Members Taking Action: John Pederson

Meet John Pederson, a North Dakota United member, history and economics professor, and candidate for State Senate in District 20.

“I’ve been teaching at Mayville State University for over 20 years, my wife and I have a seventh grader and a tenth grader in the local school district, so, especially K-12 and higher education are issues that were of particular importance to me and why I decided to run,” he said.

John believes in properly resource K-12 schools and higher education institutions, driven by two key issues that first drew him to politics. When his children were diagnosed with dyslexia, he and his wife began commute 60 miles to Fargo twice a week for tutoring – a solution not every family can afford. Roughly half of all incarcerated individuals have some form of dyslexia, which he believes highlights the broader societal necessity of addressing learning disabilities.

“As a human and as an economist, this is where, if we spend money upfront to help educate our children, we save the expense, perhaps of having an under-educated young adult who’s now imprisoned. If you think about it: you have a lack of success in school, you have an inability to read, and now you’re entering the workforce with a criminal record, what opportunities are you going to see for yourself and what opportunities are you going to have?” said Pederson.

His second animating issue: universal free school lunches.

“We should provide meals to our children because they’re our children. Without any identification or shaming of one’s income level or not, we provide public schools for all our children. If we want our children to succeed, they can’t function if they are hungry or thinking about being hungry or haven’t been fed at home,” said Pederson.

Pederson also has concerns about the lack of consideration for teachers and public employees in recent legislation, particularly regarding bills affecting education.

“When there were bills trying to pass laws limiting what can be taught in higher education or in K-12 education, representatives on the faculty body were preparing to testify, and my understanding is they weren’t even asked. They weren’t even consulted,” said Pederson.

For NDU members who are interested in becoming more involved in government relations, Pederson has a message:

“Whatever else you may think, decisions are made by people who show up. And so, if you aren’t a candidate, that is certainly fine. But be present at the meetings; go to the state conventions that are in Bismarck or Fargo or Minot or Grand Forks. You have the ability to organize and advocate for what you know on your behalf,” said Pederson.

Standing for a cause you believe in is a cornerstone of democracy that everyone should exercise. The election is on November 5^th.