Get to Know A. John Peters
DFL Candidate for CD7
I am seeking to be elected as your Democratic US Representative for CD 7, which encompasses the western third of Minnesota. I want to continue the phenomenal progress that we have seen both in our state and our country over the last 3 years. My plan is to bring open, honest discussion about current problems in our state and work to the best of my ability to find solutions to those problems -- some of which are the costs of rural healthcare, the Covid pandemic/recovery, land stewardship, availability of employment with livable wages, and the impact farmers are facing with potential loss of family farms.
I have been listening. By working together we can help solve these problems. I am listening. Problems are not exclusive to one party or the other. With that being said, I will do my best to work with all legislators to pave the way to a better future for all of us.
I was born in Shelby, Iowa, a town of 533 people. I started mowing lawns for neighbors and delivering newspapers at age 10. At 13, I started baling hay, shelling corn and weeding soybean fields. At 14 I dug graves by hand for the local cemetery association. I am used to hard work.
My mom and dad ran a grocery store in Shelby. I got my personal values from them. One value I learned was that people come first. My dad used to float the farmers' bills from spring to harvest with no interest. When they paid, each child in the family got a full sized candy bar. That is putting people first and being concerned about the community. I plan to keep that tradition.
I have lived in the Browerville area for thirty years. I run a small computer repair and training center in Long Prairie. In January, 2020 I became became a board member of Hands of Hope Resource Center (support for victims of domestic abuse and crime). I am now the chair of the board. I am also a member of the Todd County Broadband Coalition, working to bring fiber broadband to every home and business in Todd County. I was also a board member of the National Bipolar Foundation located in Memphis, TN.
My career began as an intern for the first moon landing. Following that, I worked as a high school teacher and coach for a short time. Opportunity knocked and I worked for twenty years at Honeywell doing research in computer science. Part of my research was on the Patriot Missile, the space shuttle and the space station.I finally managing a large group (more than 100) technical personnel. I have also taught college computer science, statistics, and mathematics. This science and management based work experience taught me how to work with others to find solutions that are practical and cost efficient.
As your representative, I will utilize these management, teaching, and technical skills, I’m a willing listener who will be able to respond to you, and work with you and others on solutions to problems we may have in our communities. I hope to meet with you soon so we can get to know each other on ways to improve all of our lives.