By Kara Hildreth
Thisweek Newspapers

Chaz Johnson of Farmington recently announced he is seeking the Republican endorsement for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 36B.

Born and raised in Northfield, Johnson said he has been a Farmington resident since 1999 where he makes a home with his wife, Martha, and their three children.

"We picked Farmington because we found a great home in a great location,î Johnson said, adding how Farmington has a lot to offer families.

Johnson, 40, is serving his third term on the Farmington Planning Commission, which he joined in 2000 after Farmington Mayor Kevan Soderberg made a recommendation he apply, he said.

Johnson also serves as the second congressional district chair for the Republican Party, a position he has held since 2003. Currently, however, he is on a leave of absence while he seeks the Republican Party endorsement for District 36B.

"I am running because with a $30 billion budget that has nearly doubled in 10 years, we should be able to fund our schools, take care of the elderly, have a 21st century transportation system, and still live within our means without raising taxes and growing government,î Johnson said. "These are my core principles and are just plain common-sense.î

"We need to reduce the bureaucracy in the education field, Johnson said.

"Throwing money at it is not the answer. We need to find ways to reform it,î he said, as increasing competitiveness among schools by way of school vouchers may be one way to begin reform.

"That is one avenue that we miss in education,î Johnson said. "It is not as competitive as it could be.î

Competition is always good for the consumer, and if competition exists, the consumer wins, Johnson said. "In terms of education, the consumer (or the student) in the end is the winner,î he said.

His top priorities if elected to become a state representative will be to work on education and transportation issues that are critical to the district's residents. Johnson said "the challenges in this district are making certain education funding from the state gets to the classroom, and insuring that moms and dads can come and go to and from work in a reasonable amount of time, without creating new and creative ways of taxing hard-working Minnesotans.î

For more than 18 years, Johnson has worked as a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines. "Northwest has shown its share of problems since Sept. 11, and the airline industry as a whole has a lot to deal with,î he said. Minnesota sees the effects as far as lost jobs and employment, Johnson said.

Recalling how he has seen friends who were airline mechanics lose their jobs, Johnson said he understands how difficult a time it is now for many Minnesotans.

"I know how hard a time it is and I understand that,î he said, as everyone who works as a part of the airline industry as a whole. Even though Johnson said he is not a Wall Street guru, he thinks in the next four to five years "the sand will settle, and some form of normalcy will exist in airline travel.î

Another focus Johnson would like to put his energy into is making sure Minnesota seniors are taken care of as more Baby Boomers retire and grow older.

He recalled how his father-in-law suffered two strokes and unfortunately the second one was fatal. Fortunately, the family was prepared with a living will and had the proper financial resources in place to make the best decisions for care.

"We dealt with the living will and he was prepared,î Johnson said. "I can't imagine how we would have handled it without a game plan.î The major trauma to his father-in-law and his family led his wife's family to focus on how to best take care of him, trying to care for him at home together first. "My wife and mother-in-law tried to maintain a livable lifestyle for him,î Johnson said, but the loving care given was a huge stress for the whole family.

Johnson said he cannot recall how many senior nursing homes or care facilities the family looked at before deciding on one in Eagan that suited his father-in-law's needs and the family's expectations for good care.

"I cannot imagine going through what my wife and her family went through without having some semblance of preparation,î Johnson said, as all Minnesotans should think about long-term health insurance coverage. Five years before his father suffered two strokes he decided to purchase long-term health insurance coverage.

Seeing his father-in-law suffer a stroke and lose the ability to communicate with family members, Johnson said he truly knows the value of communication.

"It was so hard,î he said, describing how the family needed a special board to communicate with his father-in-law as he pointed to words or pictures because he lost the ability to talk.

The services are out there for seniors, Johnson said, and it's not just the government's responsibility to make sure seniors' needs are met.

"It is not like 50 or 60 years ago when life expectancies were much shorter,î he said. Because people are living longer, they need to take time to prepare, and that does not just mean the elderly population, Johnson said.

With more people living longer and Baby Boomers aging, Johnson said long-term health coverage will become more common place, just as medical savings accounts have become more popular as a part of individual benefit options.

Johnson also believes strongly that all Americans and Minnesotans should have the choice to invest social security funds into a private account. "This is valuable and it needs to happen. We do not need to rely so much on the government as we age.î

"We should all be able to take care of ourselves,î Johnson said, meaning individuals should plan for their own financial futures when long-term or short-term care at a nursing home or skilled nursing facility may become necessary.

"My focus is to talk to the delegates,î Johnson said, as he plans a grass roots campaign to get as many of the 151 delegates as he can in his precinct to support him. The precinct caucus is Tuesday, March 7.

Johnson seeks the Republican endorsement to run against the incumbent Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) who is currently seeking re-election in November to serve a second term in District 36B.

"The endorsement is so important,î Johnson said. "I am going to focus - put everything in place,î he said, adding, "I have a lot of hurdles to get to that point.î

Kara Hildreth is at farmington.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

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