David H. Senjem (GOP) Incumbent

1. Minnesota’s nearly 1600 non-profit arts organizations provide access to the arts and support quality of life in every corner of the state. While providing over 22,000 jobs, arts organizations served nearly 12.3 million people in 2009.

Question: What arts activities have you attended, participated in or supported in the last year?Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Dance, Other

Answer: Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literary Arts

2. What’s on your iPod?

Answer: Blackberry

3. The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, passed by 56% of the voters in November 2008, created the new Arts and Culture Fund. The constitutional amendment stated that these funds “may be spent only for arts, arts education, and arts access and to preserve Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage.” It also states that “The dedicated money under this section must supplement traditional sources of funding for these purposes and may not be used as a substitute.” MCA led the arts community campaign to pass the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment so that all Minnesotans would get access to the arts via the grants and services of the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system, which ensures that people in all 87 counties get access to the arts.

Question: Will you support at least 50% of the Arts and Culture Fund being dedicated to the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system, to ensure that all Minnesotans have access to the arts, regardless of their geographic location, through grants that reach all 87 Minnesota counties?

Enthusiastically Support; Support; Neutral; Opposed

Answer: Enthusiastically Support

4. Nonprofit, tax exempt organizations provide social services, health services, education and arts to the public. Under Minnesota law, nonprofit organizations have been free from paying sales or property taxes because their services benefit the public.

Question: Do you agree or disagree that nonprofit organizations should continue to be free from paying taxes?

Agree; Disagree; No Opinion

Answer: Agree

5. Research shows that students with high levels of arts participation outperform other students on virtually every measure from standardized tests to community participation, and that learning through the arts has a significant effect on learning in other areas, particularly in the early years. The arts are required both by No Child Left Behind and also by Minnesota’s student academic standards, but our schools are not required to report how they are meeting those standards.

Question: Would you support policies to increase accountability for school standards in the arts?

Enthusiastically Support, Support, Neutral, Opposed

Answer: Neutral

6. Comments: We would welcome any additional comments you would like to make with regards to the arts in Minnesota. Please use additional pages as necessary.

Arts is an important component of our society. To question #5, I do not believe now or ever is the right time to place more mandates on otherwised burden school systems.

1. Minnesota’s nearly 1600 non-profit arts organizations provide access to the arts and support quality of life in every corner of the state. While providing over 22,000 jobs, arts organizations served nearly 12.3 million people in 2009.

Question: What arts activities have you attended, participated in or supported in the last year?Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Dance, Other

Answer: Music, Theater, Visual Arts

2. What’s on your iPod?

Answer: No iPod, however, I have an iPhone with some classic rock, and country music on it.

3. The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, passed by 56% of the voters in November 2008, created the new Arts and Culture Fund. The constitutional amendment stated that these funds “may be spent only for arts, arts education, and arts access and to preserve Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage.” It also states that “The dedicated money under this section must supplement traditional sources of funding for these purposes and may not be used as a substitute.” MCA led the arts community campaign to pass the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment so that all Minnesotans would get access to the arts via the grants and services of the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system, which ensures that people in all 87 counties get access to the arts.

Question: Will you support at least 50% of the Arts and Culture Fund being dedicated to the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system, to ensure that all Minnesotans have access to the arts, regardless of their geographic location, through grants that reach all 87 Minnesota counties?

Enthusiastically Support; Support; Neutral; Opposed

Answer: Support

4. Nonprofit, tax exempt organizations provide social services, health services, education and arts to the public. Under Minnesota law, nonprofit organizations have been free from paying sales or property taxes because their services benefit the public.

Question: Do you agree or disagree that nonprofit organizations should continue to be free from paying taxes?

Agree; Disagree; No Opinion

Answer: Agree

5. Research shows that students with high levels of arts participation outperform other students on virtually every measure from standardized tests to community participation, and that learning through the arts has a significant effect on learning in other areas, particularly in the early years. The arts are required both by No Child Left Behind and also by Minnesota’s student academic standards, but our schools are not required to report how they are meeting those standards.

Question: Would you support policies to increase accountability for school standards in the arts?

Enthusiastically Support, Support, Neutral, Opposed

Answer: Support

6. Comments: We would welcome any additional comments you would like to make with regards to the arts in Minnesota. Please use additional pages as necessary.

In high school and college I participated in the performing arts. I recently performed in two plays at the Mantorville Opera House. I appreciate the contribution that the arts make to local communities, and support local projects and efforts.

Kim Norton (DFL) Incumbent

1. Minnesota’s nearly 1600 non-profit arts organizations provide access to the arts and support quality of life in every corner of the state. While providing over 22,000 jobs, arts organizations served nearly 12.3 million people in 2009.

Question: What arts activities have you attended, participated in or supported in the last year?Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Dance, Other

Answer: Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Dance

2. What’s on your iPod?

Answer: Too much to list! Jazz, Opera, Classical, Rock, books….

3. The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, passed by 56% of the voters in November 2008, created the new Arts and Culture Fund. The constitutional amendment stated that these funds “may be spent only for arts, arts education, and arts access and to preserve Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage.” It also states that “The dedicated money under this section must supplement traditional sources of funding for these purposes and may not be used as a substitute.” MCA led the arts community campaign to pass the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment so that all Minnesotans would get access to the arts via the grants and services of the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system, which ensures that people in all 87 counties get access to the arts.

Question: Will you support at least 50% of the Arts and Culture Fund being dedicated to the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system, to ensure that all Minnesotans have access to the arts, regardless of their geographic location, through grants that reach all 87 Minnesota counties?

Enthusiastically Support; Support; Neutral; Opposed

Answer: Neutral

4. Nonprofit, tax exempt organizations provide social services, health services, education and arts to the public. Under Minnesota law, nonprofit organizations have been free from paying sales or property taxes because their services benefit the public.

Question: Do you agree or disagree that nonprofit organizations should continue to be free from paying taxes?

Agree; Disagree; No Opinion

Answer: Agree

5. Research shows that students with high levels of arts participation outperform other students on virtually every measure from standardized tests to community participation, and that learning through the arts has a significant effect on learning in other areas, particularly in the early years. The arts are required both by No Child Left Behind and also by Minnesota’s student academic standards, but our schools are not required to report how they are meeting those standards.

Question: Would you support policies to increase accountability for school standards in the arts?

Enthusiastically Support, Support, Neutral, Opposed

Answer: Neutral

6. Comments: We would welcome any additional comments you would like to make with regards to the arts in Minnesota. Please use additional pages as necessary.

My answers are reflective of the tough financial times we live in and not of my support for the arts, which has always been strong. I have chosen to remain neutral on the two issues because I do not know the relevance of the “at least 50%” requirement versus another amount or when else the money might go to get positive results; and we simply do not have the revenue to mandate accountability on our financially strapped school districts at this time and we are working hard not to add any “unfunded mandates” at the present time. You can count on my support for the arts, but also on my being fiscally responsible as I represent Rochester in the Legislature.