Cynthia Lonnquist
Name: Cynthia Lonnquist
Public Office Sought: Minnesota House of Representatives District 52B
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-387-0974
Campaign Website: https://www.cynthia4mnhouse.com/home
Twitter handle:
Facebook page:
Candidate Bio
As a native and lifelong Minnesotan, daughter of WWII Vet, mother and grandmother, I care deeply about the future of our State and am honored to be on the ballot to represent my District (52B). My career background is Technology sales, including owning my own business. I currently serve in Music Ministry at my church and enjoy spending time with my extended family spanning four generations. My background gives me the experience and passion to serve; being a Single Mom gives me the heart.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
The BEST Economy: Permanent tax reductions for business and residents
The BEST Education: School Choice for all families
The BEST and Safest communities: Support for Law Enforcement
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?
The East metro business climate is a diverse ecosystem comprised of very small to very large businesses; private, public and non-profit; spanning many different industries (less focus on agriculture than other parts of the state). The overall business environment is good and holds great promise; current challenges include high cost of entry (in some cases), labor and supply issues as well as burdensome taxes and regulations.
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?
Holistically; to attract and retain jobs means we need to attract and retain businesses that employ workers. To that end, MN needs to be competitive with other states from a tax perspective; offer safe communities that people will want to live in (support for Law Enforcement); and promote the best education possible – as the workers’ children would attend schools here; (school choice for all families).
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
A shortage of workers is largely the result of people having fewer children than they did in the past. Long-term I would promote a culture of life (welcoming and affirming ALL children). Short-term MN needs to be competitive with surrounding states so we don’t continue to lose our residents for more tax-friendly destinations like SD & FL. Adjusting our policies to ATTRACT business and residents will have a positive impact very quickly.
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 am not aware of any specific employment-related proposals on the table.
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 believe in respect for Law and support for Law Enforcement; also to increase rehabilitation programs wherever possible.
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?
With shifts in road use, public transportation, etc. due to the pandemic I would pause and re-evaluate transportation projects that are in the pipeline until we can determine how many of these changes are permanent. It appears that the pandemic may have permanently shifted our workforce to more of a remote model, therefore negating the need to invest heavily in roads and public transportation into and out of major cities.
What strategies or policies would you use to address housing issues?
I would allow local cities and counties to determine the best strategies and policies for their own, unique housing needs as they are much closer to the issue.
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?
My priorities for the State’s budget would be to reduce it; and reduce taxes. There are many areas we could cut back on or eliminate entirely. (#13 below is just one example). There are also areas of fraud and waste that need to be cut out completely and in some cases prosecuted. A local investigative Reporter revealed in a recent report “A dozen lawmakers who said they were at the state Capitol on fewer than 10 session days this year collected their full per diems, a months-long FOX 9 analysis of finance records and House and Senate journals indicates. Dozens of others who stayed away from the Capitol most days still collected thousands of their per diem allowance.” https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-lawmakers-stay-home-collect-pay-meant-for-daily-expenses
What will you do to expand your district’s tax base?
Reduce tax rates, implement School Choice and support Law Enforcement. Then I would advertise nationally that “Minnesota (and our District) has ALOT to offer”. I would tout this via Trade Shows, Business Journals, Forums, Social Media, etc. We could also look at incentives like “1st year tax-free” to incent businesses to set up shop here.
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?
For K-12, allowing families to choose the best school to meet the needs of their child improves educational outcomes. Dozens of states are implementing and expanding School Choice; Minnesota needs to do this and we don’t need to micro-manage it.
Post-Secondary institutions and business should work hand in hand; Business advising on skill sets needed; Educational institutions working with them to develop programs to address those needs. Vocational and Technical Institutes should be included; 2 Year Programs crafted to address many needs. One example of business and education working together successfully is CISCO and Microsoft setting up “Academies” inside of a College setting; providing hardware, software and curriculum resulting in 2-year “Certification” on their platform. Students graduate with marketable skills; decent jobs, wages and future growth. Trade Schools also can offer excellent programs with marketable skills to address labor shortages and needs of the marketplace.
What is the role of the State in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses?
As a woman I enjoy the same opportunity as anyone else to own a business and have done so; same for minorities. Business owners, whether minority, male, female, white, etc. are by nature entrepreneurial. There are no barriers to entry, except money or expertise, but I don’t believe the State should be involved in providing these things as it would be providing unfair advantage to one group, which is unfair to the other group. The State should get out of this business entirely.
What further policies can the State of Minnesota adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The State should stop promoting and mandating vaccines and masks and should never be shutting down churches and schools, confining people to their residences and dictating which businesses can stay open and which must close. This was not effective as was damaging to mental health and the education and welfare of our children.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
The demise of Roe v. Wade removed the federal “right to abortion” in any State, and now every State in the U.S. will answer the question; “Is theunborn child a human being and therefore worthy of the same protection every other citizen enjoys, or not?” Currently Minnesota is an “Abortion destination” state that does NOT protect its unborn citizens. Our policies are harmful to the baby, the mother, everyone involved. I pray we can have a change of heart and begin to properly support women and families in their time of need.
