Alan Roy: State Senate District 2 Election Candidate

By Bonnie Kirchman

“You have a heart for helping people,” Alan Roy was told. And that is why people approached him and encouraged him to run for office in the 2020 election. Roy is seeking election to the Minnesota State Senate Second District seat and is the endorsed DFL candidate.

The main reason Roy is running for office is that he wants to make a difference. He explains “I also want to focus on common sense solutions for the common good of the people.”  Describing himself as a conservative Democrat, Roy believes building up the economy, improving health care, supporting education, and caring for veterans are among the most important issues facing people in our region, and these are the issues he will focus on if he wins the senate seat.

Roy doesn’t just have the desire to help people; he brings the skills necessary for working with them, developed while in the military and while employed in his civilian life. He also brings ideas and practical experience on policy and finance gained during his education. 

Alan Roy was born and raised in this area of Minnesota. He grew up on the White Earth Reservation, attended Circle of Life School and graduated from Detroit Lakes High School. He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2006 with a major in Political Science. After returning to school in 2013, he added Strategic Communications and American Indian Studies to his undergraduate degree.

After graduating from college, Roy enlisted in the Army. He served in the military for four years and was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. He continues to serve as a captain in the United States Army Reserve. As an Army veteran, Roy has first-hand experience with issues facing veterans.

Upon returning to civilian life, Roy decided to return to school and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. In 2018, Roy was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the White Earth Tribal Council.

As a member of the tribal council, Roy is responsible for a budget that exceeds $200 million dollars annually. He oversees both a finance division and a management division that are responsible for financial management and recordkeeping.  As a fiscal conservative, Roy’s goals include using dollars in the most effective and responsible ways. Roy would carry these ideas over to the financial issues Minnesota is facing.

“We should spend money for the right things, where the dollars will have the most impact,” Roy said of the state’s budget. Minnesota’s economy is a top priority for Roy as he looks to win the senate seat. He wants to build back the economy that has been hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. Getting people back to work and supporting businesses as they reopen is one of the steps to helping the economy. Roy also believes balancing the budget will be necessary for the economy to move forward. He has experience analyzing income and expenses as he manages the large tribal budget. At this time, with people and businesses struggling to get back on their feet, Roy doesn’t feel it is the right time for a tax increase.

“I would look at spending and focus on cost-saving. I believe in common sense solutions,” Roy stated. He added that with so many unemployed it isn’t a good time to ask taxpayers for more money.

Creating jobs is another of Roy’s priorities. He believes energy development has the potential to bring jobs to Minnesota. But Roy also believes that we should be careful to invest in projects that are self-sustaining and make money.

“The parts needed for solar energy are made in China. They should be made here. This would make us less dependent on China trade and would create jobs for Minnesotans,” Roy said.

Roy is concerned about China overtaking the global economy from the United States. He believes our government should support American workers and businesses. But the government can’t carry the burden alone-businesses should do this too, with government support in the form of regulation changes and reduced red tape.

Roy feels we can do better in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but emphasized that we know much more about the virus now than we did in the beginning of the pandemic. He believes Minnesotans need to get back to work and that a complete shutdown is not the answer to handling the pandemic now.

“Minnesotans are strong, resilient, and adaptable,” Roy said. He added that we need to continue to learn about the virus, listening to medical experts while also moving forward with ways to keep businesses open and people working. In order to be successful, the people will need resources and support.

Roy pointed to educators as an example of the resilience and adaptability of Minnesotans. He met with a group of twenty teachers on the morning of September 8th to discuss education issues. 

“They are absolutely passionate,” Roy said, describing the educators who are struggling to help students learn despite the challenges of the coronavirus epidemic. “They are willing to change to help students and families.”

Roy and his wife have three children, and they have experienced the educational challenges first-hand. When they found their own kids were struggling to learn using technology like iPads, they shared this with their teachers. The teachers worked with Roy’s family to find learning methods that were more meaningful and effective for their children.

“Teachers have done a lot. But they need tools and support,” Roy stated. Getting all of the students on-line is one example of the support Roy feels educators need right now.

Roy also believes we should examine how we look at higher education and look more at trade and vocational schools. He believes that as a state, we should look at programs that prepare students for jobs as plumbers, electricians, and welders. Not only do these students leave school with a good job, they also leave school without student loan debt.

Health care is another major issue Roy hopes to address in the state senate. He is concerned about the cost of health care. For example, many of the elders he knows are unable to afford the drugs that have been prescribed for them. While affordable health care is important, Roy emphasizes that accessible health care is very important, especially in this region of Minnesota. His own family travels to Perham to access necessary health care services and he notes that many from Baudette travel to Bemidji to receive medical care. He would like to expand and support accessible rural health care.

Additionally, Roy is concerned about the opioid crisis that is affecting many in our state. He described a nationally recognized program on the White Earth Reservation that addresses addiction. 

This program works with expectant parents who are addicted to heroin and helps treat their addiction and prevent their babies from being born addicted to heroin. Roy wants to expand this type of program as well as others that have been proven to be effective in reducing drug addiction.

Police reform is another issue Minnesotans are facing. As a member of the tribal council, Roy has worked with one of the largest police departments in the region. White Earth’s police force consists of thirty officers, with a multimillion-dollar budget.

“I support cops, and I have always supported cops. Cops have a unique relationship with rural communities,” Roy said. 

When examining police issues, Roy believes we should look at what we can do to help officers to be more effective. One program that is working on White Earth involves three community wellness officers. These police officers focus on finding appropriate help for people who are coping with mental health issues, addiction, or other problems. Roy believes this is an idea that could work in other Minnesota communities.

If Roy is elected to the state senate, he would want to change things. But he would also want to change how we do things.

“Treating others as you would want to be treated, the Golden Rule, that is a Minnesota value,” Roy said. Roy’s work on the tribal council has taken him to the White House and the United States Congress. These experiences have helped him learn to work with all sorts of people, including both conservatives and liberals, who have a wide range of ideas. He has learned to get along with others, focusing on how to help people in the best possible ways.

“I have to separate my personal feelings from what happens in the tribe,” Roy said, “We have to do the same thing in government.”

“If I am elected, I will have productive dialogue, not leadership in a vacuum. I learned in tribal government to work with everybody to look at where we are and where we are going. That’s effective leadership.”