Sen. Ted Lillie Weighs In On Upcoming Session

After only one year in the state Senate, Ted Lillie has already established himself as one of his party’s leaders at the Capitol.

Lillie, a Republican from Lake Elmo who represents Woodbury in the Senate, was . He said the distinction between being appointed and elected to the position is important.

“I think it speaks to the work that we did the last session,” Lillie said.

The role, Lillie said, will give him the chance to help set the priorities for the majority party in the Minnesota Legislature.

In a Wednesday interview with Patch, Lillie noted that plans for a new Vikings stadium have dominated off-session talk at the Capitol.

Lillie said he enjoys watching the team. “The Vikings are a resource to the state and they contribute to our quality of life.”

But providing public funding for “billionaires paying millionaires” is difficult for many residents to support, Lillie said.

“That’s hard for a lot of residents who are struggling to pay their mortgage,” he said.

The Legislature is also slated to renew talks about the expansion of legalized gambling, he said, and other areas of focus for this session include job growth and finding ways to bolster the economy.

But for Lillie personally, he is looking forward to renewing his charge to end state government shutdowns.

He and a group of Republican lawmakers last year in the event legislators can’t reach a budget deal.

There are several such bills in the works, Lillie said, some that would address specific issues such as keeping state parks and wayside rest areas open.

“How do we reduce the pain for average Minnesotans?” he said.

Despite the legislature’s failure to finalize a budget on time last session, Lillie said he generally works well with Democratic senators, noting Chuck Wiger of Maplewood in particular.

“There’s a lot of things we do that are just good government,” Lillie said.

The choice of David Senjem as majority leader was a good one, he said. “He’s someone who knows what it takes to work together.”

“We want to reduce the rhetoric and do the work of the people of Minnesota,” Lillie said.

Meanwhile, he’s working on another bill (with Rep. Kathy Lohmer, who represents parts of Woodbury) that would counteract the governor’s plan to have childcare workers unionize. There is a plan that would have unions intercept funds for some childcare workers who receive support from the state, he said.

“This legislation blocks that,” Lillie said. “I don’t think that the government should be pushing anybody to unionize.”

While Lillie currently represents Woodbury in the Senate, redistricting could mean that the city finds itself with more legislators next year. The panel of judges assigned to redraw legislative lines (done every 10 years after the Census) is expected to reach a decision by Feb. 21.

Both major parties have their own redistricting plans, Lillie said, and he could have his district shift north toward Hugo or east toward Afton. Still, he said a third plan, which he views as likely to be accepted, would keep the lines much as they are now.

If the city does have more legislators under the new boundaries, it would be a good thing, Lillie said. “You’ll actually get more votes for the people of Woodbury.”

The 2012 session, a bonding year, begins Tuesday.