Ben Schwanke
Name: Ben Schwanke
Public Office Sought: Minnesota House of Representatives District 40A
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-243-0794
Campaign Website: schwankeforhouse.com
Twitter handle: @SchwankeBen
Facebook Page: Ben Schwanke for MN House
Candidate Bio
Ben Schwanke is a middle school math teacher in Roseville where he works as an interventionist to help struggling students find success in school and mathematics. He has made it his focus and mission to provide a safe and equitable learning environment for all students, not only in his classroom but throughout Roseville Area Schools
He lives in Arden Hills and recently served as a Human Rights Commissioner in Shoreview. When not teaching, Ben coaches high school football and serves the local teachers union as a representative and contract negotiator. He served on the Governing Board of the statewide organization Education Minnesota from 2019-2022.
Ben earned a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics at Augsburg College, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership at Concordia University in Saint Paul.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Public Safety
Foster Better Economic Conditions in Minnesota
Improve Educational Outcomes in Minnesota
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro and what role do businesses play in supporting quality of life issues in East Metro communities?
We have many amazing companies that not only compete locally, but globally and regionally. This can make the business climate for our East Metro companies especially difficult as they compete with Wisconsin’s business friendly climate.
Our businesses play a major role in supporting quality of life in all communities. Without strong businesses we won’t have a strong tax base to provide a safety net to those in need or a strong educational system for our children and grandchildren.
What role do you think the State should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to and retain existing businesses in the East Metro?
That State plays a major role in attracting and retaining jobs. We are in a competitive environment where differentials on taxes, licensing, regulations and bureaucracy make a big difference. We need a well educated workforce, reliable and affordable energy and safe streets. All of those factors have a major impact on attracting, retaining and growing businesses and employees.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
Minnesota needs to be an attractive place to live. This means having safe streets, a great education system and competitive tax climate. People will not stay or move here if it is physically dangerous, their kids have substandard schools and taxes are punitive. Those policies are extremely important to address and you can find more details on my website www.schwankeforhouse.com
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of a proposal on the many types of businesses in the East Metro and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I want to create a business friendly climate that attracts both employers and employees. A good, competitive tax and regulatory climate is important. I support Sen. Julia Coleman’s family leave proposal as it has the broad support of the business community.
Public safety and rising crime rates are of serious concern to the business community and residents. What strategies or policies would you use to address public safety issues?
I would support the following:
Make Carjacking a Crime with Harsh Penalty
Create a specific crime for carjacking. Currently, carjackers are either charged with robbery or assault. This proposal would model after the bill in the Minnesota Senate and being blocked by Democrats in the Minnesota House. Defendants would serve two, four or six year minimum sentences under this proposal
Stop Non-Profit Funding to Bail out Criminals
End the ability for non-profits to bail out violent criminals, a bill that has been blocked by DFLers in the legislature.
Make Penalties Harsher
Stiffen penalties for repeat, violent criminals to felony levels and increase sentencing guidelines for such crimes.
Judges must Follow Guidelines
We must also change statutes to disallow judges from deviating down to lower sentences for convicted violent crime from established sentencing guidelines.
Protect the Children
Create a Division within the Department of Public Safety to focus on protecting the innocence of children. This unit would specifically focus on the protection of children from sexual exploitation and trafficking. This would include increasing the mandatory minimums for the creation of child pornography.
End Recidivism with Productive Training
Bring in job training, literacy and skills training in the Department of Corrections so convicts released will have the ability to get a productive job and end recidivism. Over 90% of inmates will be released back into society in Minnesota.
Corrective Labor and Community Participation
Create a Restorative Justice Initiative that would have offenders cleaning up graffiti and vandalism they and others created. Modeled after the once successful “Sentence to Serve” program in Minnesota which was a proud and innovative model for other states under DFL, Republican and Independent Governors, the program has been gutted under Tim Walz. The initiative would bring accountability to sentencing, while cleaning up our beautiful state, damaged and vandalized by criminals who know that there are little, if any consequences for their actions under this Governor.
