Huntley, Reinert and Prettner Solon plan Feb. 7 town hall meeting in Duluth

Senator Yvonne Prettner Solon along with Reps. Tom Huntley and Roger Reinert will host a town hall meeting in Duluth Feb. 7. The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the DECC French River Room.

“I urge citizens to attend our town meetings and stay involved in the political process. People hold the power to make a difference in state government,” Prettner Solon said. “Town meetings are designed to be listening and learning sessions. We want to hear your ideas on the state budget and how to make government work more efficiently.”

A PowerPoint presentation on the state budget will start the town hall meeting and be the focus of the meeting’s discussion. The state faces a $4.8 billion deficit for the coming two-year budget period.

“We have a lot of work to do with the budget and we want to hear ideas from constituents on how to solve the problem,” Prettner Solon said. “We need insight and ideas from the people we represent.”

Minnesota is facing its most serious and long-lasting recession since World War II. According to state economist Tom Stinson, the state has already lost 33,000 jobs and can expect to lose another 77,000 during this recession. Compare that to job losses of 55,000 in 2001 and 10,000 jobs lost during the 1990-91 recession.

“We need to create jobs and get Minnesotans back to work if we are going to pull out of this recession anytime soon,” Sen. Prettner Solon said. “I encourage everyone with ideas, comments or concerns about the state’s budget to attend this town hall meeting on Feb. 7.”

~Information courtesy Sen. Prettner Solon’s office. For further details, contact (651) 296-4188 or yvonneps@senate.mn.