Editorial: Opportunities exist in local politics

Talk about it

Rosemount residents already knew their local Senate district was getting a new name for the coming election. Now it appears it’s getting some new faces, too.

In just the past week, Rosemount residents have gone from having two incumbents in line for next November’s elections for Minnesota House and Senate to having none.

Rep. Kurt Bills is out. He said he will not seek a second term as he focuses on earning the Republican endorsement in the U.S. Senate race.

Senator Chris Gerlach is out, too, after a 14-year career in the Minnesota Legislature. He said he wants to focus more on his family and on his business.

The district may lose something when two experienced legislators leave office, but it gains something, too. It gains an opportunity to bring in some fresh perspectives. It’s just a question of where those perspectives will come from.

There is already one candidate in the race to replace Bills. Rosemount resident Jeff Wilfahrt has announced his candidacy as a Democrat. There have been no announcements from the Republican side of the ballot. Nor has anyone stepped forward to contend for the seat Gerlach plans to vacate next year.

Speaking about his decision not to seek reelection, Bills said he is confident there are plenty of capable people out there who can take up the challenge of legislating for Rosemount residents. We suspect he is right, and we look forward to seeing who they are.

Tags: opinion, rosemount, editorials