Nagel to seek DFL endorsement for House
Debra Copa Nagel, 46, has announced she'll seek DFL endorsement to run for the House District 12B seat currently held by Rep. Greg Blaine, R-Little Falls.
The rural Little Falls woman works in human resources at the Astech Corp. in St. Joseph and she and her husband, Scott, operate a beef farm in Darling Township. She served as clerk of Pike Creek Township for 10 years and as deputy treasurer for Ripley Township.
Blaine defeated Nagel in the 2002 race by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent. She also ran for the seat in a special election in 2001, finishing third in the DFL primary.
Nagel said she would seek fair funding for outstate Minnesota in comparison to Twin Cities suburban school districts. She said she would emphasize her pro-life and anti-death penalty stands as well as her opposition to an alien farm bill proposed by Blaine.
In a statement, Nagel said current legislation is beginning to disarm programs the state has established.
"We need to reinvest in people of Minnesota as that is where the future is," she wrote. "The $140 million in new fees imposed during the 2003 session are worse than a tax increase as they shift the cost of balancing the budget onto those who can least afford to pay."
Nagel will seek DFL endorsement during the May 8 District 12 convention in Little Falls. She has been involved with Hands of Hope in Morrison and Todd County and has volunteered with hospice and the Crow Wing County women's shelter. Other affiliations include Our Lady of Lourdes Church, the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, the National Rifle Association. She is co-chair of the Hospice Motorcycle Run.
Nagel has one daughter and one grandson.
District 12B includes Little Falls, Garrison, Deerwood, Randall, Swanville, Upsala, Motley and much of Morrison County.
MIKE O'ROURKE, associate editor, can be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.