State Representative David Bly, District 25B

REPRESENTATIVE DAVID BLY District 25B, Minnesota Elected 2006; born Jan. 8, 1952, Dubuque, IA.; home Northfield; St. Olaf College, Northfield, B.A. 1974; University of St. Mary’s, Minneapolis, M.A. 2004; Congregationalist; two children (Gareth and Julia).

David’s family struggled financially. His father suffered from severe diabetes and there were always medical bills to pay. David was fortunate that his father always had a job (worked at a newspaper/news bureau), and after his father died, his mother worked as a waitress. Both of David’s parents highly valued education and so he and all of his siblings attended college. Sadly, in 1968, David’s 43 year old father succumbed to diabetes.

That same year Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were killed. That time was formative in David Bly’s political thinking. Over the years, the Bly family has been intensely committed to service and community. That commitment is more than just words but instead involves decades of missionary work and volunteering in the community, arts, and church.

David Bly’s values and priorities:

1. Belief in a mixed economy that encourages cooperation of private, public and nonprofit enterprise to create a positive climate for growth and investment.

2. Commitment to a progressive tax system that puts the burden of taxes on those who are the most able to pay.

3. Strong support for, and investment in, public E-12 and higher education levels to create a work force and a work environment needed to maintain a high performance economy.

4. Support for labor and the notion that ‘we all prosper when we all prosper’.

5. Support for the notion that sometimes people need a hand up in order to realize their dreams and participate in community; commitment to provide that needed assistance.

6. A welcoming attitude towards immigrants and a shared belief in working together for a common good.

7. Belief in the need to pool resources to make a better world. In other words ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’.

8. Participation in stewardship of wilderness and the environment.

9. Commitment to providing essential services as a public good, and providing economic access.

10. Commitment to creating an energy future that sustains rather than destroys the world we live in.

David Bly’s History and Service– A history of caring: Education Northfield High School 1970 St. Olaf College BA in English 1974 (including two terms at Oxford Univ.) Minneapolis Tech College – Graphic Arts Certificate 1978 Mankato State University - Special Ed license (EBD) 1984 . St. Mary’s University - Minneapolis - Masters of Arts in Education 2004 Employment Summer stock - Carleton College Uninvited Company 1974, 1975, 1976 Teacher - Milan, MN – Language Arts grade 7-12 1975-77 Director/actor - Milan High School, Northfield High School, and NAG Theater 1977-1994 Mental Health Worker – Metropolitan Medical Center & HCMC 1977-1979 Teacher – Constance Bultman Wilson Center. English grades 9 – 12 1979-1984 Teacher – Faribault Public Schools EBD elementary schools 1984-1987 Teacher – Northfield Alternative Learning Center – English, Jan. 1987 to present. Union Leadership Building Rep. 1988 to present Newsletter editor 1999 to 2002 Negotiations team for the Northfield teachers 1997 to present. Insurance and Labor/Management relations committee. Presentations Creativity – Conference on Learning Disabilities 1984 Using Creativity in the Classroom with Emotionally Disturbed Students Conference for the Exceptional Child 1986 Using Creative Writing in the Classroom - St. Mary’s University – Guest Lecturer 2003 Community Wind – Midwest Renewable Energy Association – 2003 Checking our Progress: Development in the Northfield Area – Facilitator – League of Women Voters 2003< Conference Organizer – Full Responsibility MAAP – 1997, 1998; IALA – 2000, 2002 Service to Community Teacher trainer for the Minnesota SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) 1992-2004 President 1998-2000 Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs (MAAP) Board 1991 to 2002, Executive Board 1993-2002 Northfield School District Curriculum Committee ten years- Member Task force to maintain quality teaching in Northfield – Co-Chair. Q Comp Committee - Co-chair Board of Deacons at UCC Northfield 1989 to 1995.(plus other committees), Vice Moderator 2006 Adult Board for the Northfield Union of Youth - Member Rice County Family Services Collaborative Advisory Board.- Co-chair Northfield School District Wind Energy Task Force.- Co-Chair DFL Party – 20 year active member of Rice County DFL, Precinct Chair, CountyChair, Secretary; Senate District 25 DFL, offices held: Chair ’96 to ’02 and Secretary ’94 to ’96 Nominations Committee for Girl Scouts, Council of Cannon Valley Chair, Volunteer Committee for Rice County Habitat for Humanity Awards Northfield Teacher of the Year Nov. 2005 MAAP Award for Exemplary Contributions to Alternative Education 2003 Five State Regional Poetry Contest – Duluth Arts Board 1984