Facing four final years to secure his standing in Minnesota's history books, Gov. Mark Dayton heads into the legislative session with an ambitious agenda — and plans to tell it like it is.
The DFL governor will be sworn in for a second term Monday, after his decisive re-election in November. But, after two years of Democrats running state government, Dayton and the Senate DFL must share power with a new Republican House majority with very different goals.
Dayton, 67, has made it clear he won't run for office again. In an interview with the Star Tribune, the governor said he's experimenting with a new, blunter approach — even with political allies.
Dayton said he told the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities' faculty union that they'd done "serious damage" in a public dispute with Chancellor Steven Rosenstone.
"That's 7,000 union members. Four months ago, I would have had to worry about 7,000 people who'd hopefully support me, and the effect of that," Dayton said. "One of them said to me, 'We voted for you.' But I'm unbound from that consideration or concern. I'm free."
How that unleashed style plays out with 201 state lawmakers, particularly the new House majority, is a defining question of the session. Dayton has set ambitious goals, seeking major spending boosts to the state's transportation system and schools.
When Dayton first took office in 2011, Minnesota faced a nearly $6 billion budget deficit, and a standoff with Republican lawmakers led to a 21-day state government shutdown.
This year, Minnesota has a $1 billion budget surplus. In addition, Dayton said he thinks the next state economic forecast in February is likely to plump up that surplus by another couple hundred million dollars.
