On June 1, Roger Kittelson of Goodhue Township was notified that his petition with close to 550 eligible voters in Goodhue, Wabasha, and Douglas Township in Dakota County was accepted by the Goodhue County Elections Officer for his candidacy to the new Minnesota House of Representatives 20A legislative seat.
Minnesota law allows Independent Candidates the opportunity to be a Minnesota House candidate if they can obtain at least 500 eligible voters signatures, address, and year of birth, on a Nominating Petition between May 17 and May 31, from voters that live in the new Minnesota House of Representatives 20A District. Roger Kittelson and many volunteers were able to gather over 500 signatures in the first 7 days and more eligible voters continued to sign the nomination petition the last 7 days. They gathered signatures in Bellechester, Goodhue, Red Wing, Hay Creek, Lake City, Cannon Falls, Miesville, Welch, Vasa, Wacouta, Wabasha, and many rural townships in all three counties.
"The main comment from voters about this nominating petition, after it was explained to our eligible voters, was; we need more independents. That statement is now our campaign slogan, as one of the main reasons for this independent candidacy is due to the factional fighting within our State political parties and we believe it needs to stop. We Need More Independents in order to improve Minnesota so we can have a responsible legislative and executive branch of government working for us in Minnesota." Roger explained.
Furthermore, I was asked by potential voters which items I wanted to accomplish if elected and I shared the issues I felt would be good for Minnesota. First a state funded 4 year old preschool program for every school in Minnesota, increased funding for police safety and public safety in the communities that need help fighting crime, and supporting current healthcare legislation referred to as Minnesota - Healthcare for All - which is a single payer health care system that eliminates the for profit healthcare insurance companies from taking our healthcare funding. These questions and answers helped gather over 9 out of 10 of the eligible voters asked to sign the nominating petition. I feel that common sense issues and courtesy will help move us forward.
Many voters asked for my professional background which included being a substitute teacher for the past 4 years in the Goodhue, Red Wing, Zumbrota, and Mazeppa schools. I have seen the advantages that a 4 year old preschool program provides our schools from kindergarten through high school. Furthermore, as a businessperson I know that a more educated workforce means our Minnesota economy will do better relative to other states. It is a good investment with great returns. These issues were the main topics we shared while obtaining the signatures. I know there are many more but education, police/public safety, and healthcare were the main issues shared during the 14 days obtaining signatures. We are excited that gathering the signatures and receiving such a strong approval will be helpful in the goal of being elected this fall.
Rogers professional background includes over 30 years as a Dairy Ingredients Marketing Manager with sales into the food, feed, and pharmaceutical industries domestically and internationally. Currently, Roger splits his time between operating a small business marketing dairy ingredients to the food and feed industries and substitute teaching in the Red Wing and Goodhue School Districts.
Roger Kittelson is the father of 4 adult children and 5 grandchildren. He is a member of the Bellechester and Zumbrota Lions Club, Goodhue-Bellechester RailRiders, Red Wing Red Mens Club, Minnesota Quilters, Minnesota Sheriffs Association, Lifetime Member Pheasants Forever, and Life Member of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. Roger was an eight year school board member with 2 years as Chairperson, and served on several ad hoc committees hiring two principals and one superintendent. He graduated from Goodhue Public School and received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN.
The new 20A legislative district includes these townships in Goodhue County - Welch, Cannon Falls, Vasa, Featherstone, Hay Creek, Belle Creek, Goodhue, Belvidere, Red Wing, and Wacouta - Wabasha County - Mount Pleasant, Lake, Pepin, Wabasha, Chester, Gilford, West Albany, and Glasgow plus Douglas township in Dakota County. The communities that are in 20A are Cannon Falls, Miesville, Welch, Red Wing, Frontenac, Lake City, Bellechester, Wabasha, and Goodhue. Since the last census our state population has grown and this legislative district is also larger and covers more rural areas.
The general election is November 8, 2022. Please get out to vote and I would appreciate your support.