Public Office Sought: Minnesota House of Representatives District 52B
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-387-0974
Campaign Website: https://www.cynthia4mnhouse.com/home
Twitter handle:
Facebook page:
Candidate Bio
As a native and lifelong Minnesotan, daughter of WWII Vet, mother and grandmother, I care deeply about the future of our State and am honored to be on the ballot to represent my District (52B). My career background is Technology sales, including owning my own business. I currently serve in Music Ministry at my church and enjoy spending time with my extended family spanning four generations. My background gives me the experience and passion to serve; being a Single Mom gives me the heart.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
The BEST Economy: Permanent tax reductions for business and residents
The BEST Education: School Choice for all families
The BEST and Safest communities: Support for Law Enforcement
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?
The East metro business climate is a diverse ecosystem comprised of very small to very large businesses; private, public and non-profit; spanning many different industries (less focus on agriculture than other parts of the state). The overall business environment is good and holds great promise; current challenges include high cost of entry (in some cases), labor and supply issues as well as burdensome taxes and regulations.
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?
Holistically; to attract and retain jobs means we need to attract and retain businesses that employ workers. To that end, MN needs to be competitive with other states from a tax perspective; offer safe communities that people will want to live in (support for Law Enforcement); and promote the best education possible – as the workers’ children would attend schools here; (school choice for all families).
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
A shortage of workers is largely the result of people having fewer children than they did in the past. Long-term I would promote a culture of life (welcoming and affirming ALL children). Short-term MN needs to be competitive with surrounding states so we don’t continue to lose our residents for more tax-friendly destinations like SD & FL. Adjusting our policies to ATTRACT business and residents will have a positive impact very quickly.
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 am not aware of any specific employment-related proposals on the table.
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 believe in respect for Law and support for Law Enforcement; also to increase rehabilitation programs wherever possible.
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?
With shifts in road use, public transportation, etc. due to the pandemic I would pause and re-evaluate transportation projects that are in the pipeline until we can determine how many of these changes are permanent. It appears that the pandemic may have permanently shifted our workforce to more of a remote model, therefore negating the need to invest heavily in roads and public transportation into and out of major cities.
What strategies or policies would you use to address housing issues?
I would allow local cities and counties to determine the best strategies and policies for their own, unique housing needs as they are much closer to the issue.
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?
My priorities for the State’s budget would be to reduce it; and reduce taxes. There are many areas we could cut back on or eliminate entirely. (#13 below is just one example). There are also areas of fraud and waste that need to be cut out completely and in some cases prosecuted. A local investigative Reporter revealed in a recent report “A dozen lawmakers who said they were at the state Capitol on fewer than 10 session days this year collected their full per diems, a months-long FOX 9 analysis of finance records and House and Senate journals indicates. Dozens of others who stayed away from the Capitol most days still collected thousands of their per diem allowance.” https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-lawmakers-stay-home-collect-pay-meant-for-daily-expenses
What will you do to expand your district’s tax base?
Reduce tax rates, implement School Choice and support Law Enforcement. Then I would advertise nationally that “Minnesota (and our District) has ALOT to offer”. I would tout this via Trade Shows, Business Journals, Forums, Social Media, etc. We could also look at incentives like “1st year tax-free” to incent businesses to set up shop here.
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?
For K-12, allowing families to choose the best school to meet the needs of their child improves educational outcomes. Dozens of states are implementing and expanding School Choice; Minnesota needs to do this and we don’t need to micro-manage it.
Post-Secondary institutions and business should work hand in hand; Business advising on skill sets needed; Educational institutions working with them to develop programs to address those needs. Vocational and Technical Institutes should be included; 2 Year Programs crafted to address many needs. One example of business and education working together successfully is CISCO and Microsoft setting up “Academies” inside of a College setting; providing hardware, software and curriculum resulting in 2-year “Certification” on their platform. Students graduate with marketable skills; decent jobs, wages and future growth. Trade Schools also can offer excellent programs with marketable skills to address labor shortages and needs of the marketplace.
What is the role of the State in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses?
As a woman I enjoy the same opportunity as anyone else to own a business and have done so; same for minorities. Business owners, whether minority, male, female, white, etc. are by nature entrepreneurial. There are no barriers to entry, except money or expertise, but I don’t believe the State should be involved in providing these things as it would be providing unfair advantage to one group, which is unfair to the other group. The State should get out of this business entirely.
What further policies can the State of Minnesota adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The State should stop promoting and mandating vaccines and masks and should never be shutting down churches and schools, confining people to their residences and dictating which businesses can stay open and which must close. This was not effective as was damaging to mental health and the education and welfare of our children.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
The demise of Roe v. Wade removed the federal “right to abortion” in any State, and now every State in the U.S. will answer the question; “Is theunborn child a human being and therefore worthy of the same protection every other citizen enjoys, or not?” Currently Minnesota is an “Abortion destination” state that does NOT protect its unborn citizens. Our policies are harmful to the baby, the mother, everyone involved. I pray we can have a change of heart and begin to properly support women and families in their time of need.