One good term deserves another for DFL Rep. Laurie Pryor of Minnetonka. Elected to public office for the first time in 2016, Pryor, 61, has been a conscientious and at times independent voice for her west-suburban district. She has worked hard to maintain personal contact with her constituents, building on years of school, community and political volunteer activism.
Those relationships have informed her thinking on issues, she said. For example, she’s not as keen as some in her party to back a gas tax increase for transportation, and would want any new money earmarked for specific projects. “People don’t trust where the money is going,” she said. She’s cautious about abrupt or sweeping changes in health care and sensitive to their implications for hospitals. Her husband, Jon, is CEO of Hennepin County Medical Center.
Pryor’s opponent is Republican Ellen Cousins, 56, a marketing and sales professional who is making her first bid for elective office, though she served a stint on the appointive Minnetonka Economic Development Authority board. Her website bio indicates that she favors lower taxes and limited government. Citing a busy schedule, Cousins declined our invitation for an interview.
View the complete October 30 endorsement on the Star Tribune website here.