Mary Frances Clardy

Mary Frances Clardy was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated from Lakeville High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1983 and a graduate degree from Grand Canyon University in 2014. Her career experience includes working as an educator. As of her 2022 campaign, Clardy was a 27-year veteran teacher. She has also been a member of the Inver Grove Heights School Board, ISD 199, a gubernatorial appointee to the Minnesota Board of School Administrators, and a former member of the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Clardy has been affiliated with the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, Educators for Excellence, and Mom's Demand Action.[1][2]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mary Frances Clardy is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives representing legislative district 53A.

Mary Frances is a graduate of MN State University-Mankato with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. She obtained a teaching certificate from University of St. Thomas and a Master of Education from Grand Canyon University.

Mary Frances has 28 years of experience as a teacher. Prior to becoming an educator she worked as a housing advocate and served on the Minnesota Civil Rights Commission.

Her public service has also included gubernatorial appointments to the MN Board of Teaching, and the MN Board of School Administrators. Mary Frances also served on the Inver Grove Heights School Board and the Board of Metropolitan School Districts

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Education is the foundation upon which futures are built. Every child should have access to a world-class educational experience no matter which zip code they live.

To improve educational outcomes we should:

Stabilize education funding by permitting local optional revenue;

Increase access to high quality voluntary Pre-K programs;

Continue to provide support to the READ ACT

Increase the quality of special education;

Work to improve the educational outcomes for English Learners;

Create new pathways for teacher licensure;

Increase funding for students and staff for mental health and social emotional learning; and

Revisit instructional hoursWe need an economy that works for working families and seniors, not big corporations and the wealthy. I supported bills for an expanded child tax credit and to prohibit taxing social security securities.

I believe workers deserve livable wages, safe working conditions, and strong unions to ensure their rights.

I support initiatives that strengthen small businesses because they are the economic engines of our community and our State.

I also support access to affordable, high quality housing and a pathway for home ownership for all.I support expanded access to healthcare services whenever feasible and the elimination of healthcare disparities.

I will also support initiatives to:

Create and fund children's crisis homes and increase funds for respite care;

Provide education and training for judges on mental health issues;

Increase access to residential treatment facilities;

Prohibit jails from charging for phone calls from jail to case managers, mental health professionals and health care navigators; and

Provide education staff training on trauma informed care

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, accommodations for persons with disabilities, climate change, reproductive freedom, affordable housing, and health care.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials must maintain the highest ethical standards. They must seek to be well informed taking into account the needs of their constituents, weighing available facts and data and taking into consideration competing arguments in order to arrive at a sound position. Transparency is also critical.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities include:

Being well versed with the needs of their district

Develop working relationships with other public officials within their district in order to develop fruitful ways to work together to meet the needs of their common constituents

Be accessible to constituents

Keep constituents updated on issues impacting their lives.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I Smile by Kirk Franklin

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Achieving a 100% carbon free energy status; meeting the expanding need for affordable housing, and improving public education.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

The art of building relationships is critical because the legislative process requires that the parties be able to establish productive lines of communication and trust. This facilitates a willingness to compromise and move toward win-win solutions.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Rep. Shirley Chisholm

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Minnesota DFL, MN AFL-CIO, Council 5 AFSCME, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Emily's List, Pro-Choice Minnesota, Conservation Minnesota Voter Center, and Stonewall DFL

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency and government accountability are essential elements to insure that elected officials are held to the highest possible standards.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am dedicated to improving the lives of those who live in my community. To do so will require that I remain a relentless advocate for you. As a result, of my career as an educator I have developed keen listening skills and have learned how to bring together those with differing points of view to achieve positive results. After spending countless hours listening to parents and students, I recognize there is a greater need for my advocacy to help address the kitchen table issues we all face, to address the issues face by those with disabilities, to support economic opportunity initiatives that will strengthen small businesses and unions, to ensure safe communities, and to meet our pressing environmental challenges.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

As a teacher and school board member I’ve learned schools mirror our State. They reveal a number of policy failures. When kids arrive sick, it demonstrates healthcare system deficiencies. If they don’t have a lunch, it indicative of a failed safety net. If they stop attending, it’s often because of housing insecurity. I will address such issues.I will work to reduce the impact of inflation by eliminating taxes on social security income. Increase state support of our school systems which will reduce disparities between schools and reduce property tax burdens. Support women’s reproductive rights. Support initiatives to fight climate change. Support universal gun registration and red flag laws.The key to opportunity and prosperity in this country has always hinged upon access to a quality education. Therefore, I will fight to ensure every student in this state is able to obtain a public education that will prepare them to be technological literate in this evolving world. Therefore, I will support measures that assure that teaching standards are equitable, eliminate disparities in funding, and fully fund schools.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about education, access to quality healthcare, equal rights, climate, and safe communities.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My parent taught us that we had an obligation to give back to the community. Therefore, I would want my legacy to be that I made a difference and that I helped to transform lives in a meaningful way.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 5 years old.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Atticus Finch

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The single greatest challenge will be to transition to clean, renewable energy in a manner that is equitable to all Minnesotans.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

I believe it is beneficial to build relationships with other legislators. By doing so you have the opportunity to see each others humanity and it lessens the probability that you will vilify each other. Similarly, it will quell the impulse to assume the worse of someone whom you might perceive as an adversary.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Compromise is essential in the policy making process. It begins by creating the right tone and recognizing members of another party are not our enemies. I am not afraid to reach across the aisle to craft solutions that benefit the community, as a whole as long as I do not violate the values in which I believe. We can get things done if as Hubert Humphrey said, “we learn to disagree without being disagreeable.”