The Morning Digest from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce

From FINANCE AND COMMERCE: When Minnesota Republicans took control of the state Legislature in 2010, the proposed Southwest Light Rail Transit line was one of the first targets to draw fire. The new leadership argued it was unwise to build a new line when roads and bridges needed so much work. As the years went by, the line between Eden Prairie and Minneapolis picked up new critics. … Despite this friction, organizers in January assembled transportation advocates of all stripes into a unified coalition pushing for an overarching funding package. The Move MN alliance has since grown to more than 160 members representing roads and bridges, transit, bicyclists and pedestrians – as well as businesses and social activist organizations. Move MN was unsuccessful in its bid for more funding during the 2014 session- in part because the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, a key supporter in earlier transportation efforts, was more focused on repealing a battery of tax increases and ensuring existing money is being spent wisely.

With an economy on the upswing, Dayton is tough target

From the MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE: Minnesota Republicans hoping to seize control of the governor’s residence have a problem when it comes to the economy: The news is too good. With business on the upswing and a state unemployment rate that’s among the lowest in the nation, Republicans lack a key issue voters often gravitate to during election season. … With fewer than three months until the general election, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Leadership Fund, the political arm of the state chamber, has not yet decided whether it will make an endorsement in the gubernatorial race, said interim president Bill Blazar. Its priority this fall is to help elect candidates who are “pro-business, pro-jobs,” Blazar said.

Gov. Dayton pushes education, labor-force agenda for 2nd term (MPR)

From the FARGO (N.D.) FORUM: When Mark Dayton ran for governor in 2010, he said he wanted to improve the state’s economy, spend more on schools, make the tax system fairer and end the cycle of recurring state budget deficits. Two years ago, Dayton followed through by raising income taxes on Minnesota’s top earners. He used the money from the tax increase to balance the state budget, fund statewide all-day kindergarten and increase spending for schools. During this year’s session, Dayton pushed a billion-dollar public works construction bill. Lately, he’s been taking a victory lap to promote some of the projects it pays for.

Editorial: Transportation should be a topic on the campaign trail in Minnesota

The MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE says: Traffic congestion, crumbling roadway pavement and insufficient transit options have almost replaced the weather as Minnesotans’ most frequent complaints. But unlike the weather, there’s a good deal that Minnesotans can do to remedy their transportation problems – provided they don’t wait so long that improvement becomes unaffordable. That’s why we’re rooting for focus on transportation in the 10 weeks and two days before the Nov. 4 election, particularly from candidates for governor and the state House. … There’s much to dislike about the gas tax. It’s regressive, falling hardest on Minnesotans who drive long distances to jobs that pay not quite enough to secure their hold on the middle class. It fails to keep up with inflation and falls as vehicle fuel economy increases. It’s become a political hot potato. That’s why only one Legislature in the past 26 years had the gumption to raise it, and that 2008 move required a gubernatorial veto override and a push from the state Chamber of Commerce.

Editorial: Minnesota: Better ways to budget — and consider tradeoffs

The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS says: There’s too little talk in Minnesota about how state spending continues to grow. That has to change. “Smart Budgeting” recommendations released last week — part of this summer’s Minnesota Policy Blueprint series from the Center of the American Experiment — are a good place to start the conversation. The proposals should help a needed discussion in a state where total spending in the current fiscal-year budget grew by 9.8 percent over the previous budget, when you adjust for both population and inflation. That translates to $1,130 for every Minnesotan during the 2014-15 biennium.

Editorial: Is GOP unity possible? Governor’s race says yes

The ROCHESTER POST-BULLETIN says: When Republican gubernatorial candidates visited the Post-Bulletin in recent weeks, one of the questions we asked them was this: With three credible contenders challenging the party-endorsed candidate on the ballot, what will unify the party after the primary election? “Mark Dayton is the unifying factor,” said Rep. Kurt Zellers, who gave the most concise response. We liked that answer because it looked beyond the perceived disharmony within the party that had its first seriously contested gubernatorial primary since 1994.

Editorial: Judicial politics

The NEW ULM JOURNAL says: Minnesota’s constitution states that judges are to be elected, just like any other political officer. But in practice, judges in Minnesota usually attain the bench by appointment and rarely face much opposition in succeeding elections. Most are re-elected until they reach retirement age in mid-term. Then they resign and a successor is appointed, starting the process over again. It is a system that works well. Judicial candidates undergo scrutiny by a knowledgeable, non-partisan panel, which recommends three finalists to the governor, who interviews the finalists and almost always selects the judge from among the three.

Around the nation…

Around the world…

The economy…

In Human Resources now…