What strategies or policies would you use to address transportation issues? Have your strategies or views changed on transportation since we’ve seen shifts in road use, public transportation use, work from home models, etc. due to the pandemic?
My stance on transportation is consistent: We need public transportation that is adaptable to the ever changing landscape of Minnesota. Bus lines are our most beneficial and efficient mode of public transportation. Just as we are seeing our own community grow, we are seeing the need for more and different bus lines than what already exist. In order for us to do this, we need to make sure our transportation dollars go to where it is most needed and not on fixed rail lines that cannot adapt to the changes in our communities.
What strategies or policies would you use to address housing issues?
We spend over $1 billion on housing programs and we need to spend smarter. It costs at least 15% more to build housing in Minnesota. We need to examine and reform the mandates and requirements that drive up these costs. I would like to coordinate non profits, churches, local and state government to deal with the increasing amount of homelessness we are witnessing and partner job training, mental and chemical health treatment to get people facing these challenges into productive employment and stable transitional housing.
What are your priorities for the State’s budget? Are there any services currently provided by the State that you believe should be expanded, cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
The Minnesota Constitution is a very good document for priorities: Education, Public Safety and other things that state government is responsible for. I am enclosing a link below on a variety of audit reports. We have seen billions of waste and cost overruns that I will actually tackle: MNLARS, child care fraud, light rail, food bank fraud and more. Those all need examination and according reductions & reforms. The status quo of billions of dollars in waste is simply unacceptable.
Legislative Audit of Waste in Government (dozens of reports): Reports, Alphabetical (state.mn.us)
What will you do to expand your district’s tax base?
Our local city leaders and officials are already doing a very good job with this issue. My role as a legislator would be to support their current and future efforts. I want to make sure that we have a vibrant business climate to retain, attract and grow more businesses.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce, and address the achievement gap?
As a public school math teacher this has been and will continue to be a primary focus. In order for our businesses to succeed and for our community to be prosperous, we must have a highly educated workforce. I will push for more partnerships between schools and businesses in order to give our students more opportunities to gain experiences and find their passions. I also will push that we fund programs such as Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) that bring student voice into the classroom and teach for understanding strategies. Lastly, our students need to find a purpose to achieve their full potential and have someone to believe in them in order to make this happen. By building business-school partnerships, we can implement these ideas.
What is the role of the State in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses?
The businesses hurt most during the recent riots and crime wave have been minority and women owned businesses. Restoring order as I outlined in detail above must be a high priority for all businesses, but especially those types of businesses. We need to have a supporting environment for people who want to create and grow businesses. This relates to taxes and regulations, but also having experts in the DEED and Commerce Departments, as well as private sector mentors that can lend their experience to minority and women entrepreneurs to bring their dreams to reality. The complexity and capital it takes to start a business can be overwhelming and a strong public-private partnership model can be successful for first time business owners.
What further policies can the State of Minnesota adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The legislature needs to make sure that the Unemployment Trust Fund is protected from raiding and has an appropriate balance to avoid any tax increases on businesses. The shutdowns and lockdowns lasted much too long. I do not want to see small business owners shut down while the big box retailers were left to stay open. There must be input and common sense applied in these circumstances. The state’s higher education system should be opened up for assistance so potential commercial drivers can obtain their CDL’s, which isn’t allowed. The supply chain problems are often a result of the lack of commercial truck drivers.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I think that rolling black out warnings for Minnesota are a huge red flag for the lack of preparedness. The MISO Energy grid territory for Minnesota has predicted a 5 gigawatt shortage. We must make sure we are conducting an “all of the above” strategy on energy procurement, including lifting the nuclear moratorium, developing bipartisan hydro technology and continuing the public-private partnerships on wind and solar power. This issue is critical for basic human living: we expect the lights to turn on and our businesses to function with stable, reliable and affordable power.
