by Steve Timmer

Apr 11, 2016, 5:00 PM

Mayor Hovland and Council Member Staunton endorse Ron Erhardt

This Saturday, April 16th, is the DFL endorsing convention for SD49, including the race for the Minnesota House seat in District 49A. The district consists of the northern portion of the city of Edina.

Incumbent DFLer Ron Erhardt is running for his third term as a member of the DFL party. Many of you know Ron personally, or are at least familiar with his many years of legislative service, first as a Republican, and then after a four-year interregnum because he voted to override Tim Pawlenty’s veto of a much-needed gas tax increase, returning as a DFLer.

Ron has two challengers for the DFL endorsement.

Many community leaders support Ron’s bid for re-election, including a few that have been chronicled here: SD49 Senator Melisa Franzen and HD49B Representative Paul Rosenthal, former assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Ron Way, former city council member and DFL activist, Joni Bennett, and current council member Kevin Staunton, and our mayor, Jim Hovland, too.

Here’s what Council Member Staunton wrote to me about Ron:

For over 25 years, Ron Erhardt has been a pragmatic and effective advocate for Edina.  Working from both sides of the aisle, he has brought Edina’s values to the state capitol and effectively advocated for initiatives that have made both the state and city better places.  His work over the years on our state’s transportation infrastructure and the key role he played in securing funding for Edina’s Veteran’s Memorial last year are just two examples of the kind of representation that has earned my support for his effort to return to the legislature for another term.

I am proud to say that I was one of many people who encouraged Ron to run under the DFL banner. He’s the first DFLer to ever win a House seat in Edina. He has my unqualified support, too.