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Paynesville Press - June 12, 2002

Lynn Schurman of Richmond received the DFL endorsement last week to run for the District 14 Senate seat in November.

Schurman ­ who serves on the Rocori School Board and is a co-owner of the Cold Spring Bakery ­ will likely face incumbent Michelle Fischbach (R-Paynesville).

"I am a lifelong resident of the area with a good understanding of what's important to the residents of Benton and Stearns counties," said Schurman. "With more of the power in the Legislature switching to the metro area, it's more important than ever to have strong representation for central Minnesota. We need a senator who will be effective in working for all of the issues that our area faces."

Fischbach and Schurman previously ran against each other in 1996, first in a special election for the open seat and then again in November 1996, when Fischbach defeated Schurman 15,522 to 13,867.

(Fischbach also was re-elected to office in 2000 against Mike Sharp of Clearwater.)

Schurman grew up on a farm in Benton County, moved to Richmond in 1967, and graduated from Rocori High School. She and her husband of 27 years, Dale, have three grown children.

She served on the Rocori School Board from 1983 to 1989 and, after taking time off to finish college (earning a degree in psychology and community counseling from St. Cloud State University, started again in 1991. During her tenure on the board, she has served as the board chair for six years and as a member of the building and negotiations committees.

She has also been part of the Minnesota School Board Association Delegate Assembly and the Schools for Equity in Education.

Since 1974, Schurman has worked at the Cold Spring Bakery, a retail and wholesale bakery that employs 60 people. In 1986, she became a co-owner of the bakery.

She also has served as the president of the Minnesota Bakers Association for the past five years. She has also been a board member to the national association and a board member for the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

"My active roles in both the school board and my business have given me valuable experience," said Schurman. "As a school board member, I see what it takes to offer our children the best education possible. To have a good school district, we must have the support of the board, administration, teachers, parents, community, and the students to make the system work."

"Owning a business teaches a person how to balance a budget while meeting the needs of your employees and customers," she added.

She thinks both experiences are good training ground for the Senate. "Senators must make important funding decisions that will have the greatest positive impact for the people they serve," she explained. "I would like to be a voice at the state capitol for the needs of our central Minnesota communities."

Schurman also is a member of the St. Boniface Catholic Church where she serves on the Social Ministry Committee and is the lead person for affordable housing and a group leader to the BWCA.

District 14 includes the eastern half of Stearns County and the western part of Benton County. In the Paynesville area, it includes the city of Paynesville, Paynesville Township, Zion Township, the city of St. Martin, the city of Roscoe, and Munson Township.

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