My name is Edie Barrett and I live in Ortonville. In 2010, after 26 years on the West Coast, I returned to Minnesota and settled in Ortonville. For me, Big Stone County is home. I appreciate the benefits and beauty that rural life offers. I am a fifth generation Minnesota Norwegian and am the endorsed DFL candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives, District 12A.

As your candidate, I am guided by a strong sense of ethics and values, I believe in upholding our shared sense of connection and belonging to each other, and to the land. I understand that our strongest asset is our people, who deserve the support and resources that allow them, and their families, to prosper.

I am a lifelong artist and writer and have a high-level business administration background working in nonprofits and in education.  Since returning to Minnesota, I have fully embraced my creative life. That said, I know my calling is to be engaged on a larger public service level.

In May of 2022, I earned a Master of Public Affairs Degree from The Hubert H Humphrey School of Public Affairs, at The University of Minnesota. “The mission of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs is to inspire, educate, and support innovative leaders to advance the common good in a diverse world.”

As an innovative leader, I want to be in service to you and to our rural area.

As part of a rural/urban women’s group that’s been meeting for the last five months, trying to bridge assumptions about who lives where and why, one of the women said, “If you want to be in the conversation, you have to be at the table.”

I want to be at that table, at a state level, and be part of the conversation to advance the common good for rural life.

When I grew up, I made assumptions that people in political leadership embodied honesty, transparency, that their decisions were not self-serving, and that there were no alternative agendas. I believed that nominated politicians were above the fray and cut from a different cloth. I no longer make these assumptions.

These are the values and qualities that I strive to live my life from:

I believe in honesty, authenticity, and transparency.

I believe in responsible ethics and civility.

I believe in history, and that it teaches us valuable lessons. If we don’t learn from our past mistakes, we are positioned to repeat them.

I believe in science, research, and evidence. I also believe in the wisdom of common sense.

I believe in making decisions that are tempered with a sense of justice and equality for all.

I believe it is much easier to sling mud, use fear tactics as a manipulative ploy, then it is to show up in a way that is mature and responsible, while working to find our shared and common values versus reinforcing divisions.

I believe we need to face our challenges head-on and not look for someone to shoulder the blame.

I believe we need to make decisions that are responsible and accountable to future generations.

I believe I am meant to do this. Whether this calling is from God, my ancestors, or from some other higher power, I am putting my trust in this path and journey, believing that I can and will make a difference.

It is from this foundation that I hope to be in service to you, and to our region. It is from these foundational values that I feel I can uphold and be in alignment with the values of the Democratic party.

It is time to reimagine how we live in our state and how we engage with each other. By responsibly providing for our residents, and our unique species and habitats, we invest in the vitality and health of each other, future generations, and the state Minnesota.

We can do this. It’s time. Let’s create a vibrant future of possibilities!

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