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| Affiliation | MN Independence |
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| Name | John P. James |
| Address |
Little Canada, Minnesota , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
August 27, 1946
(77 years)
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| Contributor | The Oncoming Storm |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Sep 12, 2023 12:03pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | John James has been a lawyer for 32 years and is a member of the Minneapolis law firm of Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King & Stageberg, P.A. He believes in effective government according to the rule of law, not according to partisanship. And, lawmakers should not shirk their duties by replacing legislative deliberation and action with amendments to the Constitution. He believes in the law as an institution and that the Attorney General should stop actions that undermine the institution's ability to serve everyone in Minnesota. The Attorney General should ensure that our laws facilitate progress on health care, education, transportation and the environment and can provide statewide leadership on public safety.
Independence Focus Fiscal Discipline Innovation Teamwork Family
Early Independence
John has been politically active because he believes in trying to make good things happen; and, a connection with a political party can be a means to that end. Despite being publicly associated with the DFL in the past, John always looks to the candidate over the party. When John was hired to serve as Assistant Commissioner of Revenue in early 1986, nobody asked who he had voted for in 1982, for there was no political litmus test for that position under Governor Perpich.
More than to politics, John has dedicated time to the community in nonpartisan ways. He has lectured frequently on taxation, taught a law school class, served on and chaired church and bar association committees, and been a director of 1000 Friends of Minnesota, a charitable organization focused on environmentally and community friendly land development and redevelopment.
Focus on Results
John is a lawyer. Lawyers are trained to focus. When serving in the Department of Revenue, John worked with a team that focused on streamlining Minnesota's tax code resulting in Minnesota's more user-friendly tax form.
A favorite focus of John's is to think in terms of systems. This kind of focus will benefit all Minnesotans when deployed on such questions as how to get better results for less money from the health care system, and how to modify the land use change process to encourage environmental conservation instead of subsidizing degradation.
Fiscal Discipline
When John became Commissioner of Revenue in 1987, Minnesota had no formal budget reserve. At John's suggestion, the economist conducted a study of what would be needed to weather a moderate recession without a fiscal crisis and came back with the recommendation that the state create a reserve of five percent of the biennial budget. The Legislature provided for a reserve; however, the amount set aside fell short of the recommended target. Today, an under-funded budget reserve combined with a history of politically popular but economically misguided property and sales tax rebates makes it impossible for Minnesota to fund such things as the huge backlog of necessary road improvements.
John believes that Minnesotans should get maximum value for their tax dollar and that, if they do, citizens will support the level of taxation needed to provide all necessary services at an affordable price. As Attorney General, John will insist that all taxpayers pay their fair share in accordance with the law and that there be basic honesty between government officials and the public regarding taxing and spending.
Practical Innovation
Lawyers generally don't win prizes for innovation, but John has accomplished some things that are innovative - for a lawyer.
John was instrumental in making the Lawyer Trust Account Board an arm of the state. Under the watchful eye of the Minnesota Supreme Court, interest earned on lawyers' trust accounts is spent on improving legal services for Minnesotans. Thanks to John, the board does not report to the Internal Revenue Service.
Tax reform in the late 1980s was led by John. Some of his ideas for tax and spending reform that were not enacted then are still kicking around 15 years later.
John helped bring the limited liability company as a new form of business organization to Minnesota. He successfully led the effort to have an organizational form that looked a lot like a corporation taxed as a partnership, which is a major advantage for business people who want flexibility in structuring their enterprises.
As Attorney General, John will advance the policy debate by introducing creative ideas for changing laws affecting market structures. He'll advocate for the rule of law while suggesting incentives to do the right things in health care, land use, transportation and the environment. Minnesotans can expect to get better results without excessive regulation, taxation or other expense.
Teamwork
Nothing important happens at the Capitol without teamwork. Legislative majorities must be found to make the changes that need to be made to move Minnesota forward. The process must be open to input from all sources and credit must be shared. John is interested in results, not in who gets credit for them.
John championed teamwork during his five years at the Department of Revenue, and led many team efforts that succeeded - reorganizing the Department, improving both customer service and enforcement efforts, and passing numerous law changes.
Teamwork will move Minnesota forward on health care, education, transportation and the environment. By making progress on the four main things, we can also improve the effectiveness of our response to such problems as drugs, gangs, shootings, violence against women and children, child neglect and abuse and environmental damage.
Family
Born to two Iowans in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while his father served in the U.S. Navy, John grew up in Iowa. He graduated from the University of Iowa, worked for three years in Chicago, went on to Harvard Law School. After graduating in 1974, John moved to Minnesota and has been here ever since.
John is married to Thelma James, who recently left state service after a 30 year career. Each has two children from their prior marriages. All the kids have been successfully launched and are married; and, three of them have children, so John and Thelma now enjoy being grandparents.
John's interests include singing in the church choir, gardening and staying fit via the YMCA. A jogger for years, he has learned to like swimming. His recreational passions are fishing - especially fly fishing for trout, with casting for bass, northerns and muskies close behind. He likes to canoe, especially in the Boundary Waters.
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