No shenanigans: In rise to House DFL leader, Stephenson praised as pragmatic policy wonk

As they plumbed the depths of negotiating a state budget with an evenly split Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman hatched a no shenanigans unit selecting two lawmakers they each trusted to get a budget bill unstuck There are times that you pull in the tools that we have Demuth recounted reporters amid budget talks in late May And we sent in the no shenanigans band One crew member was Paul Torkelson R-Hanska a septuagenarian lawmaker with a long held reputation for mastering strategy details The other was Zack Stephenson DFL-Coon Rapids just -years-old and hailing from a district where he had just won reelection by less than votes On Monday the House DFL caucus communicated that Stephenson would replace Hortman as DFL House leader The move comes as DFLers press for an assault weapons ban following the fatal shooting of Hortman in June and a deadly Minneapolis school shooting in late August The only reason that you are talking to me is that Melissa Hortman was killed in an act of gun violence Stephenson mentioned in an interview Whether the Legislature meets in special session this fall to tackle gun control or waits to convene in February the House will likely be in a -all tie between DFLers and Republicans Stephenson and Demuth will be bound by the same powersharing agreement House members hashed out last session A memorial for Rep Melissa Hortman stands at her former seat in the House Chamber at the Minnesota State Capitol on Tuesday Sept in St Paul Minn The Hortman s were murdered by a gunman posing as a police officer in July Credit Ellen Schmidt MinnPost CatchLigh Stephenson is a noted Hortman prot g serving as a -year-old campaign manager in when she first won poll to the Minnesota House Here is what else to know about Stephenson His district is historically Republican District A which encompasses parts of Anoka and Coon Rapids was for years represented by Republican Jim Abeler When Abeler successfully ran for the District Senate seat in another Republican Abigail Whelan took his place Stephenson flipped that running for the Minnesota House in as a father prosecutor and lifelong resident of the northern suburbs He graduated from Coon Rapids High School in and came back to the area after graduating from the University of Chicago law school serving as a prosecutor for Hennepin County Stephenson s supremacy was part of a blue suburban wave that put the House in DFL control and elevated Hortman to House speaker for the first time Even as Stephenson ascended within the House first as chair of the Commerce Finance and Plan Committee then as co-chair of Strategies and Means he still faced close elections Last year Stephenson edged out Republican challenger Josh Jungling with just under of the vote to Jungling s If you look at other legislative leaders they tend to be in very safe districts mentioned Steven Schier a political science professor at Carleton College When you represent a district like mine you have to be in touch with the population Stephenson declared I do a ton of door knocking and I learn a lot about what people say they want Perhaps unsurprisingly then Stephenson commands respect from Republicans Abeler noted he has worked with Stephenson on infrastructure measures regarding road repair and the Anoka Rum River Dam I think he brings a pragmatic approach to the leader s job that is going to be necessary Abeler commented I believe he was the DFL s strongest choice When urged to describe Stephenson observers from Rep Marion Rarick R-Maple Lake to Richard Carlbom DFL party chair used the word steady I ve seen him put his nose to the grindstone and work really hard Rarick revealed DFL s left flank also praised Stephenson if slightly less effusively Rep Cedrick Frazier DFL-New Hope and member of the House s People of Color and Indigenous caucus congratulated Stephenson declaring that the House DFL caucus stands strong united and ready to meet this pivotal moment for our state and the nation His strategy record is somewhat unorthodox During our interview Stephenson levied the utterly scurrilous and outrageously off base charge wink that the press has focused too much on his role in legalizing recreational pot in Minnesota in and not enough on the rest of his legislative record I am proud of the cannabis work Stephenson explained But I am really proud of what I did on consumer protections and affordability issues To that end Stephenson wrote laws setting up new arms of regime to crack down on scholar function operators and runaway prescription drug prices Marijuana notwithstanding his biggest legislative accomplishment was maybe a law on power efficiency standards for utilities and electric co-ops As for weed Stephenson s ongoing work on state legalization does provide a window into his leadership style Related Joint oversight Recreational cannabis bill amendment would give local governments several say on enforcement licensing Leili Fatehi partner and principal at marijuana business consulting group Blunt Strategies recalled Stephenson playing a very pivotal role in convening different stakeholders We spent a considerable amount of time with Rep Stephenson Fatehi revealed He was very interested in the details of the approach and outcomes that would balance competing interests It also provides a glimpse into Stephenson s work with tribes Minnesota s marijuana laws gave the state s tribal nations autonomy to set up grow and retail operations and let them set up shop off reservation Stephenson also proposed a since stalled out measure to let tribes lead the way on legalizing sports betting In Stephenson narrated MinnPost that if Minnesota is going to permit sports wagers We should stick with the most-established sophisticated players in the domain which are the tribal casinos Inquired what he would prioritize as House DFL leader Stephenson ticked off continuing his work on prescription drug pricing as well as bills to make housing and child care more affordable He also stressed the need for an assault weapons ban People want to enjoy hunting and protect themselves he stated but assault rifles are not what responsible gun owners are talking about when they seek to keep their firearms The post No shenanigans In rise to House DFL leader Stephenson praised as pragmatic framework wonk appeared first on MinnPost