August 20th 2008

The 48 year old Republican stated in a recent interview that keeping himself in the loop of State politics has been important to him over the years. Green commented that he has spent a great deal of time maintaining the knowledge he felt necessary in order to be an informed voter. His efforts not only included consistent vigilance on news coming from the state capitol in St. Paul, but watching the voting records of area legislators.

However with the demands of family, he hadn’t considered running for office. That changed earlier this year after House Minority Leader Marty Siefert (R) of Marshall asked Green to run. At first he refused, but a combination of current political issues and his own changing family dynamics caused a change of mind.

Family has been a priority for Green. Now with his twins soon leaving home, and the idea of an empty nest becoming a reality he now knows the time is right. What became the final tipping point for Green was the school bus tragedy in Cottonwood, Minnesota last February that took the life of four young students.

The woman who caused the accident, Olga Franco, was an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. His concerns on illegal immigration along with Minneapolis and St. Paul having sanctuary status clinched Greens decision to run. “It’s not something I desire to do, it’s something I have to do” said Green earlier this week.

His platform is much broader then illegal immigration. Issues that matter to Green range from public funding of abortion to property and corporate taxes. The latter is of special concern, since the state is facing a possible recession as is much of the country. He believes that the current business tax structure is back firing; creating an environment where large employers will continue to send their manufacturing facilities out of Minnesota.

According to Green’s research, Warroad based Marvin Windows, had been examining the possibility of building a plant in the Detroit Lakes- Alexandria area. Due to this issue, the manufacturer constructed the facility outside of Minnesota in Grafton, North Dakota. He continued, “This is just one of many examples we have all seen over the recent years”

When asked if enough people were involved in politics, Green simply said no. He commented, “We are going to end up with a lifetime of career politicians who lose track of what it’s like out here in the real world.” Green suggested that more people need to keep their eye on St. Paul. He believes that the average voter can make a difference if they just get involved.

We encourage you to contact Green’s campaign with questions at stevegreen2a@gmail.com