Additional Q-and-A with Wendi Russo

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.

Wendi Russo

Website: www.russoformn.com

A 20-year Eden Prairie resident who lives on Stanburry Curve, Russo owns Russo Entertainment Media Consulting. She said she also is a women’s empowerment coach and facilitator and a career coach.

She has had fundraising, speaking and other roles with a number of organizations, including Make-A-Wish, 3000 Acts of Kindness, Dwelling Place Shelter, Breaking Free Trafficking Shelter, Alex’s Lemonade Stand for Children’s Cancer Research, and Wishes and More. She has been a board member for Minnesota African Fashion Week and American Hero Wishes and co-founded the Free Little Library at Staring Lake.

Russo said she has been preparing to serve in elective office by educating herself on local issues: interviewing and talking to school board members, local business owners, a city manager and to leaders in affordable housing, law enforcement and transportation.

Endorsements received prior to this publication’s deadline included Women Lead and the NFIB small business association. 

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

RUSSO: With healthy competition and price transparency. I would legislate for price transparency, which would allow consumers an ability to shop for lowest-cost hospital and clinic services that are non-emergency services. More competition would attract more insurers into the market. Only when providers fear losing market share to competitors will they respond with lower prices and innovative solutions. The DFL raised health care taxes by more than a billion dollars and are pushing for a government takeover of health care, reducing options for your families.

We need to increase Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates, so private pay consumers aren’t subsidizing the public side of health care, and we also need to keep reinsurance in Minnesota stable to increase the affordability of health insurance for those who buy their own insurance. I oppose single-payer health care and will work to ensure Minnesotans have access to quality, affordable health care and improve transparency to bring down costs.

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

RUSSO: Having several family members and close friends who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I am compassionate about the importance of protecting their rights and equality. On a positive note, I believe the current protections against discrimination in employment, housing and education for our LGBTQ+ residents are robust within the Human Rights Act first enacted in Minnesota in 1967. If elected to represent the people of House District 49B, I will work to ensure that Minnesota laws protect the rights and dignity of everyone.

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?

RUSSO: Freedom of speech is the lifeblood of democracy. It is for individuals, not the government, to judge what is in their own best interest. Censorship within social media was recently admitted by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as a possible influence during the 2020 election. As Chief Justice Hughes wrote, “…it is only through free debate and exchange of ideas that government remains responsive to the will of the people and peaceful change is effected. The right to speak freely and to promote diversity of ideas and programs is therefore one of the chief distinctions that sets us apart from totalitarian regimes.” The mainstream media was once the guardian of the First Amendment and democratic principles, but has joined this systematic attack of democracy.

On a local level, the ongoing Emergency Powers Act in Minnesota does not limit emergency powers of the governor/executive branch. The ability of the governor and executive branch to extend emergency powers indefinitely does not align with our democratic government. Most of us recognize the benefit of short-term, defined, and emergency powers; over 18 months without democratic institutions is too long. As your representative, I would favor legislation that would limit the emergency powers of the governor.

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?

RUSSO: The Met Council of 17 members has a significant impact on our lives in providing services in transit, wastewater and affordable housing. There is strong bipartisan agreement that the agency needs reform. It is not an elected body, yet they have significant taxing authority. This regional organization has demonstrated mismanagement and cost overruns on major projects including light rail. 

The Legislature should revoke the Met Council governance and return selection of council members to the people of Minnesota/metro area through a rigorous process of seeking qualified candidates who are experts in water treatment systems, transportation, civil engineering, environmental and infrastructure systems. The light-rail project in Eden Prairie has been fraught with cost overruns and questions about how contracts were monitored and routes were chosen.