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OUR OPINION: DALLAS SAMS Sams could work with his
opponents
Former Sen. Dallas Sams of Staples contributed much to the state Legislature in his 16 years of service. The tragedy is that at the relatively young age of 54 he could have contributed so much more.
The dairy farmer and agriculture education teacher died Monday after being stricken with a brain tumor that was first diagnosed in 2005. At a time when Minnesota's population and its legislative power is shifting toward the Twin Cities area, Sams was an able spokesman and an proficient legislator for outstate Minnesota.
While he distinguished himself with his advocacy of veterans, the outdoors, agriculture and health care access, Sams was primarily remembered by colleagues as a decent man who was willing to work with lawmakers of all persuasions. Getting the job done, whether the issue was health care or education, was more important than scoring partisan political points.
His life of public service reminds us there's still a need for the centrist politician, the one who's willing to find common ground with political opponents for the common good of all Minnesotans. Sams understood that just because he might disagree with a colleague on one issue didn't mean they couldn't work together on another one. That sentiment was expressed by former Sen. Don Samuelson, a Brainerd DFLer, as he remembered Sams and recalled a lesson he learned in his many years in the state Legislature.
"One thing you learn in a hurry - you might fight and scrap with your colleagues today but tomorrow you're on the same side," Samuelson said.
That ability to work with people with different views, different mindsets is one that's sorely needed in politics today.
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