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Joe Atkins
| District: | | 39B |
| Party: | |
DFL |
| Residence: | |
Inver Grove Heights, MN |
| Web site: | |
www.joeatkins.com |
Statement from the candidate:
Not provided
Biography:
I am 38 years old. My wife, Julia, and I were born and raised here, went to school and church here, and chose to raise our family here.
We have three children. John is 10, Tom is 9, and Katie is 7. They attend Hilltop Elementary School. Julia and I are fairly involved at Hilltop. Julia serves as the volunteer coordinator for the PTSA and occasionally substitutes as the school secretary. I teach math as a volunteer twice a month and work on whatever activities the PTSA needs me to.
Born in South St. Paul, I was raised in Inver Grove Heights, growing up in the Groveland Park area. I went to Salem Hills, and graduated from Simley High School in 1984. I went on to the U of M and then to law school, paying my own way by working as a law clerk and running my own legal investigation business.
Julia and I have been married since 1992, but we have known each other since we were kids. I first met her when my dad was the mayor and her dad was the fire chief in Inver Grove.
I work as an attorney is South St. Paul. After spending a dozen years working in downtown Minneapolis, and battling worsening traffic every day, I finally wised up and moved my practice closer to home. Julia "retired" as the catering director at Southview Country Club after Tom was born in 1996, but she still works on the grounds crew, cutting the greens. As far as public service goes, I served on the IGH School Board from 1987-1990, as Mayor from 1992-2002, and as our area's State Representative since January 2003.
For fun, I coach my kids' teams, and I enjoy hiking, biking, virtually every sport, and reading.
On the Issues:
| Should increased taxes be considered as part of a solution to a projected budget deficit? |
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No response |
| Should gambling be expanded in Minnesota to generate new revenue for the state? |
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No response |
| Should state funds — directly or indirectly — be used to build new sports facilities for the Twins and Vikings? |
| No response |
| Do you support Gov Pawlenty's
JOBZ zones program? |
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No response |
| Should K-12 spending in Minnesota be curtailed in order to balance a projected budget deficit? |
| No response |
| Should a constitutional amendment be presented to voters that would ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota? |
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No response |
| Should the state spend money for expanding mass transit options in Minnesota? |
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No response |
| Should there be additional restrictions on abortion in Minnesota? |
|
No response |
| Should the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which seeks to protect wildlife habitat and wetlands by paying farmers for taking marginal lands out of agriculture production, be supported? |
| No response |
| Should the state's subsidized health care program be trimmed in order to reduce a projected budget deficit? |
|
No response |
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