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Paynesville Press - June 12, 2002

State Senator Steve Dille (R-Dassel) has announced that he will run for re-election in the newly created Senate District 18.

The new district includes all of Meeker and McLeod counties and parts of Wright County. Dille currently represents District 20 in the Senate, including Meeker County and Union Grove and Manannah townships in the Paynesville area.

"I have felt truly honored and privileged to serve the citizens of current Senate District 20," said Dille. "I look forward to meeting and serving those citizens in the new Senate District 18 that I have not previously represented in the Legislature."

Dille believes the communities in the new Senate district have many common priorities, including agriculture, fair school financing formulas, transportation, and spurring economic development that creates living-wage jobs.

"I will be a strong advocate for the interest of our communities and have a proven track record of leadership and ability to get things done in the Legislature," said Dille.

"I will serve the citizens of Senate District 18 well, because I know how to build a concensus and get good policy enacted into law," he continued. "I will work to protect the interests of our rural communities, put the family budget before the state budget, and ensure that we have a public education policy that is focused on fair funding and high student achievement."

A former Dassel Township supervisor and Meeker County Commissioner, Dille was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1986. He has served in the Senate since 1992. He is the ranking Republican on the Agriculture, General Legislation, and Veterans Affairs committees.

During his more current term, Dille has received a number of awards from agriculture, business, and environmental groups, including the 2001 Minnesota Soil and Water Association "Legislator of the Year" Award, the 2001 Nature Conservancy "Government Relations" Award, the National Federation of Business "Guardian of Small Business" Award, and the 2002 Minnesota Milk Producers "Legislator of the Year" Award.

Dille, a graduate of Litchfield High School and the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, served three and a half years with the U.S. State Depart-ment as a veterinary advisor during the Vietnam War in the pacification program.

He lives in Dassel with his wife, where he operates a 640-acre crop and livestock farm. They have four grown children.

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