 My hometown paper did a nice story on my election as a Republican national delegate. Check it out by clicking here or scrolling down._________________________ Pine City well represented at Republican convention Two young men from Pine City, Rudy Takala and Joe Wolf, made waves at the Republican Party of Minnesota’s state convention on May 19, and one is heading to the Republican National Convention as a delegate. Rudy Takala Takala will represent Minnesota along with 39 other delegates in Tampa, Fla. this August. According to a press release from the Pine County Republicans, Takala finished in fifth place out of 35 contenders for the final 13 delegate positions up for grabs at the state convention. Twenty-four delegates had been elected at district conventions, and three “super delegates” did not need to run for election. Takala was also elected to serve as the Minnesota delegation’s male member on the Committee on Permanent Organization, but later deferred the position to Charlie Strickland Jr. of Kanabec County, a retired Marine. "I thought it was both the honorable and appropriate thing to do as a friend and in deference to his service in Vietnam,” said Takala. The 23-year-old Takala said he is planning to begin a two-year master’s program at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. this fall. Joe Wolf Wolf, a 17-year-old Pine City High School senior at that time, was not elected as a national delegate, but said he was glad to have been a part of the convention. “It was a good learning experience on how it works, on how it’s run and how a platform and rules and things are passed and voted on,” Wolf said. “It’s interesting how the process of running for U.S. Senate works – we voted on that. It was a fun and interesting experience.” Wolf said his interest in politics started at Boys State, the summer leadership program sponsored by the American Legion. “We learned how conventions were run,” he said. “I wanted to do that in real life and see how far I could get – what it takes to get there and what it’s all about.” Wolf was elected as an alternate to the county caucus and to the state caucus, and ended up as a seated delegate at both. “I got seated because there were not enough Pine County delegates there,” Wolf explained. “It was fun to learn about everyone’s experience and what everyone wants. There’s different opinions out there. Not everybody’s the same, but they all agree on a certain set of ideals.” Wolf, who plans to go to Gustavus Adolphus College this fall, said he sees a possible future for himself in government. “I want ... to make a difference in the country,” he said. “That’s basically it.” |