Public Office Sought: Minnesota House of Representatives District 40A
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-243-0794
Campaign Website: schwankeforhouse.com
Twitter handle: @SchwankeBen
Facebook Page: Ben Schwanke for MN House
Candidate Bio
Ben Schwanke is a middle school math teacher in Roseville where he works as an interventionist to help struggling students find success in school and mathematics. He has made it his focus and mission to provide a safe and equitable learning environment for all students, not only in his classroom but throughout Roseville Area Schools
He lives in Arden Hills and recently served as a Human Rights Commissioner in Shoreview. When not teaching, Ben coaches high school football and serves the local teachers union as a representative and contract negotiator. He served on the Governing Board of the statewide organization Education Minnesota from 2019-2022.
Ben earned a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics at Augsburg College, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership at Concordia University in Saint Paul.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Public Safety
Foster Better Economic Conditions in Minnesota
Improve Educational Outcomes in Minnesota
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro and what role do businesses play in supporting quality of life issues in East Metro communities?
We have many amazing companies that not only compete locally, but globally and regionally. This can make the business climate for our East Metro companies especially difficult as they compete with Wisconsin’s business friendly climate.
Our businesses play a major role in supporting quality of life in all communities. Without strong businesses we won’t have a strong tax base to provide a safety net to those in need or a strong educational system for our children and grandchildren.
What role do you think the State should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and what steps would you take to solicit new businesses to and retain existing businesses in the East Metro?
That State plays a major role in attracting and retaining jobs. We are in a competitive environment where differentials on taxes, licensing, regulations and bureaucracy make a big difference. We need a well educated workforce, reliable and affordable energy and safe streets. All of those factors have a major impact on attracting, retaining and growing businesses and employees.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
Minnesota needs to be an attractive place to live. This means having safe streets, a great education system and competitive tax climate. People will not stay or move here if it is physically dangerous, their kids have substandard schools and taxes are punitive. Those policies are extremely important to address and you can find more details on my website www.schwankeforhouse.com
Do you support any specific employment-related proposals? If so, what steps would you take to understand the impact of a proposal on the many types of businesses in the East Metro and how would you define any exceptions to those policies?
I want to create a business friendly climate that attracts both employers and employees. A good, competitive tax and regulatory climate is important. I support Sen. Julia Coleman’s family leave proposal as it has the broad support of the business community.
Public safety and rising crime rates are of serious concern to the business community and residents. What strategies or policies would you use to address public safety issues?
I would support the following:
Make Carjacking a Crime with Harsh Penalty
Create a specific crime for carjacking. Currently, carjackers are either charged with robbery or assault. This proposal would model after the bill in the Minnesota Senate and being blocked by Democrats in the Minnesota House. Defendants would serve two, four or six year minimum sentences under this proposal
Stop Non-Profit Funding to Bail out Criminals
End the ability for non-profits to bail out violent criminals, a bill that has been blocked by DFLers in the legislature.
Make Penalties Harsher
Stiffen penalties for repeat, violent criminals to felony levels and increase sentencing guidelines for such crimes.
Judges must Follow Guidelines
We must also change statutes to disallow judges from deviating down to lower sentences for convicted violent crime from established sentencing guidelines.
Protect the Children
Create a Division within the Department of Public Safety to focus on protecting the innocence of children. This unit would specifically focus on the protection of children from sexual exploitation and trafficking. This would include increasing the mandatory minimums for the creation of child pornography.
End Recidivism with Productive Training
Bring in job training, literacy and skills training in the Department of Corrections so convicts released will have the ability to get a productive job and end recidivism. Over 90% of inmates will be released back into society in Minnesota.
Corrective Labor and Community Participation
Create a Restorative Justice Initiative that would have offenders cleaning up graffiti and vandalism they and others created. Modeled after the once successful “Sentence to Serve” program in Minnesota which was a proud and innovative model for other states under DFL, Republican and Independent Governors, the program has been gutted under Tim Walz. The initiative would bring accountability to sentencing, while cleaning up our beautiful state, damaged and vandalized by criminals who know that there are little, if any consequences for their actions under this Governor.
