Meet the candidates from House District 8B

The 2024 general election will be held on Tuesday. To help viewers make informed decisions, WDIO News is interviewing candidates so voters can hear directly from those who want to represent us in St. Paul.

In Minnesota’s House District 8b race, voters will choose between incumbent DFL Rep. Liish Kozlowski and Republican challenger Shawn Savela.

What things are you hearing that are important to us in Duluth? we asked Shawn Savela. “Well, again, it was about food prices, tax prices, property taxes, although we don’t have much in common with property taxes at the state level. But people are very upset about them and taxes in general,” Savela said. “And then the mandates and all the spending that happened last time we had a surplus of $17 and a half billion, and that was spent. And then they raised taxes and another $10 billion, expanding the government by 40%.

We asked Liish Kozłowski the same question. “I would say that the big problems are still small problems that happen to the people of Duluth and the people of Minnesota,” she said. “And that is affordability, economic security and good wages. People want to make sure we have strong public schools. People want to be able to live, work and play in the communities they choose, close to where they work, close to friends and family, and close to outdoor spaces. “So housing, in the face of a nationwide housing crisis, continues to surface.”

Other priorities Kozlowski talked about during our one-on-one interviews include recruiting and maintaining a healthy workforce, climate and holding polluters accountable, paid family medical leave, and being a voice for the voiceless.

“It is also a return to our fundamental freedoms, such as inclusive democracy,” she said. “So protecting our democracy and access to it, as well as our fundamental freedoms like reproductive justice. As the only dual-function legislator in the entire country providing gender-affirming care, we will continue to protect and make health care decisions that are actually about making decisions that are best for patients’ families and their future. We certainly will not back down,” Kozlowski said.

Other priorities Savela lists include sustainable spending, less government, clean energy jobs, addressing what he calls rampant government fraud and ending unfunded mandates affecting employers.

“As a small company, for example, I was told, congratulations, now you’re going to give people 48 hours off. And that’s okay. I can handle it,” Savela said. “But I’m looking at a nursing home where it says not only do I have to find someone to work during this time, but I also have to pay that person, and on top of the 48 hours they still have vacation and sick time. And this is what puts nursing homes out of business: all these unfunded mandates are very strictly regulated,” Savela said.

We then asked the 8B candidates what they thought they personally brought to the table to make them the best candidate?

“Well, I think it’s still those things that sent me there,” Kozlowski said. “And having deep relationships with our community, whether it’s working with our local elected officials, all the way down to our federal delegations, as well as community leaders and business leaders. When I first ran, I said I would work with anyone. Talk to anyone in Duluth or Minnesota and they’ll tell you it’s true,” Kozlowski said.

Shawn Savela answered this question by touting his extensive business experience.

“So I have been running my own business for 26 years, and I have been working in the market since 1990. I have worked with many people to make deals and I know how to negotiate and get different people to cooperate, so you take several people who have different priorities, you have to bring them together and convince them that you may not get everything you want, but we will try get as much as possible for you and everyone is happy and everyone is unhappy at the same time,” he said. “But I use those skills in working with people and I am a very moderate conservative. I don’t have any extreme plans,” Savela said.

The general election will be held on Tuesday, November 5.