| 10/27/2009 5:47:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Tammy Pust |
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Pust begins run for Ramsey County attorney
George Fairbanks
news editor
Roseville City Council Member Tammy Pust has entered the already crowded field seeking to become the next Ramsey County Attorney in 2010. Pust is seeking the DFL endorsement along with John Choi, David Schultz and Dave Pinto.
Susan Gaertner, the current county attorney, is running for governor.
Pust said she started to seriously consider a run last spring and spent several months exploring her options.
As for Gaertner, Pust noted she has long admired the county attorney's work, and she thinks her long career will help her if elected to take Gaertner's place.
"We need somebody who also really understands how to prevent crime," Pust explained.
Pust has an undergraduate degree from Concorida College in Moorhead and a law degree from the University of Minnesota. During her career she's worked for two private law firms, served as assistant Minnesota Attorney General and been director of Children's Advocacy in the Attorney General's office. She's also been named a "Super Lawyer" four times by Minnesota Law and Politics magazine.
Pust was also the assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Children Families and Learning.
Though the April 17 DFL convention is still months away, Pust expects a spirited campaign with her fellow Democrats. She added she expected a handful of candidates to already be declared at this point.
"I'm not surprised because it's an open seat," Pust said.
For her part, Pust is already making as many campaign appearances as possible.
"I'm trying to be out and about in the campaign," she said, adding she's the only declared candidate who's run a campaign before.
Though Pust and the other declared candidates are seeking the DFL endorsement, the election for county attorney is non-partisan, meaning the DFL endorsed candidate will not appear on the ballot as a democrat.
Pust thinks her ties to Roseville and Ramsey County, combined with the fact she's been elected in a city of more than 30,000 people, makes her a strong candidate.
"I think being an elected official before helps," she noted. "It will make me better able to see the whole county."
With resources in government offices stretched thin in the current economy, Pust said she thinks her previous experience in government will help her greatly if elected.
"I know how to manage public budgets," she said, adding those already tight resources are only going to get tighter in the near future.
Pust explained the financial challenges that come with the office will require the next county attorney to collaborate with other agencies so more work can get done with fewer resources.
In fact, Pust expects the office's budget to be a campaign issue.
"The limited resources is something I'll be talking about," she said.
Pust also explained that in her experience, crime prevention is always less expensive than punishing actual criminals, particularly when crime prevention programs focus on kids and teens.
"How do we keep kids out of trouble?" Pust asked, adding many juvenile offenders end up in adult courts, at tremendous expense to tax payers.
Accordingly, Pust noted, it's vital to prevent crime through good educational opportunities and good jobs.
"We're all serving the same kids," she added.
Roseville Mayor Craig Klausing said he thinks Pust is up for the job.
"I think she's a very talented person and would do a fine job," Klausing, also an attorney, said.
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