Former Governor Elmer L. Andersen addresses state lawmakers

Posted 3/28/01

Former Governor Elmer L. Andersen addresses state lawmakers

By T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter

Holding the Senate silent from his wheelchair beneath the Senate rostrum, former governor Elmer L. Andersen weaved the past and present into visions of the future for the state he served as lawmaker, governor, and citizen.

Andersen, 91, spoke to the Senate March 19 after receiving a rare invitation to address the body in which he had served as a state senator 1949 to 1958, representing portions of Anoka and Ramsey counties.

Elected governor in 1960, Andersen lost an achingly close gubernatorial contest in 1962 to Karl Rolvaag, the margin of the decision being just 91 votes.

Though physically frail, Andersen, a highly successful retired businessman, spoke for a half hour without the use of notes.

ìI donít see very well, I donít hear very well, I donít move very well, but I can still talk,î said Andersen with a smile.

He told the Senate he came to have fun and punctuated his talk with funny stories and even an glancing quip directed towards the current man filling the governorís chair.

ìI had a call the other day from the XFL, saying they were thinking of changing the personnel and wondering if Iíd be interested,î joked Andersen, winning a strong round of applause.

Andersen said he respected Gov. Jesse Ventura, crediting the third party governor with bringing in a breath of fresh air and some good ideas.
He did chastise Ventura on one item, funding for the University of Minnesota.
ìI believe the good governor is lacking personal experience and it shows,î said Andersen.

The University of Minnesota is a tremendous engine profoundly impacting the well-being of the state, Andersen explained.

ìSo I make a special plea for the ìUî and all the needy,î he said.

Besides the university ñ the medical school ñ another concern for Andersen was inadequate funding for the judiciary. While Minnesota courts are the twelfth most cited courts in the United States in terms of their legal judgements, the state ranks 33rd in terms of pay for the judiciary, he said.
The state has always ìlagged behindî in this area, said Andersen.

Though a life-long Republi-can, Andersen asked for a reconsideration of tax surplus rebates and tax cuts, saying now is the time for investments.
The modest amount of money that the rebates and tax cuts would send back ìslip away without much of an impact,î he said.

He believes the tax dollars the public has invested in the state probably constitutes the wisest financial investments they ever made.

Evoking the distant grandeur of ancient Athens and wondering whether these ancient people appreciated the marvels of their columned city, Andersen asked the same question of todayís Minnesotans.
ìI wonder whether people are really grasping how wonderful Minnesota is,î he asked.

Andersen, whom may see the distant corners of the rich, dim Senate Chamber now most clearly in memory, said how he loves the Chamber and enjoyed so much serving in the Senate.

Andersen beckoned back a century ñ just some 50 years after statehood ñ and how the Legislature short years before the turn of the century set out to build a new Capitol.

They might have tried to save dollars and built something trite but they had a grand vision for the future of Minnesota and the Capitol had to physically represent this powerful hope.
So they built a magnificent Capitol with a dome, golden horses ìand marble all over the place,î said Andersen.

Andersen challenged the lawmakers to a sustained vision that a century from now people may look back on and speak glowingly of the 2001 Legislature.
Andersen also offered the senators some fatherly advice about respecting the right of fellow lawmakers to disagree with them and the virtues of self-control.

ìYou just donít get at odds with anyone,î he cautioned.

Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe, DFL, Erskine, said Andersenís visit to the Senate was a great day for Minnesota. Andersen has been called Minnesotaís leading citizen, said Moe.

ìAnd I couldnít put it any better,î he said.
Andersen is the publisher emeritus of ECM Publishers Inc., a suburban newspaper group which he founded after leaving H. B. Fuller where he served as CEO.

Moe credited Andersen for his work on establishing Voyageurs National Park and for his trailblazing efforts in the area of human rights, among other accomplishments.

Andersen will be celebrating his 92nd birthday in June.