Chamber of Commerce. She brings to this election the rare combination of experience in business and government. Her calm and positive attitude toward problem solving is an ideal qualification for office. Electing Roz to the House will reduce gridlock and increase our chances of positive solutions to the many challenges we face as a state. I have decided to support Roz Peterson …

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Letter to the Editor: Roz Peterson Slurred the Governor for Political Gain

Letter writer asks fellow constituents to vote "no" on Roz Peterson’s "brand of extreme politics."

To the editor: I think we can all agree that with this election the stakes are high. Our schools are strapped for money. Our economy has not fully recovered. And we have a government whose extreme partisan politics have left it broken. I’m looking for someone to represent my family and community in the legislature who will work in a civil, bi-partisan way to meet the challenges that face our state. We need someone committed to end the legislative gridlock and extreme partisanship we’ve seen over the past two years that led to the longest government shutdown in Minnesota history, holding our economy back from further progress.   Looking into our state house candidates, I came across a YouTube clip from Roz Peterson’s speech at the local …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Morgan Will Protect Education, Schools

Letter writer: Will Morgan is a teacher at Burnsville High School and has an outstanding record protecting our schools at the state legislature.

To the editor: Education is crucial to a healthy economy. As such, it's crucial we have some one with first-hand experience representing our kids at the Capitol. Will Morgan's experience comes two fold: not only has he taught Physics for the past 20 years at Burnsville High School, but he also has an outstanding record protecting our schools at the state legislature. Who better to advocate the interests of our children's education than Will?  As a teacher he sees first hand the effects of education cuts, like the more than $2 billion borrowed from schools by the current legislature. And after teaching for 20 years he's survived the ridiculous unfunded big government mandates (like the Profiles of Learning and No Child Left Behind) that do …

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Peterson Takes GOP Endorsement in House District 56B

Burnsville's Terry McCall bowed out and gave his personal endorsement to Roz Peterson after four rounds of balloting showed percentages tipping in her favor.

After a lengthy and hard-fought battle, the GOP endorsement for Minnesota House District 56B went to Roz Peterson. A Lakeville School Board member, Peterson came out ahead of Terry McCall of Burnsville in voting at the district’s second endorsing convention Thursday night in Burnsville. Peterson and McCall were deadlocked in balloting for the endorsement during the district’s first convention in March, thus forcing the second round. According to SunThisweek.com, the fight to the finish line lasted four rounds on Thursday night. To qualify, the winning candidate needed 60 percent of the delegates' vote — or 68 votes. Peterson took 57 votes on the first ballot, 62 on the second and 64 on the third. Votes on a fourth round had already been …

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Rematch Between Peterson and McCall Set for April 26

The two conservatives are onto round two for the GOP endorsement for House District 56B.

Lakeville's Roz Peterson and Burnsville activist Terry McCall will face off in a few short weeks. The Republican Party of Senate District 56 told Thisweek Newspapers that a second endorsing convention for House District 56B is planned for April 26. Peterson and McCall were in a deadlock after the first convention on March 17 failed to produce a clear winner, in spite of four rounds of voting. The victor will run against former DFL Rep. Will Morgan during the upcoming election in November.  Burnsville Patch will offer periodic updates on the race. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to our newsletter.

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Peterson and McCall in Draw for GOP Endorsement

Lakeville's Roz Peterson and Burnsville activist Terry McCall both failed to get the 60 percent margin needed to take the Republican endorsement for new House District 56B.

The bid for the Republican endorsement for House District 56B still hangs in the balance after Saturday, when Roz Peterson and Terry McCall both drew a stalemate at the local convention. It would be an understatement to call it a close race, said Ayrlahn Johnson, chair of the Republican party for SD56. "We had four ballots and we flip-flopped at least twice, three times actually," Johnson said. "It was pretty much deadlocked." The party was no closer to the necessary 60 percent consensus after delegates cast their votes for the fourth and final time. In fact, the race was closer than ever: McCall and Peterson split the vote 54 to 53, separated by a single slip of paper. Johnson said the last time Burnsville delegates left an endorsing …

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