2022 Candidate Survey
Describe your personal experience with skateboarding.
I have never been a skateboarder, but I did use in line skates at a skate park growing up in Lake City, MN. I think Skateboarding is a healthy hobby, and having skate parks gives people a good place to go since skateboarding is not allowed on most public property.
Can you do a kick flip?
No
Do the communities you would represent have quality, accessible, visible skateboarding spaces?
I think it would be up to the community to decide. Since as governor I would represent the entire state it would take some research on my part to determine which communities have skate parks. The two places where I spent the majority of my life, Lake City and Rochester both had skate parks within a mile of where I lived.
Do you see the connection between skateboarding and social, racial, gender, and economic equity? If so, please share a few thoughts.
Skateboarding is relatively compared to a lot of other activities that people can choose to participate in, so it could have some influence on which hobbies people chose, for example, I wanted to play Ice hockey growing up, but I did not live in a town that provided it, so I played street hockey which was much less expensive and why I got into skating. I think it's important for people to have access to stress outlets and coping mechanisms, which skating can be for many people.
How will you support youth and community health with new ideas and infrastructure?
I think it's important to recognize that when there is a demand for something, it will happen. Since Skateparks are pretty much self sustaining once put in place it would be up to the community to decide if enough people in that area would make good use of it.
Will you support fully funding the Minnesota Skate Park Grant Program (SF2502/HF2876) in the 2023 Legislative session and beyond?
I haven't read the specifics of that grant program, but on the surface it seems like something I would support.