The former DFL House minority leader says Minnesota has gotten too “reactive rather than proactive—we don’t do what we need to until there’s a crisis.” (Can you say “35W bridge”?) In June, Entenza started his St. Paul–headquartered think tank to address issues before they become crises. “We think the state is great when it clearly focuses on economic development, transportation, education, and health care—areas where state government needs to play a role,” he says.
Minnesota 2020’s policy papers aren’t academic wonkery—they’re clearly written resources for nonpartisan action. Ideas in a June paper on rural Minnesota economic development were embraced by both DFLers and Republicans; Governor Pawlenty is using them as the foundation of his SEED proposal for developing small businesses outstate.
Though he could be a red-meat partisan in the House, Entenza is calling for a new bipartisanship through his think tank—“changing the way public policy is done.”
