Additional Q-and-A with Alex Falconer

Here’s candidate Q-and-A content in addition to what appeared in EPLN’s print Voter Guide, mailed to Eden Prairie homes in early October. We are repeating the Voter Guide’s introduction of the candidate.

Alex Falconer

Website: www.alexforhouse.org

Falconer, the Democrat in the House District 49A race, is an 11-year resident of Eden Prairie who lives on Avon Court. He is in charge of government affairs for the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, part of a coalition that advocates for federal and state legislation to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in Minnesota.

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He said a career working for advocacy organizations and alongside residents and leaders on local, state and federal legislation has prepared him for elective office.

As for community involvement, he is a volunteer coach for the Minnetonka Middle School East cross-country running team and for Minnetonka High School’s Nordic cross-country ski team. He is a member of the Upper Midwest Trail Runners Association and the Superior Hiking Trail Association.

He has received endorsements and/or donations from the Minnesota DFL Party, 314 Action, the Minnesota Nurses Association, Council 5 AFSCME, Teamsters Joint Council 32, the Boundary Waters Action Fund, Friends of the Boundary Waters Action Network, the Sierra Club, the DFL Environmental Caucus, Stonewall DFL and the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

EPLN: How would you address rising health care costs for Minnesota residents?

FALCONER: On Day 1, I will get to work to open MinnesotaCare as an affordable public option for everyone to choose from to help alleviate these costs. A public option for MinnesotaCare should also cover vision, dental and mental health with fair reimbursement rates for providers. I will work to make sure everyone has access to affordable and comprehensive health insurance and affordable prescriptions. We also need to work to cap the rates by which insurance companies are raising their premiums, deductibles and coinsurance so those on their preferred health plan can afford to keep it for themselves and their families.

EPLN: What is your position on legislation that affects the rights of LGBTQ+ residents in Minnesota?

FALCONER: As a proud parent of a non-binary child, I personally support all efforts to make sure our LGBTQ+ community members are supported in their community, schools, workplaces and our state with equal rights guaranteed by our constitution. I will immediately support the passage of the Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment so everyone has a legal guarantee to equality and dignity. I will oppose any attempts to take away rights of any person and will always work to keep Minnesota the welcoming and inclusive state of which we can be proud.

EPLN: What do you see as the greatest threat to democracy in the United States, and what would you, as an elected official, do to address the threat?

FALCONER: Minnesota is the gold standard of free and fair elections, the very foundation of our democracy. We allow same-day voter registration and we have a generous, 46-day early voting period. We allow for mail-in ballots and assist the elderly or others who need help to ensure their ballots are counted so their voice is heard at the ballot box. We also have a robust protection system so voters are not intimidated or coerced when casting their ballot. With all honesty, every other state should look to Minnesota as the model for how their elections should be carried out. The greatest threat to democracy in the United States are the efforts to limit the voting privileges we enjoy here in Minnesota and I will oppose any attempts to decrease or limit voter participation in our elections.

EPLN: How effective is the Metropolitan Council? What reforms, if any, do you believe are needed to how it carries out its responsibilities and how it is governed?

FALCONER: If your toilet consistently flushes, if you rode a bus to the State Fair, or if you have received a ride to your job or to your doctor’s office – the Met Council has been working for you. Like most government organizations or departments, they are not perfect, but they do a lot that provides stability and comfort in our daily lives. 

However, we can and should increase transparency and accountability to the taxpayers. We should expect better communication to residents, and ensure a fair and transparent auditing process so projects are on time and on budget. We must pursue a more accountable structure, perhaps with term limits or more oversight, given the members of the Met Council are appointed positions.