MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Keith Ellison, a State Representative from Minneapolis, about State budget shortfall. Solving the budget shortfall will be the top priority of the Republican caucus, that issue was also the top of a meeting last night in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Urban League, the NAACP, and the Council on Black Minnesotans met to discuss their ideas for the upcoming session.
SPEAKER 1: People have a general sense that there is going to have to be some revenue-generating type proposals out there. And people are very aware that the governor won't support any tax increases. But I think the prevailing view was that some sort of tax increase was going to be needed in order to cover the shortfall.
People are well aware that if there are no tax increases, then there are going to be massive cuts. And these are cuts that a lot of folks, not only African Americans, but certainly African Americans, do rely on.
SPEAKER 2: How do you see the relationship working with the governor-elect and House Speaker Sviggum and Senate Majority Leader John Oettinger around that issue?
SPEAKER 1: Well, we assume that everybody's open for a reasonable conversation. We're not closing the door on our leaders of the state. We're hoping that a well-reasoned proposal to them will be persuasive.
SPEAKER 2: What are you most worried about? What services are you most worried about that could be cut?
SPEAKER 1: People are real concerned about the governor's pledge to also not cut K through 12. I mean, we don't see how he can avoid that. That's about 40% of the budget. We're concerned about baby Ed, early childhood education, and then higher education. A lot of people in North Minneapolis and Downtown, which is my district, are pursuing higher education. And we're not just talking about people 18 to 21, we're talking about people 35, 40, 50. And they are very concerned about what tuition may look like.
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