Wills is gearing up for session

Talk about it

During the campaign season, Anna Wills spent a lot of time convincing Rosemount residents she was the best person to represent them in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In the weeks since Nov. 6 she’s been working just as hard to make sure she’s as prepared as possible to do the job.

Wills, who will take over the seat Kurt Bills vacated to run for the United State Senate, has been busy getting ready for the Jan. 8 start of the legislative session. Since she started campaigning she has been to three city council meetings each in Rosemount and Apple Valley and another in Coates. She has been through orientation sessions with her fellow freshman Representatives and she has been in Rosemount for ribbon cuttings at the city’s new transit station and the new Rosemount’s Front Porch welcome center at the Steeple Center.

Think of it as homework to help her be ready to go next month. Or, as ready as she can be.

“You can never be 100 percent ready. There’s always going to be a learning curve no matter what kind of experience you bring to it,” Wills said. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can.”

Part of that process involves meeting with people to hear what is on their minds. Wills has talked to representatives from the Minnesota Zoo and Dakota Electric, among others.

It makes for a busy schedule, but Wills doesn’t seem to mind.

“I really enjoy being able to get around in the community and meet with people and just see what’s going on,” Wills said.

Wills has some idea what her focus will be when she gets to the capitol, but a few of the details are still up in the air. She knows she has been assigned to the education policy and education finance committees and to the state government and veterans’ affairs committee. She might also be on the legacy committee, but there is still some question about that.

Wills also faced a duty most incoming representatives don’t: she had to train someone in to do her old job. Because her day job was as a legislative aide in the Minnesota Senate, winning a position in the House meant Wills had campaigned herself out of a job. Friday was her last day on the job in the Senate.

There will be challenges ahead for Wills. She expects keeping up with the legislative schedule to be difficult, and she knows it won’t be easy to balance the state’s budget. As someone who has been active in politics for much of her life, though, she is eager to take on the challenge.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” she said. “I know there’s going to be a lot of challenges ahead.

“It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be good.”

Tags: news, rosemount, government