Introduction from Mike Freeman - DFL
Mike Freeman serves as the Hennepin County Attorney. First elected in
1990, he leads the largest group of criminal prosecutors in Minnesota,
as well as supervises attorneys who provide a wide array of services to
the State's largest unit of government. Prior to being elected County
Attorney, Mike represented Richfield and East Bloomington in the
Minnesota State Senate from 1982 to 1990.
Mike and his wife Terry and their three children Katie (14), Beth (14),
and Matthew (12) reside in Richfield. Terry Mathison Freeman is an
educator and member of the Richfield School Board. Mike enjoys coaching
Katie and Beth in basketball and Matthew in football. Mike is happy to
be spending more time with his parents Orville and Jane after their move
back to Minneapolis from Washington, DC in December 1995.
As Hennepin County Attorney, Mike has taken the lead on a variety of
crime fighting tools including the expanded use of DNA, aggressive
prosecution in rape cases, increases in witness protection and expanded
use of the nuisance law. He has been on the forefront of improving
access to victims of domestic violence, people with disabilities and
families of homicide victims. Mike has also argued before the United
States Supreme Court regarding police officers' ability to search in the
midst of a self-protecting frisk.
As a State Senator, Mike was vice-chair of the Senate Finance Committee
from 1987-1990, and vice-chair of the Senate Economic Development and
Commerce Committee from 1983-1986. He was the chief author of the Hunger
Reduction Act, the MEED Jobs Bill (wage subsidies to individuals and
businesses to create jobs), the Minnesota Anti-Racketeering Act (RICO),
and the Revision of Minnesota Criminal Forfeiture Statutes. He also
chaired the Senate Conference Committees on Capital Bonding that
financed new college buildings, environmental projects and expanded
roads and bridges.
In addition to public service, Freeman was an active trial attorney in
private practice for fifteen years and was designated a civil trial
specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association in 1988. He holds a
B.A. from Rutgers College and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota
Law School.
In September 1997 Mike Freeman won a straw poll of DFL Party activists
by a 3 to 1 margin over his nearest contender. In addition, he is the
only DFL gubernatorial candidate to earn endorsements from statewide
labor unions and has the largest number of state legislators signed-on
as supporters. Mike's campaign raised more money from Minnesotans in
1997 than any of the other DFL Candidates for Governor and ended the
year with more money in the bank than his DFL opponents.
The success of our schools throughout most of the 20th century rested on
the unspoken contract between home and school. Today, we face a very
different social reality. Parents do not have as much available time as
they once did for their children and their children's education. The
authority that schools, educators and parents once had is not a given
anymore.
Success for all children, regardless of their cultural or ethnic
background, their language, their economic status, or their abilities or
disabilities, will be the cornerstone for my education plan. We must
prepare our children to enter this highly competitive economy with the
skills, knowledge and confidence to successfully participate. Decisive
action is necessary to meet these goals.
There are some that argue the answer is to provide public money for
families to send their children to for-profit or private schools. I
believe such vouchers would drain valuable public resources out of our
public schools. Instead, we must work together to renew and build strong
community schools.
As Governor, I will support increasing public education from the current
twelve and one-half years to a full fourteen years. I will make all-day
kindergarten universally available and one year-post-secondary
education-either academic or technical-available to all Minnesota high
school graduates. Furthermore, I will support limiting class sizes to
twenty or fewer students, starting with grades K-3. The total cost of
this package is $200 million per year.
I will be a clear and consistent leader in my agenda for safe schools,
strict accountability, access to first rate technology, and a work ethic
for our schools that includes homework.
Finally, I will support cutting $250 million from the local property tax
burden for homeowners by increasing to 70% the state's commitment to
education funding.
As Governor, education will be my top priority.
