Gov. Mark Dayton visited the Minnesota State Fair on its opening day, where he hailed the water ride Ye Old Mill for its 100th anniversary and proclaimed it Ye Old Mill Day in Minnesota.
Dayton joked that when he was a kid the ride was a place for teenages to avoid prying adult eyes.
During an MPR interview in front a live audience, Dayton reiterated his support for middle class tax cuts, a big boost in transportation funding and universal prekindergarten during next year's legislative session, all priorities he was unable to achieve in the 2015 session.
Dayton said he disagreed with a federal judge's ruling that the Minnesota Sex Offender Program is unconstitutional and would fight it while being open to some modifications.
He said he had lunch recently with a worker from the State Security Hospital in St. Peter who was injured in a recent attack from a patient, highlighting the need for safety upgrades there.
Dayton said he has patched up his relationship with fellow DFL veteran Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk of Cook, with whom he feuded bitterly and publicly during the session.
Dayton said his Fair favorites are french fries and chocolate malts. He recalled a particular Fair memory from childhood, when his younger sister was lost and feared trampled by a large hog.
