Access To Democracy

Paul Saxton has been teaching at Eagan High School since 1992. In this episode, Paul and several current and past students join host Steve Francisco to discuss the school’s unique television production class and offer viewers a behind the scenes look at what it takes to put student-produced programs on air.

On May 22, Paul and Eagan High School students celebrated the 30th anniversary and 900th episode of “Eagan AM” which is the school’s internal TV program for students and staff. Some highlights on “Eagan AM” have included a 2010 interview with a soldier at war in Iraq and a live interview with a student pilot flying an airplane above the school.

In this episode, you will hear how Paul Saxton’s class is changing students’ lives and opening the door to future career possibilities.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, and host Steve Francisco join to discuss Secretary Simon’s work as one of the state’s constitutional officers. While overseeing elections in the state’s 87 counties is one of his most important responsibilities, there are other responsibilities as well.

Secretary Simon strongly affirms that Minnesota’s elections are “fair, open, impartial, and secure” and explains the safeguards in place that make actual election fraud exceedingly rare.

Secretary Simon also explains how his office provides services to new businesses and nonprofits. The Secretary of State also maintains a database of collateral pledged to secure loans and a database for farm product liens. Notary public applications and renewals are also processed. Steve is particularly proud of the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program that protects the safety of victims of domestic violence and others who may fear for their personal safety.

Jake Romans, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3669, sits down with host Steve Francisco to discuss the potentially severe consequences of the Trump administration’s proposed deep cuts to the Veterans Administration and the veterans they serve.

Local 3669 represents the professional employees, such as doctors and nurses, who work at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Jake explains how deep budget cuts to the VA will result in longer wait times for veterans seeking health care and the additional stress and strain that is being imposed on VA medical staff, including some nurses working 16-hour shifts.

While AFGE and other federal employee union are fighting these proposed cuts, Jake says that Minnesotans must let their members of Congress know their concerns about maintaining quality health care for the men and women who have served in our military.

Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko, joins host Steve Francisco to discuss his long career in law enforcement and the challenges he and his deputies face in keeping Minnesota’s third most populous county safe.

Much has changed since Joe joined the Sheriff’s office as a patrol officer in 1997, with advances in technology and forensic science. Today, Sheriff Leko oversees a staff of 200 and a budget of over $25 million.

Joe explains why opiod drugs, such as fentanyl, are so dangerous and how drug cartels are moving their product into Minnesota. The Sheriff also discusses the increase in internet crimes, from fraud schemes to sexual exploitation of children, and what he and his staff are doing to combat these crimes.

Steve Hunegs, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), has been an Access to Democracy frequent guest since he became leader of the organization over a dozen years ago.

He and Alan devoted their discussion to the proliferation of antisemitism instances not only in the United States, but throughout the world and what they felt were the leading factors, especially on college campuses, where they often ended in some form of violence.

At the conclusion of the interview Alan announced that 26 years after he founded the award-winning program, this show would be the last regularly scheduled interview he will conduct.