Tag: Steve Cwodzinski

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: February 7, 2020

Senate DFL elects new caucus leader

After 6 hours of debate and deliberation on Saturday, the Senate DFL voted on the position of caucus leader. The state of Minnesota is fortunate to have two exceptional public servants in Senators Bakk and Kent. I greatly appreciate the work Senator Bakk has done, I am excited to work under Senator Kent’s leadership, and I look forward to working with both of them this coming session.

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A remarkable day at Eden Prairie High School

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A few weeks ago I had a truly incredible day at Eden Prairie High School. One of the classes I visited was a Grow Your Own class geared towards informing people about the teaching profession. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: February 7, 2020”

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski Update: December 18, 2019

December, 2019

District 48 hosts Civics 101 town hall

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Earlier this month, Secretary of State Steve Simon joined Rep. Pryor, Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn, and I for a Civics 101 town hall meeting.

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Our discussion focused on our new presidential primary system, the 2020 census, and innovative ideas like Ranked Choice Voting. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski Update: December 18, 2019”

Cannabis legalization: Eden Prairie area residents sound off

Concerns, wishes, ideas expressed at 90-minute meeting

Julie Engle and Dean Luke don’t have much in common.

Engle is a 37-year-old mother of three young boys and lives in Minnetonka.

Luke is 80 and is a snowbird who lives in Eden Prairie during the warm months before heading south when the snow flies.

Both found themselves at the Eden Prairie Community Center with a microphone in hand at a Nov. 18 information meeting focused on cannabis legalization.

View the complete November 26 article by Raymond T. Revard on The Sun-Sailor website here.

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: November 13, 2019

November, 2019

Meeting local farmers

This past week I got to discuss legislation with the owners of the three farms within our senate district.

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The first meeting was with Terry Picha, who runs the Picha Farms near Birch Island Lake in Eden Prairie.

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The next two meetings ran back-to-back, so we did a joint photo. The earlier meeting was with Nikola and Aaron Peterson, pictured above in the middle, who are both former students of mine. Along with Sever Peteron, who was unable to attend, they run Sever’s Fall Festival. Though the event takes place across the river in Shakopee, much of their farming takes place near the Minnesota River in Southern Eden Prairie. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: November 13, 2019”

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: October 24, 2019

October, 2019

Come join us as an intern!

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Applications are now open for the Minnesota Senate Internship Program. If you or someone you know has finished high school and is looking to explore a career in government, this is a great place to start! My office will only be allowed to have two interns next session, but I know everyone always has a great experience no matter who they end up working for. You can apply online by clicking HERE.

Our 40th gubernatorial portrait

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Governor Mark Dayton’s official portrait was unveiled last week, and I was lucky enough to be in attendance at the ceremony. The painting is incredible, and depicts one of Governor Dayton’s proudest achievments: restoring the state capitol. I also got to meet the artist, Paul Oxborough, and the photo above made it into the Star Tribune!

Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: October 24, 2019”

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: September 18, 2019

September, 2019

Another successful town hall

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Tuesday marked another day of great turnout for Senate District 48’s town hall meeting! Representative Laurie Pryor, Representative Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, and I had a wonderful time hearing from you all and providing an update on what’s been happening during interim.

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For those who were unable to attend, some of our big points of conversation surrounded marijuana legalization, the cost of college, and K-12 school funding. If you have any thoughts you would like to share, I would love to hear them! Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: September 18, 2019”

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: August 29, 2019

August, 2019

Town Hall Meeting –  September 17!

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Rep. Laurie Pryor, Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, and I will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, September 17! The forum will take place in the South Commons at Eden Prairie High School, and run from 7:00pm – 8:30pm.

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Please bring us your questions, comments, and concerns. Hope to see you there!

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Our town hall will also coincide with Constitution Day! On September 17, 1787, the US Constitution was officially ratified. This was the beginning of our movement towards a more perfect Union. I am proud of how far we have come since then, and look forward to what the future will bring.

New podcast episode coming soon

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Earlier in the week I made my second appearance on Call of the Senate, the podcast of the Minnesota Senate DFL. Joining me alongside the host, Sen. Jeff Hayden, was Sen. Susan Kent of Woodbury and Bernadette Burnham from Education Minnesota. We discussed some of the positive things we got done for Minnesota within the realm of education, and some of our priorities for next session. The episode will soon be made available HERE.

Still time to visit The Great Minnesota Get-Together!

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If you haven’t already, try to make some time to visit the state fair before it ends on Labor Day!

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I spent a couple days at the Senate Information Booth in the education building, and got to meet some truly wonderful people.

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Some of the people who stopped by happened to be constituents, including a group of students from Eden Prairie.

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Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan made a visit to the senate booth as well. Senator John Hoffman and I had a lot of fun catching up with her.

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I also got to chat with Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker.

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Senator Melisa Franzen from neighboring Edina also happened to be at the senate booth at the same time as me!

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Joel Glaser, from the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations (AMPTERS), and I got to have our first meeting outside of the capitol, with his booth just a stone’s throw away from the Senate one.

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My favorite visit was from my wife Patti and my grandson Elliot. His sense of wonder at the tractors and other large machinery reminded me of how joyous this annual event really is.

 

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski Update: July 22, 2019

Summer 2019

Commemorating our independence

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As I have done each of the past few years, I spent much of July 4th celebrating in Eden Prairie at Round Lake. It was a great opportunity to hear from my constituents. One of the people I ran into there was Brandon Carlston, a former student who is now a police officer. I was so glad to see him find a career in public service.

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Earlier in the day I also walked in a parade with Moms Demand Action, and was overwhelmed by how strong their turnout was. Momentum is continuing to build for gun violence prevention, and the sooner we act the sooner we can save a lot of lives.

A happy Flag Day with family

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Earlier in mid-June I got another opportunity to appreciate our country. My grandson Elliot and I enjoyed a wonderful Flag Day outside soaking up some sun.


Welcoming new Americans

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A few weeks ago I attended another naturalization ceremony for new citizens at the St Paul Rivercentre. It was so inspiring to see the diversity of individuals booming with pride for their country. Many of them have been working towards this for years, and that day they got to see all of their efforts come to fruition.

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Similar to last time, I got the chance to meet an immigrant who came from Lithuania. Some of you know that my grandmother was a Lithuanian immigrant as well, so meeting this woman meant a lot to me. We had a great conversation.

Keep enjoying your summer

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I hope you are all having a fantastic summer. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to get outside and enjoy Minnesota’s beautiful scenery. If you are able to visit the Boundary Waters, now is the perfect time to escape some of that Twin Cities heat and enjoy the cooler weather up north.

‘Compromise is possible:’ A Q&A with State Sen. Steve Cwodzinski on the legislative session

As the legislative season came down to the wire, Minnesota’s elected officials created a state budget during a daylong special session.

Eden Prairie News reached out to the city’s elected officials to ask them about the session and if they achieved their goals. State Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, DFL-Eden Prairie was elected in 2016 and reflected compromise and the nature of legislative systems.

Cwodzinski answered the following questions from Eden Prairie News on June 3:

View the complete article by Eden Teller on the SW News Media website here.

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: May 31, 2019

End of Session 2019

Session ends in compromise

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The legislative session ended a week ago, and I am incredibly proud of the work done by activists and legislators to find common ground. Together we saved MinnesotaCare, provided necessary funds to education, addressed our state’s opioid epidemic, and prevented distracted driving. There is still a lot of work left to do though, from gun violence prevention to transportation to environmental protection. I remain optimistic that we can address these next session. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: May 31, 2019”