Posted: 12/20/06
Final Draft - by Cliff Buchan
Rebecca Otto is proof Democrats can win here
There shouldnít have been any doubting that Rebecca Otto could win an election. She had done it before in the Forest Lake area.
There may have been some who gave Otto little chance and little hope when she launched an election bid for Minnesota State Auditor. It was a bid that sent her head-to-head with the incumbent, Pat Anderson, who easily won the four-year state office duties in 2002.
Otto spent 18 months running for the constitutional office and after winning the DFL-endorsement for the position, won a September primary contest.
When the ballots were all counted on Nov. 7, Otto had defeated the incumbent and other third-party candidates by 11 percent. It was an impressive win by an impressive candidate.
And really, it shouldnít have come as a surprise. Otto had demonstrated in the past she could win and she also benefitted from a strong anti-incumbent voter attitude on Nov. 7.
During a meeting with the ECM Editorial Board in St. Paul last Friday, Otto came across as an energetic and confident woman who is ready to carry on a career of public service, this time on a statewide playing field. With a solid blend of business and governmental service to her credit, she is in position to take on the new duties quite well.
She gave praise to some of the ventures initiated by Anderson, pledged to do good work for the people of Minnesota and insisted she would keep politics out of the equation.
Otto, who lives in May Township with her husband and son, said the key to her statewide success was her pledge to work with the people to make sure government works well. Add her bipartisan support (she was endorsed by former Republican Gov. Arne Carlson) and a desire to bring people together and it equates to a winning formula, she said.
As state auditor, Otto says she will be proactive in working with local forms of government in attempts to head off problems before they happen.
ìMost people donít want to go there,î she said of local governmental officials who strive to do their jobs correctly.
Through training, communicating and simply listening, governments can get the information they need, Otto says. She believes Anderson has put in place some of the tools that can help to that end and has a professional staff that will make the transition a smooth one.
There is no question that Otto is good on the campaign trail, too. That is something she found success with in her home area.
Otto came on the local scene in 2001 when she successfully chaired an operating levy campaign for ISD 831 in Forest Lake. She won a school board seat in that same fall election.
While Otto was just one of many who helped carry the day in the levy election that fall, she was the face out front and the key leader who shaped the campaign and energized the public and parents to back the proposal.
That success and her experience on the school board carried her to the state legislature. In 2003 when Rep. Mark Holsten left his House 52B seat to assume an appointive position with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Otto won the special election against Matt Dean.
Although Dean came back to defeat Otto in the 2004 regular election, she had proven that a Democrat could win in a heavily Republican district like 52B.
That trend continued this fall in the race for the state post. In Washington County, Otto outdistanced Anderson, winning the county, 51,588 to 42,757.
In the five Forest Lake precincts, Otto narrowly defeated Anderson, 3712 to 3667. Otto won three of the five precincts. Not many Democrats can claim the same.
The win is even more impressive in that Anderson is a Forest Lake High School graduate.
Otto also carried both Anoka and Chisago counties.
Otto says much of her success goes to her willingness to work hard. In the final days of the campaign, she door knocked extensively to supplement other forms of advertising, including television spots and a well constructed Internet site.
And it worked as people of all ages were attracted to Ottoís campaign.
ìPeople knew who I was,î she said last week. ìPeople were aware.î
There is a parallel here to the way Otto engineered Forest Lakeís levy campaign five years ago. Like her pledge to be an advocate for the people as auditor, she carried that same promise and theme in the school community contest. She was believable.
Is anyone really surprised that Otto was able to pull off this win? They shouldnít be.
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