What strategies or policies would you use to address transportation issues? Have your strategies or views changed on transportation since we’ve seen shifts in road use, public transportation use, work from home models, etc. due to the pandemic?
My stance on transportation is consistent: We need public transportation that is adaptable to the ever changing landscape of Minnesota. Bus lines are our most beneficial and efficient mode of public transportation. Just as we are seeing our own community grow, we are seeing the need for more and different bus lines than what already exist. In order for us to do this, we need to make sure our transportation dollars go to where it is most needed and not on fixed rail lines that cannot adapt to the changes in our communities.
What strategies or policies would you use to address housing issues?
We spend over $1 billion on housing programs and we need to spend smarter. It costs at least 15% more to build housing in Minnesota. We need to examine and reform the mandates and requirements that drive up these costs. I would like to coordinate non profits, churches, local and state government to deal with the increasing amount of homelessness we are witnessing and partner job training, mental and chemical health treatment to get people facing these challenges into productive employment and stable transitional housing.
What are your priorities for the State’s budget? Are there any services currently provided by the State that you believe should be expanded, cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
The Minnesota Constitution is a very good document for priorities: Education, Public Safety and other things that state government is responsible for. I am enclosing a link below on a variety of audit reports. We have seen billions of waste and cost overruns that I will actually tackle: MNLARS, child care fraud, light rail, food bank fraud and more. Those all need examination and according reductions & reforms. The status quo of billions of dollars in waste is simply unacceptable.
Legislative Audit of Waste in Government (dozens of reports): Reports, Alphabetical (state.mn.us)
What will you do to expand your district’s tax base?
Our local city leaders and officials are already doing a very good job with this issue. My role as a legislator would be to support their current and future efforts. I want to make sure that we have a vibrant business climate to retain, attract and grow more businesses.
How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce, and address the achievement gap?
As a public school math teacher this has been and will continue to be a primary focus. In order for our businesses to succeed and for our community to be prosperous, we must have a highly educated workforce. I will push for more partnerships between schools and businesses in order to give our students more opportunities to gain experiences and find their passions. I also will push that we fund programs such as Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) that bring student voice into the classroom and teach for understanding strategies. Lastly, our students need to find a purpose to achieve their full potential and have someone to believe in them in order to make this happen. By building business-school partnerships, we can implement these ideas.
What is the role of the State in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses?
The businesses hurt most during the recent riots and crime wave have been minority and women owned businesses. Restoring order as I outlined in detail above must be a high priority for all businesses, but especially those types of businesses. We need to have a supporting environment for people who want to create and grow businesses. This relates to taxes and regulations, but also having experts in the DEED and Commerce Departments, as well as private sector mentors that can lend their experience to minority and women entrepreneurs to bring their dreams to reality. The complexity and capital it takes to start a business can be overwhelming and a strong public-private partnership model can be successful for first time business owners.
What further policies can the State of Minnesota adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The legislature needs to make sure that the Unemployment Trust Fund is protected from raiding and has an appropriate balance to avoid any tax increases on businesses. The shutdowns and lockdowns lasted much too long. I do not want to see small business owners shut down while the big box retailers were left to stay open. There must be input and common sense applied in these circumstances. The state’s higher education system should be opened up for assistance so potential commercial drivers can obtain their CDL’s, which isn’t allowed. The supply chain problems are often a result of the lack of commercial truck drivers.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I think that rolling black out warnings for Minnesota are a huge red flag for the lack of preparedness. The MISO Energy grid territory for Minnesota has predicted a 5 gigawatt shortage. We must make sure we are conducting an “all of the above” strategy on energy procurement, including lifting the nuclear moratorium, developing bipartisan hydro technology and continuing the public-private partnerships on wind and solar power. This issue is critical for basic human living: we expect the lights to turn on and our businesses to function with stable, reliable and affordable power.