WILLMAR -- Bonnie Wilhelm of Willmar has announced her candidacy for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 13B.
The seat is currently held by Rep. Al Juhnke, DFL-Willmar. Wilhelm ran against Juhnke two years ago. He defeated her then with 52.6 percent of the vote to her 47.4 percent, a difference of nearly 1,000 votes.
In a news release, Wilhelm said she enjoyed her 2004 campaign.
"I learned the families of Kandiyohi County expect a state representative who listens and doesn't just talk," she said in the release. "They want a representative who is actively involved and is respectful of their opinions."
Education, job creation, transportation and access to health care are key issues for working families in west central Minnesota, Wilhelm said.
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"Fair funding for rural school districts and accountability for every dollar spent is the first step in improving education, providing good jobs, good roads and keeping greater Minnesota strong and economically vibrant," she said.
Wilhelm is a former patient care services manager at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wis. She said her experience there will be an advantage in weighing the merits of health care legislation.
"Even with all the advances in medical technology and treatment options, patient choice and patient needs must come first in addressing the high cost of health care," she said.
Voters are annoyed over the partial state government shutdown last year, and Wilhelm said she expects that to be a major issue in the coming campaign.
"When highway rest stops are closed because politicians can't compromise, it's embarrassing to the people of our state," she said.
Wilhelm is the past production manager of the Barn Theater. She grew up on a dairy farm and earned a degree in business administration from St. Cloud State University. She is a member of the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and a past president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. She and her husband, Rob Kruger, are the parents of five adult children and have three grandchildren.
