Additional Q-and-A with Marisa Simonetti

Here’s candidate Q-and-A content in addition to what appeared in EPLN’s print Voter Guide, mailed to Eden Prairie homes in early October. We are repeating the Voter Guide’s introduction of the candidate.

Marisa Simonetti

Website: www.marisasimonetti.com

Hennepin County Board District 6 candidate Simonetti, an Edina resident, says her first home, purchased in 2013, was a townhouse near Dell Road in Eden Prairie.

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She says her work has given her experience in setting and enforcing policy, as Hennepin County Board members must do. “I’ve been part of many successful real estate and business projects that must succeed or everyone loses,” she explained.

Her community involvements have included Toastmasters International and the Catholic Church.

Asked how she has prepared to serve effectively in office, Simonetti responded,
“I have a proven record of fighting for freedom and family, a duty to defend.”

She did not list any endorsements or donations from major groups. “I am free of obligations and attached strings, so I can behave impartially as county commissioner,” she said.

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EPLN: What is your position on the much-debated question of whether Hennepin Healthcare, the County Board, or another entity should control Hennepin County Medical Center and other county health facilities? 

SIMONETTI: This has been a long-contested issue. It seems the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) would love to see a friendly commissioner on the board to enhance their own agenda and power. I wholeheartedly support nurses and their tireless service to the community. I do not support moves made simply for political gain. If a change resulted in further service to nurses, patients and the community, I would support it.

EPLN: The county has a solid-waste management plan that calls for considerably less trash to be produced by 2030, yet the state says the county is actually headed in the wrong direction. What additional steps would you propose, if any, to get residents to produce less garbage? 

SIMONETTI: The Zero Burn Coalition has been engaged with the community for quite some time. This organization proposed a viable, concept-proven option to reduce the pollution harm of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) in North Minneapolis and reduce costs. In addition to the health problems of residents, the current pollution also indirectly increases costs at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC). It’s been long known that change is needed, yet there is resistance at the county level. It’s time for someone on the County Board to work with other leaders and push the issue to result in both economic and health benefits. 

In terms of producing less garbage, that’s a social issue. Recycling cuts down on landfills, and studies show that modeling is the most effective way to introduce and implement long-term change.

EPLN: How would you maintain impartiality and fairness, even when faced with issues that may conflict with your personal beliefs? 

SIMONETTI: A county commissioner primarily has two responsibilities: to manage the budget well to prevent undue financial burden on residents, and to work with the Sheriff’s Office and County Corrections to reduce crime. Sometimes you have only bad choices in front of you, and have to pick the best of the worst. The goal is always to move toward a position in which you have multiple positive options to pick from. Addressing fraud and inefficiency positions our community with more and better options. The visionary programs mentioned above strengthen neighborhoods and communities; everyone benefits, and ultimately the programs pay for themselves. Additionally, in a rapidly evolving world, scientific evidence is an excellent and impartial guide. Facts do not lie.