NORTHWEST MINNESOTA: Crookston Man Runs For State House - Kiel to Face Lieder
May 12, 2004
By Elisa L. Rineheart, Herald Staff Writer

Lonn Kiel, 51, a Crookston farmer involved in several local community and business organizations, has announced that he is running for the state House of Representatives.

Kiel, a Republican, said he's running because his district has been neglected.

He'll face Rep. Bernie Lieder, DFL-Crookston. Lieder's legislative district covers Red Lake County, almost all of Polk County, some parts of Pennington County and the western half of Marshall County.

"Northwest Minnesota has been left out in a loop in relation to the metro area," Kiel said. "It pains me to see our jobs go to North Dakota, our education tax dollars go to the Twin Cities and our health care insurance skyrocket."

Kiel, a native of Crookston, challenged Lieder unsuccessfully in 2002.

He said he has no previous experience in politics, but he has lived in the area long enough to know that job growth and education are two issues in need of attention.

"In the past 10 years, Marshall, Red Lake and Polk counties have lost 20 percent of their school enrollment for ages 5 to 17," Kiel said. "Schools up here need more funding. We could shuffle things around, so education becomes more of a priority."

JOBS

The loss of school population in the counties is in part related to the migration of local residents to Grand Forks and the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Kiel said.

"People are either not having children or migrating across the river," he said. "We need to create jobs that will keep them here."

Kiel said he is a supporter of the Job Opportunity Building Zone program, approved by the 2003 Legislature, which allows the creation of tax-free zones in job-strapped areas, including northwest Minnesota.

Community service

Kiel served on the boards of Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association, Hammond Township, Riverview Hospital Foundation and the American Crystal Sugar Co. He has been active in the Farm Bureau, the Crookston Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club.

He is married and has four children, ages 15 to 26.

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